Local Business Marketing

4 Unique Local Business Marketing Ideas Your Competitor Never Considered

Make a Splash for Your Company and Draw Your Target Market

Local business marketing can open up a world of opportunity for your organization, as long as you have the right ideas. Unfortunately, as much as that is a very positive statement, it also presents a tremendous problem: what are those ideas and where do you get the time to come up with them? After all, you’re busy enough as it is with your daily operations!

Worry no longer. The solutions are here! All you need to do is select the ones that are best suited to your own company. There are a tremendous number of fun and exciting ways to take on local business marketing without excessive time consumption and expense.

The following are some unique and thrilling ideas that you can use to spread the word about your own business, in a way that your local competition never would have imagined.

Have a Contest, Draw, or Raffle

People absolutely love to win prizes, so take the opportunity to combine this passion with the chance to let people know about your business, your product, or whatever else you’d like to tell them about. To enter the contest, make sure that they fill in a form where they must enter their name and some contact information, such as an email address, where you’ll also be able to let them know about future promotions and prize opportunities.

The prize doesn’t have to be anything huge, but it should be fun and stand out in some way. It could be a gift certificate to your store, a basket full of promotional items, or a single larger item that will draw a lot of attention. Make sure to let the local media know, such as radio stations, newspapers, or news programs, and welcome them to come and see the judging of the contest, or the drawing of the winner’s name at the draw or raffle.

You may also want to make sure that there are some “runner ups” or “participant” prizes, where others will be able to win products such as a t-shirt or ball cap with your logo printed on it, or even a smaller gift certificate.

Throw a Fundraiser for a Local Charity

Fundraising for a good local cause is a fantastic way to tell people about your company while doing something great at the same time. Again, let the local media know that you’re going to be holding the fundraiser so that they can cover it.

Consider a car wash in your parking lot or a food drive to support a local soup kitchen; a book collection for the library, a literacy program, or a school; a tree planting with donations to a local environmental or city/town beautifying project; a dog wash where the proceeds will go to the local humane society; or a head shaving where pledged donations are made to a local cancer clinic.

This type of marketing is effective for bringing people to your business, but it also makes people feel good, because they’re making a difference. They’ll see your company as the generous local organization that it is, and will be more likely to choose your business the next time they need your products.

Free How-To Clinics and Seminars

Every month, hold a free clinic or seminar that will show people how to use one of your products or services, using information relating to your industry. Have people sign up so that you’ll be able to contact them about upcoming seminars and promotions, or to invite them to take surveys that will assist you in better understanding their needs and interests.

The clinics don’t need to be very long. Fifteen or thirty minutes is generally more than enough depending on what the product or service happens to be. They should consist of a short introduction, a demonstration, and some interactive time, where questions are allowed, or to let participants try the products for themselves.

Sell Fun Products With Your Company Name, Logo, and URL

There are lots of great places where you can obtain a variety of low-cost printed products (featuring your URL name and logo) that you can sell in your store. Though t-shirts and pens may be the standard, you want to make sure that people remember you and actually want to buy the items.

Sell tote bags, water bottles, hand fans, rubber ducks, snacks, or beach balls, for example. Make sure that the sale price is very low. You don’t need to make much of a profit with these items. In fact, you could even sell them at cost. Remember that the point to these items is to spread the word and make sure that your customers have a regular reminder of your business.

Naturally, you can still use the same old techniques that everybody is using, such as clear signage and an ad in the yellow pages, but make sure that your local business marketing also includes an element that will help you to stand out. That is the point, after all!