Developing a local marketing plan is not as simple as point and shoot. Don’t get sucked into what everyone else is doing and don’t let some wet behind the ears sales rep tell you why you should spend $3,000 a month with his TV station.
Local marketing is about relationships above all else. The people who will purchase from you walk by your store or block every day. To develop a relationship with these consumers you must understand their schedules, their lifestyles and their needs. That may sound difficult, but it really is as simple as asking yourself a couple of basic questions.
- What types of individuals walk by your store everyday? College students? Lawyers? Government employees? Stock brokers? Nurses? Understanding the type of schedule and job/lifestyle that these people have will help you develop a marketing plan to establish a loyal relationship.
- What are their needs? If most of your foot traffic is from college students you can bet that their need is cheap, quick and caffeinated because they are probably late for class and half asleep. If most of your foot traffic is from government employees than you can bet that their need is a break from the office. They are not in a rush to get back, but a simple, calming experience that lets them escape from the daily grind
Focus on the following three words; Offering, Messaging, Service.
- Create the right offer to provide consumer value; 10% off, comfortable seating…etc
- Craft the right message to attract consumer attention; getaway from the daily grind at “your company here”
- Provide incredible customer service; make customers feel welcome by remembering their name or order, offering loyalty rewards and making them feel welcome
Marketing is not a magic science. Successful marketing plans start with understanding your target customer and end with delivering real value based on the customer’s needs… to the consumer everything else is just noise.
