If you’re a marketer with a brick-and-mortar store who’s looking to build awareness for your brand and increase conversions, you’re probably already using social media channels to either communicate or engage with your target market.
And why shouldn’t you be? There are over 2.3 billion social media users out there, so it is definitely in your interest to be able to meet your consumers where they already are.
But if you’re just getting started or perhaps looking to improve engagement and conversions for your brand in a certain region, then it’s worth it to narrow down your efforts and connect with your audience in a highly localized way that’s more relevant and more personable to them.
After all, personalization is one of the most important keys to successful digital marketing. Studies show that 93% of companies who personalize their content see a boost in revenue.
Studies show that 93% of companies who personalize their content see a boost in revenue. (Just in case you missed it.)
So, how can you start personalizing your social media marketing strategies to improve conversions in a certain region?
Hyperlocal social media marketing, that’s how.
In this blog post, we’re here to show you how hyperlocal social media marketing can improve your conversions and help you grow your business.
What is Hyperlocal Social Media Marketing?
Hyperlocal social media marketing is an advertising strategy that targets a very specific geographical area, such as a neighborhood or small community, with very localized and relevant types of content, meant to especially relate to the interest and needs of the people in that area.
In a world where almost everyone has a mobile device in their pockets at all times, hyperlocal social media marketing has become an even more important tool for marketers looking to gain exposure in certain areas and win over potential customers.
By doing this, you can establish your brand as a valued member of their community, build trust with your local market, and yes, ultimately improve your conversions.
Examples of Hyperlocal Advertising
Here’s an example of what hyperlocal marketing looks like in real life:
Let’s say you’re hosting an industry conference in Oklahoma City next summer. You can take advantage of hyperlocal advertising by creating an organic nurture campaign on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or the social platform of your choice, optimized to appear for users searching up terms such as “Oklahoma City summer plans” or “things to do in Oklahoma City this summer.”
When you get closer to that registration deadline, you can change the parameters to only target those who live around Oklahoma City. To get even more hyperlocal, you could run a special ad campaign during one session of the conference to highlight something special, maybe a headline musical guest.
Let’s say you got U2 to play a set during your Friday night keynote. You could run an ad targeting a two-block radius around your event venue on Friday afternoon, saying something like, “Hey, U2 is playing in an hour just up the street! Go now! Show this ad and get a $20 discount off the entry charge!”
Pretty neat, huh?
There are many benefits to this strategy. According to Google, hyperlocal searches (such as typing “sports store near me” on Google Maps) have increased by 200% between 2016 and 2018. More recently, a 2022 SafariDigital report shows us that 97% of users search online when looking up local businesses.
Small wonder then that more and more businesses are using hyperlocal social media advertising in their marketing plans to make nearby customers aware of their products and services.
Who Should Use Hyperlocal Social Media Ads
So, who does this work for best?
We find that hyperlocal social media ads work best for small businesses, local retailers, and service providers who rely heavily on foot traffic and local customer relationships.
Event management companies can also benefit from this and so can marketing managers who need to promote events, tours, and road shows in various cities.
If you offer services that frequently receive local searches, such as “local finance advisor,” “local piano tuner,” or “local apparel printer,” it can also benefit you to create local and hyperlocal ads that target the regions of the country that generate the most leads.
It’s definitely worth looking into so, if you’re interested in trying out this strategy, here’s how you can get started.
How to Implement Hyperlocal Social Media Strategies
Choose a Campaign That Would Benefit from Hyperlocal Marketing
Look at your marketing plans for the next six months. What’s something that has a direct tie-in to a local audience? What are opportunities to capture local SEO searches, which you could own through a hyperlocal campaign?
Whatever it is, take note because the next thing you need to do is …
Identify Your Target Audience and Your Goals
Now that you have a campaign you think would benefit from hyperlocal strategies, you need to figure out who your audience is.
Knowing this is important because it will help you determine what social media platform is best for your goals. For example, you wouldn’t use Facebook if it’s those GenZers you’re looking for and, alternatively, if your audience is GenX and Baby Boomers, you wouldn’t choose TikTok.
Determine which platform is best for your intended target audience and then decide what it is you’re looking to accomplish with your new strategies.
Whether you’re looking to enhance brand awareness, pre-target for an Account-Based Marketing funnel, or whatever else you think will improve your conversions, it’s good to have these down in advance to keep your messaging both efficient and consistent.
Creating Content Tailored to the Local Audience
Now that you’ve got your target audience and the social media platform where they can be found in the wild, it’s time to create a social media content strategy that is tailor-made for your audience and resonates with them in a meaningful way.
Make sure your content is appealing and varied. This is a great time to really let your creative team shine!
If you’ve got graphic designers, motion graphic artists, and video editors on your payroll, have them create some visually appealing and engaging content via stunning visuals, animation, and video.
If you don’t have designers or video creators on your payroll, then lean into your copywriters for clever and entertaining blog posts, attention-grabbing captions, and educational material your audience is sure to enjoy.
Whatever content you put out, make sure it has value to your intended audience. Is it educational? Informative? Entertaining?
It’s got to be one of those because in order for your target audience to engage with your content, they must see its value.
Remember to always set yourself up as the guide, not the hero of the customer journey story. The person viewing your content should feel like the hero and you and your brand are the ones that have the solutions they need (Think the Gandalf to their Frodo).
Many marketers make the mistake of thinking that the latest and coolest ad tech will solve all their problems and forget that successful marketing, no matter what strategy you use, distills down to one human connecting with other humans.
Keep that in mind when you're creating your content. And don't be afraid to reach out to someone with more local cred than you have to help you get it done.
If you can get an influencer, that could help. And no, not that random TikTok celebrity.
Think someone who’s local, whose face would be recognized by people in your target area. Someone like the local weatherman or the owner of a popular business or restaurant. Reach out to them beforehand and see if they’ll record a quick 20-second rough phone video for you. Use that in your hyperlocal campaign to reinforce the local connection!
Use Location Geotags and Hashtags to Help You Connect
Once you have some meaningful content and a target audience, all that’s left to do is localize it.
Location tags (or geotags) are an easy thing to add to your social media posts. Google Maps even has an easy “check-in” feature that’s free to use!
Encourage customers to post content and tag your location and you’ll see how quickly you can get your business on the map.
Using the social media platform analysis tool of your choice, you can also generate and make use of hashtags that are popular in a particular area. Find them, use them, and you’ll make your content more familiar and relatable.
And while you’re at it, partner up with the local lingo. When in Rome, right? Even though most folks speak English in the United States, we don’t have to tell you that regional diction and slang can vary from state to state and even city to city.
Do some research to determine how people speak in and about the cities, towns, and neighborhoods you’ll be targeting in your campaign. Look up the area and integrate local abbreviations, pronunciations, and slang into your content.
Partnering with Local Businesses and Influencers
You’ve found a perfect campaign to use, you’ve identified your target audience, and you’ve created localized and relevant content for your audience. It’s now time to bring in the big guns.
Remember those influencers? Odds are, there are some local influencers with large followings in the area you are targeting. In addition to a quick recommendation, don’t be afraid to reach out and see if you can find a mutually beneficial partnership that will help you promote each other’s products or services.
By having a local influencer share your messaging with their followers, you can organically increase your reach much further than you could if you were going it alone.
This goes for local businesses too. Using cross-promotions that feature each other’s content on your social media pages, tagging each other in posts, or even hosting joint events is a great way to ingratiate yourself with the locals and build up awareness and exposure for your brand.
If you’re operating with a healthy budget, you can take things one step further and perhaps consider sponsoring a solo event, like a walk-a-thon, a toy drive, or even sponsoring a sports team. All of this can help your business gain exposure in the community, build trust, and garner support for some great causes.
The Benefits of Hyperlocal Social Media Marketing
There is so much that hyperlocal social media marketing can do for your business. Here are a few of our favorite benefits:
Increase Your Brand Visibility
By localizing your advertising and creating organic, meaningful content, you can increase your brand visibility, and put your brand in front of the right people at the exact time you want them to notice you.
Example: A few months before the soft launch of a new location, you can announce your services will soon be available in the new area. If you’ve got a new product launch, you can also announce that your offering will soon be available at certain local retailers. Doing this can help to ensure that once your product or services are available, there will be a market waiting for opening day.
Engage More Meaningfully with Your Ideal Target Audience
Customize your hyperlocal ad copy and visuals with local street names, business names, and local lingo to let people know that your brand has a vested interest in the good of their neighborhood. This can help build trust and engage with your audience on a more personal level.
Create a More Cost-Effective Marketing Plan
By focusing on hyperlocal marketing, you’ll weed out low-value prospects and spend more time reaching best-fit leads, allowing you to spend less for the same results.
Increase Conversion Rates
Of course, the ultimate goal in all of this is to improve your conversion rates.
Once you’re engaging with your audience in a meaningful way, providing them with valuable and relatable content, and ingratiating yourself in the area, naturally, you’ll start to see more and more potential customers and more of those potential customers converting into sales.
It’s no coincidence that personalizing your content increases your conversions. By doing all of this, you’re simply personalizing your content, just on a much deeper level.
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Why Not Give it a Shot?
Now that you know what to do, all that’s left is to give it a shot! These strategies have already worked for several businesses and yours could be the next to see success!
And if you aren’t sure how you’ll be able to take time from your busy day to create localized content, manage a social media platform, and engage with your audience, then why not let Designity take that off of your plate?
With a Creative Director on your team, there’s no need for you to do all of this. You can leave it in their very capable hands and they, along with a team made up of the top 3% of US-based creative talent, will handle all of the details for you.
Just give us your target audience and your goals and leave the rest to us. Our copywriters, designers, motion graphic artists, and marketing experts can implement a hyperlocal social media strategy that can drive your business, help you achieve your goals, and improve your conversions.
How do you use social media to drive your business?
