For a long time, there has been a movement towards ‘shopping local’ where we can, and the Covid-19 pandemic has only accelerated this! More than ever we are supporting local, independent businesses and opting to buy from them when we can rather than large corporate chains.
So, in an ever-growing market, how can you build a successful local brand that retains an audience and meets their demands?
Think Brand First!
It’s important to think about what makes your brand distinctive and unique as this will be key when marketing it in a clear, creative, and memorable way. All communication from the brand to the consumer should be underpinned by a solid brand voice…
“A distinctive brand and effective marketing are the lifeblood of any business and we’re determined to help businesses put their brand first and raise the bar on marketing” – Steve Curzon, Director of Curzon Marketing
Simple being local is not enough of a reason for a local customer to buy from you; it is essential that your brand is distinctive and attractive to them in what it does for them and how it speaks to them.
Find your niche, and do it well
Your market will be competitive, and it can be hard to claim your place if there are multiple brands that already have loyal customers in the area. So it is important to find your niche and offer something that you know the customer wants and do it better than anyone else locally. However, finding your ‘niche’ does not mean limiting what you do; it can simply be finding the product type, service offer (like delivery, opening hours or customisation) or category theme that will be the focus of your brand idea and help your stand out from your local competitors, and give the customer what they want better than anyone else.
Speak and act local
Knowing your local audience and the best way to reach them is important to ensure you are investing in activities that pull new people into your customer network. So too is speaking to them in a tone of voice that is personable and approachable. Find ways to show the personalities behind your brand, the people and the stories that make you what you are – the surest way to set your brand apart from national or corporate brands.
Today there are many more local media opportunities available too to help you reach your audience. Making use of social media advertising (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), email marketing and pay-per-click (PPC) search advertising are good options with flexibility that many businesses take advantage of today. These tools provide you with the ability to communicate with your audience in a digital landscape, and help you to drive sales and learn even more about your customers and their preferences.
If your audience are not regularly online, there are more traditional methods to consider too such as newspaper advertising, local radio, mail drops or encouraging word-of-mouth recommendations.
Generate traffic to your website
In a world where Google is our resource for searching just about anything, you need to make sure your website is built to rank on search engines. Using search engine optimisation (SEO) allows you to generate targeted, sustainable, organic traffic to your website.
Using the most popular phrases and terms to describe your products will help with your website search engine optimisation but to optimise when targeting a local market, make sure you include local references too. This targeting can be done by using localized keywords, local citations, and link building. SEO can be a long process and will involve testing and further optimization over a period of time. This means it’s even more important to stay focused on the needs of your local market, and keep in tune with what they are searching for.
Build strategic partnerships
Alongside more traditional marketing methods, it may be useful to focus on partnerships with other local brands. Whilst it may not necessarily work to pair up with a direct competitor, it is key to select a brand with whom you share some common ground. For example, if you are a food-based brand such as chicken, it might be worth pairing up with a seasoning, wine, or vegetable company as this will give you a range of talking points when it comes to creating promotional materials and copy.
Good brand partnerships can be hugely rewarding. Through collaborative activity, you can showcase your brand to the partner's audience via their website, email or social media channels. Brand partnerships can also help grow your brand’s credibility and enhance its relevance for more usage occasions. Remember, a partnership is reciprocal so they will benefit from your support too.
As a marketing agency based in Suffolk, we have worked with many leading brands including Gressingham Duck, Mackie’s Ice Cream, Fairfields Farm Crisps, Sutton Hoo Chicken, Ransomes Jacobsen, Metcalfe’s Popcorn, Paddy & Scotts Coffee, Kettle Crisps, and Stokes Sauces.
If you would like to discuss ideas for your brand, we’d love to hear from you, with no obligation on your part and no expectation on ours. Click here to contact us.