The Top 4 Social Media Platforms for Local Businesses
Local businesses are still more than ever going to need to remain in existence, get customers, and generate leads to survive. In today’s post, I’m going to touch on the 4 social media platforms local businesses must utilize to get more leads.
What is a local business?
A local business is any company that provides goods or services to a local population. Often denoted by the phrase, “brick and mortar,” a local business can be a locally owned business or a corporate business with multiple locations operating in a specific area.
Despite the growing popularity of online shopping, more than 90% of sales still occur in brick and mortar locations. While some local businesses may not have eCommerce channels, web presence is critical for local businesses hoping to increase foot traffic, services or product inquiries, phone calls, and compete with chains and larger organizations.
What I’m noticing is the number of business owners who don’t utilize Social Media and realize the power it can have to boost their sales and recurring customers.
Here are some examples of local businesses:
- Optometry
- Chiropractic
- Retail
- Restaurants
- Car Dealerships
- Gas stations
- Law firms
- Optometry
- Dental
- Physical therapy clinics
- and more!
Each industry varies due to the need for the product or service, but the one concept that stays consistent is the social media channels that are needed to utilize. The great thing about social media in a competitive market is the amount of creativity that you utilize, and the number of people you can build a relationship with.
Here are the top 4 social media platforms that all local businesses should use..
1. Yelp
Yelp enables people to search for local businesses based on customer ratings and reviews. … As a business owner, you can use Yelp to showcase your products and services and connect with customers and prospects in your local area. .
Take a Law Firm, for instance, the first place most consumers are going to go to see where to get the most bang for there bucket would be Yelp. First, they will ask around and see if anyone knew a good Lawyer. Secondly, they would go to Yelp and see what other people are saying about law firms in the area. By having your past customers write Yelp reviews – this will allow new potential customers to choose you.
2. Google Business Listing
Google My Business (or GMB) is a business listing on Google that allows your company information to be output by Google in a variety of different results. Google wants a positive experience for its customers and searchers, therefore it relies on a company’s Google My Business listing to provide instant information to consumers.
For example, the page can offer the ability to schedule an appointment, chat directly with a sales team member, or read customer reviews.
It’s also the number one search engine on the planet.
The data shows that most searchers use Google, are typically on a mobile device, and have high local intent.
Google values how their business listings are mobile-friendly, very quick to load, and produce quality information relevant to the searcher without having to click on the website in the search results.
The utilization of your local listing, having your consumer’s post reviews and giving feedback can help your business rank higher in the local 3 pack.
Be sure to enhance your Google listing.
3. YouTube
YouTube has over a billion users, almost one-third of total internet users. More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day. More video content is uploaded in 30 days than the major U.S. television networks have created in 30 years. The 25-34 (millennial) age group watches the most online videos and men spend 40% more time watching videos on the internet than women.
The utilization is vital for any business, even local businesses. Video can portray so many different dimensions about a brand and really build a relationship with a consumer in ways that just a plan web presence can not. The creativity that you can use with video is endless.
From a technical standpoint, YouTube is part of Google therefore when you post videos about your business it provides a good user experience – which, in turn, helps your local listing.
4. Instagram
This is a monstrous tool to utilize and here are some statistics.
- 1 billion people use Instagram every month.
- Instagram will reach 112.5 million U.S. users in 2020.
- 500 million people use Instagram Stories every day
- Instagram will reach 112.5 million U.S. users in 2020.
Taking into account all these statistics Instagram is a tool that you can do the following to stand out in your local area. You can see your competitors’ profiles and really get in the awareness of people that never heard of your product or service. You can also really depict your profile to your consumers in ways that can subtle intrigue people to inquire about what you are offering.
By utilizing these 4 social media tools – this can really get you more business and make you more money. Hopefully, this helped you and generates more prospects for your business. To see how can we Create Build and Optimize marketing and sales process we suggest that you get a FREE marketing audit today by calling here.
