Local Lead Generation: 6 Tips to Generate Local Leads for Your Company

When it comes to driving new business from your website, local lead generation is essential. Driving new traffic, leads and customers from your own backyard helps establish your business as a leader in your community. Local lead generation seems like a no-brainer, but it can be difficult for businesses to break through and make an impact in their own community. So here are 6 tips to help you generate local leads for your company.

1. Make Google Work For You

People are using the Internet to search for products and services more than ever before, so it's essential that your business not only shows up in the Google results, but also that it works hard to prove that your company is trustworthy and credible.

Get Lots of Customer Reviews

These reviews can be on Google, Yelp, Facebook or (preferably) all of the above. There is something very powerful about those little stars of feedback from other customers that give us so much context about how much we will enjoy the company. No matter what industry you are in, having feedback from your customers is POWERFUL.

Claim Your Google Places Page

Claiming your Google Results page lets you provide lots of a valuable information to your customers. Add your hours of operation, photos of your space, links to relevant information, etc. All these things help provide a story for visitors that make it easier for them to make an informed decision before they come to your website or visit your store.

2. Create a Content Strategy

With a sound content strategy, you can create content that is specifically targeted for how a customer might be looking for you online. Blogging is one of the simplest and most effective ways to publish content that allows you to preemptively answer your prospects' questions.

Try to think about the unique challenges your audience faces by being in your specific area. Instead of writing a blog called "The Best Gear for Avid Bicyclists," you could instead write "The Best Cold-Weather Gear for Extreme Minnesota Bicyclists." The first post might bring more eyes to your blog, but the second blog will bring more local leads that are more likely to stop-in to your bike shop to find what they need.

3. Understand What Your Audience is Searching For

Every audience and every market is a little bit different. It's important to do your research and find out what your primary customers are entering into search. Semantics can seem like a minuscule detail, but they might mean the difference between 300 monthly searches and 3,000 monthly searches. The more you understand about your local audience the better you can appeal to their individual preferences. 

Google's Keyword Planner (below) is a great tool for identifying how many searches specific keywords receive each month. HubSpot for private clubs also offers advanced SEO tools that can help you track keyword performance and optimize your local search strategy.

Don't Forget Important Location Phrases

If you are a business operating out of Toronto it's easy to rank for searches like "Wedding Catering Toronto," but some of your local searchers might be using a more esoteric term. Toronto dwellers will often use "GTA" for Greater Toronto Area, so it's important to create content that targets these location-specific terms, as well.

4. Optimize for Mobile

Mobile is NOT an option for marketers anymore, it is a requirement (literally). Google is now penalizing websites that are not mobile ready. If your website is not up to these standards, you cannot even appear in search when your prospects are looking for you.

The Mobile Experience

Aside from the Google requirements, user experience is an essential part of the buyer's journey as well. If your website doesn't help your prospects take the next step in the buying process, it's doing you absolutely no favors. In the example below, mobile visits are outperforming desktop visits (175,000 to 198,000). Don't lose potential customers because you have a poor user experience on your mobile website.

5. Get Links from Local Websites

It's important to have a presence in your community, so know the best places to get traffic in your neighborhood. There are tons of websites and online communities that you can leverage to get your company name out there. It's important for your community to have an understanding of your unique offerings, so think of creative ways to get mentioned!

• LinkedIn Groups
• Local Facebook Groups/Pages
• Forums
• Interest Groups
• Angie’s List
• Chamber of Commerce
• Local Newspaper
• Online Communities
• Local Organizations
• Local Partner Companies

6. Speaking Engagements

Once you find your local communities, work to create great partnerships with them. Speaking engagements are a great way to share your expertise to an industry group that can educate them and be mutually beneficial for you to drive leads. 

Pro Tip: When speaking in front of a group, have an extra piece of content that you can offer to your audience, but require them to fill out a form on a landing page to access it. This serves two purposes. First, it allows you to see who is the most interested among your audience. And second, it allows you to capture their contact information and continue the conversation.

These are just a few ways that you can capitalize on your local traffic in order to drive more website visits and convert more leads!

Need more ideas or advice? Feel free to contact us!