How to Build Hyperlocal Brand Awareness How the marketing landscape has changed 3 What is hyperlocal brand awareness? 4 Creating brand loyalty at the local level 5 Getting started 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS OF CONTENTS TABLE Measurement tools 11 How the marketing landscape has changed Even though 2020 seemed like a year of drastic is going strong is that people crave a sense of marketing strategy shifts, some of the savviest community, and companies that help to foster marketers already saw many of these changes that feeling of belonging and like-mindedness coming: the rise of personalization, leveraging are thriving. More than ever, consumers are virtual spaces for meetings and events, and rewarding brands that bring us together, meaning especially, the increased importance of hyperlocal hyperlocal marketing should be a part of your marketing. Localized marketing to specific overall brand strategy. communities is becoming a marketing mix staple among even the largest national brands. This In today’s marketing landscape, the most genre of marketing develops local brand relevance impactful efforts are relevant, timely, and for brands and establishes their presence within personalized. Casting a wide net is not the select geographic locations. most practical option for businesses. Now, it’s about hyperlocal, community-specific marketing This pandemic has reminded us that we aren’t to get results. meant to be shut-in and isolated from our neighbors. One reason hyperlocal marketing 3 What is hyperlocal brand awareness (and why should it matter to my brand)? Hyperlocal brand awareness is the process of building brand recognition in a specific The fast-flowing community, neighborhood, or an otherwise targeted geographical area. Successful hyperlocal penetration of the marketing enables businesses to effectively “ advertise to prospects in particular locales internet into all without wasting marketing dollars on non- relevant markets. households, and It’s an opportunity to build authentic, local recently into all connections and engage with the very people you aim to serve, setting up a relationship for mutual pockets via a phone, benefit— versus the anonymous, transactional giver/taker flow. It gives businesses a new has put an end to the opportunity for positive brand association and consumers a fresh way to connect with you. domination of the Consumers now have myriad options when it mass audience.” comes to their purchases. To stand out amongst the competition, companies can leverage hyperlocal marketing to invest in an specific —Kevin Kelly from The Inevitable: geographical location, building recognition, Understanding the 12 Technological Forces creating loyalty, and becoming part of the fabric of that will Shape our Future the community. To learn more about hyperlocal brand engagement, watch our webinar. 4 Creating brand loyalty at the local level Brand awareness is the product of hyperlocal marketing. If you do it right, brand loyalty—that intangible trust in your brand and the products or services you sell—will follow. What can hyperlocal brand awareness do for my business? Create a positive Build a sense of community brand association with your customers By selecting hyperlocal marketing opportunities Community is something consumers crave, so that align with your values, you gain opportuni- building up overall brand awareness within your ties to connect with customers in untraditional target geographic location leads to fiercely loyal ways and attract customers you may otherwise fans, who are also your biggest brand advocates. not have. Through relationship building, you build brand loyalty and trust. Lower lead acquisition costs With deeper brand recognition (and eventually greater brand awareness), costs to capture leads will drop as more customers select you as their preference over your competitors. This is the result of increased credibility attributed to your brand. 5 How to get started with your hyperlocal brand strategy Once your marketing team is committed to higher sales or growth rates. Once the markets developing a hyperlocal brand strategy, where have been selected, remember that It’s not just do you start? First, it’s critical to identify which about having a social media or web presence, it’s communities you’ll be targeting. Be sure to assess about showing up for the community so they show if it’s best to focus on the locations in which you up for you. already have a physical presence or locations with TACTICS PPC and retargeting Paid social In the age of digital, this is a big one. Since we are Just like PPC, running ads for your business on all tied so deeply to web and search, it’s important social networks can make a great deal of sense, to participate in pay-per-click and retargeting but only if your audience is using that social to serve up your business when people search network. If age or gender demographics aren’t as for like-terms related to your company and are important as locality (say, if you are a restaurant physically located closeby. “Near me” queries or coffee shop), then using geolocation to target have skyrocketed on search engines, making geo- relevant potential customers is the best way to specific PPC and retargeting efforts via text ads leverage paid advertising on social platforms. with Google and Bing increasingly important in helping match your business with relevant, local customers. 6 Web presence maintenance Hyperlocal Out of Home (OOH) advertising There is always a bit of maintenance associated with a physical business space, and that’s also Leveraging outdoor media placements in a true for the “space” a business inhabits online. narrow geographic area is a great way to keep Optimize your online footprint regularly. Update your spend aimed at local consumers. Traditional all your web properties with the most current outdoor advertising placement, like billboards and and relevant information about your business. benches, is still an option, but new, digital signage Move recently? Change your business address can yield you better results along with the data to on Google My Business. Offering a new product? justify the OOH spend. Soofa’s digital signs are Add it to your website with a detailed description strategically placed in high-traffic areas to capture including location-specific keywords and phrases. the attention of your most relevant customers. Consider adding an image (don’t forget to add a They are interactive, creating a more memorable title and description for the image, as well!). It’s user experience, and foot traffic is measured to about building an online profile of your business give you real-time data to make updates to your that is an up-to-date and relevant representation marketing ads quickly to make the most impact. of your business and geographic location. This ongoing maintenance will help to identify your business as having higher relevance in both organic and paid search. 7 Events Customer testimonials and brand advocates Event participation gives your brand the ability to engage directly with a specific community. Not As your hyperlocal marketing strategy takes only does this show that you are investing in the shape, brand awareness will begin to grow. In neighborhood, but it also helps associate your addition to the other hyperlocal tactics you will brand with whatever cause or lifestyle is being already be employing, you can start to leverage promoted by the event. This is an opportunity for customer relationships you have worked so hard you to examine your company values and identify to build. Their testimonials can help to boost local festivals or non-profits that align with those brand credibility. Brand advocacy is typically born values. This can help to bring about greater brand out of a deep sense of loyalty and community. awareness, attract new customer groups, and even Since many customers are influenced by the create lasting partnerships for mutual benefit. recommendations of their neighbors and friends, Event participation can have long-term brand they will play a role in driving more business and benefits since the goodwill and positive brand brand awareness, thus deepening their brand association can extend well after the event has loyalty. concluded. 8 BEST PRACTICES Make a plan Actively engage Be consistent. Define your values. It’s important to not only participate in the Outline your brand values and how your business community but to be authentic and present in a is promoting them. Ask yourself what more can consistent way. It takes a true investment of time you be doing to demonstrate who you are and and marketing dollars, so it’s important to make what you want your brand to represent. those efforts count. Create opportunities for safe in-person interactions whenever possible Divide your budget. Stay up-to-date with Determine how much of your marketing mix will announcements and promos. be dedicated to which tactic. Leverage historical data, if available. Mention upcoming local events or show off your use of local vernacular. Find your audience. Participate in the social conversation. Identify your target markets and geographic areas of interest within those. If you have a Since you can’t always be there in person, use brick-and-mortar store, consider how far your carefully chosen outdoor media placements to target area of interest extends outside your maintain a physical presence for your business in doorstep. Research what events align with the locations where your customers and clients live, community and your brand and begin to connect work, and play. with those organizations. Know your audience. It’s not just about knowing who you’d like to capture, but who they actually are. Flesh out your customer personas—where they live, where they spend their free time—this is where you should be targeting most of your efforts. 9 Set goals and budget Measure and repeat Take stock.