You can start a local marketing business if you can find a niche or subfield to monetize. But you need to demonstrate to business owners how you can build brand awareness, drive sales and increase revenue. So connect with markets that don't have a ton of competition but have a high potential for profitability. Identify a viable market and have a strategy to target the right people. For example, Who is your ideal client? How can you help serve them?
Then learn as much as possible about your distinct market to craft a compelling offer. Of course, you can also use tactics like the local lead generation business model, which focuses on results in advance and producing organic traffic. (Organic traffic converts higher and drives 53% of the clicks on Google). This article will take a closer look at how to start a local marketing business and why organic traffic is the ultimate way to get to the top of Google in 2023.
How Do I Start My Own Marketing Business?
You can start your own marketing business by telling people what you do. The global digital marketing and advertising market are projected to grow to $640.2 billion by the end of 2027. So there's a demand for your services.
There are also a ton of agencies and local marketers vying for the same client. And if you want to make money, you need to find a way to make yourself stand out. First, target the right kind of people with the right words. Then, stop trying to appeal to the masses and focus on your market.
You need a strategy to get in front of the right people that should include:
- Decide on your niche
- Pick the best channel to connect with your ideal client
- Use local SEO tactics to rank your local marketing business website
- Attend local events & be active in your community
The key to getting new customers is to promote yourself. Use a local marketing strategy that includes both inbound and outbound channels like:
1. Employ Social Media Marketing Strategies:
Employ social media marketing to connect with your target audience. For example, you can create a Facebook Business Page, post regularly on Instagram, or start a YouTube channel. The goal is to share valuable content and build a following. Promote engagement and increase brand awareness to drive traffic to your website or funnel.
2. Leverage Email Marketing Campaigns:
Email marketing is an ideal way to promote an offer or share tips with local business owners on how to get more online traffic. The secret is to lead with value. Offer a free service (like a site audit) to build trust and create social proof.
3. Use Local SEO Methods To Get More Organic Traffic:
Use local SEO and optimize your website and GMB with relevant backlinks, high-quality content, and fast load speeds to get online traffic. SEO drives 1,000%+ more traffic than organic social media. And if you can get your website to the top of the SERPs. Then you demonstrate that you're an expert.
4. Invest In Paid Advertising:
You can invest in paid ads with platforms like a Google ad campaign, Facebook ads, banner ads, or press releases. But pay attention to your metrics to ensure you're getting the best possible ROAS.
5. Network & Make Local Connections:
Network and be active in your community to make connections and generate referrals. For example, you can be involved in local business groups and BNIs. You can opt to volunteer or sponsor a sports team. Or offer to be a guest speaker at a local event, etc.
Of course, you need to figure out where your potential clients spend time online. You can find out where your best customers spend their time by checking out their websites. Are they active on Instagram or LinkedIn? What's their preferred method of contact? You can also look at local Facebook groups, charities, and local organizations to see if they are sponsors or active on those channels.
Another option is to connect with your local BNI or Chamber Of Commerce Chapter to network and make local connections. Once you determine who your best clients are and where they spend their time online, you need to consider things like:
- Does the client have a specific goal?
- Will you be able to deliver?
Focus on a strategy that works and converts for your niche. Don't do local business marketing for the sake of marketing. Instead, learn as much as possible about your niche so your effort counts.
Then develop an offer that's easy to sell. (Your offer forms the core of every service you do as a local marketer). Customers buy when they feel understood, so get experience, have tangible results, and do good work.
You can start a marketing business with no money by finding investors or partnering with other marketing agencies. You can also build a solid social media presence for free. Another option is to build rank and rent websites. The premise of the business model is simple.
First, build a generic website in your ideal niche and rank it at the top of Google. Then, when your site starts producing leads, you sell them to a local contractor for money. Then not only do you lead with value. But you can show local business owners that you're worth your salt and know how to leverage the search engines to drive online traffic and get them more leads.
Paid Ads Vs. Organic Traffic: What The Gurus Don't Tell You
Paid ads take a budget but are a way to get a few fast wins. Organic traffic needs time to cultivate. But it's free, and the results have sustainability. Organic traffic reached 53% in 2022, with paid providing roughly 15%. (The number one result in Google's organic search has an average CTR of 27.6%).
But because that position gets the most traffic, everyone wants it. So you need to know how to leverage Google. And how to employ local SEO strategies like backlinks, keywords, content marketing, etc., to improve your ranking and customer acquisition.
The key is to know how to influence the algorithms. A course like our local lead generation program can teach you the skills you need to succeed. The founder Dan Klein breaks down the process of producing organic traffic. Plus how to get to the top of the search engines. Dan's lead gen model is built on organic traffic. (Because it's the best way to secure a steady flow of high-quality leads).
While other past students of Dan's, like Douglas James or Adbul and Chance from Modern Millionaires, learned the organic approach to lead generation. They now teach paid ads and how to get paid traffic through platforms like running PPC ad campaigns on Google Adwords and Facebook Ads.
"36% of the clicks on paid ads are fraudulent." (Search Engine Journal)
Of course, paying for ads is an excellent way to get the profit rolling when you first start or need a quick win. But it's possible to spend money on ads, get conversions, and still lose money. So you need an optimized campaign, and you need to be willing to test and retest.
Pivot when things aren't working, and constantly monitor your campaigns to make sure you're getting the best ROAS possible. For example, you're competing against business owners with a bigger budget and a better keyword strategy. Instead, owning digital real estate on the first page needs to be your ultimate goal.
Ranking High Organically Is A Better Long-Term Marketing Strategy In 2024:
Ranking high organically is a better long-term marketing strategy in 2024 because that's where you'll get the most traffic and the highest quality leads. You can leverage a few local marketing ideas to drive organic traffic to your website and your clients. But organic traffic is free. And when you're at the top of the SERPs results in high-quality leads. This means more leads, sales, and revenue for your small business owner.
How To Dominate Your Niche As A Local Marketing Business Owner
To dominate your niche, you need to get hyper-local. Target each area you serve as an independent entity. A relevant search influences 39% of purchasers. So if you want to get noticed in your local market, you need influence and a solid online presence. A few ways to dominate your niche include the following:
You need to test and experiment with a couple of different strategies to see what works well and what doesn't. Reverse engineer the process. Take the time to make sure your customer understands your product or service. Know what they want and how you can meet that demand. Consider things like:
- What's your goal?
- Where do your clients consume their content online?
- How can you set yourself apart from the competition?
"81% of consumers need to trust a brand to consider buying." (Harvard Business Review)
Be relevant with your keyword and local SEO strategies. The goal is to develop a recognizable brand. Then you will be viewed as an authority. Be active on the right online channels and share personalized and unique content that educates, entertains, or solves a problem.
How To Do Local Marketing:
The best way to do local marketing is to utilize omnichannel marketing techniques, including on and offline strategies. Local marketing is about targeting local customers in a specific area. Your goal is to promote engagement with your target audience.
That can be through your website, social media platforms, networking, or community events. But, of course, the fastest way to broaden your reach and get in front of a ton of eyeballs is on the internet. So you need to employ online marketing ideas. Start with a mobile-friendly website. One that's easy to navigate and effortless to book an appointment. 61% of all Google searches happen on a mobile device.
Get local testimonials and reviews. (81% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses). Then leverage local SEO tactics like:
Be where your customers are looking and offer something that makes you rise above the noise. For example, create an email campaign and offer a deal or discount/promotion for existing customers. Or design a referral program to attract new clients. Again, the more you know about your ideal small business target market, the better you can position yourself in the channels that count.
An example of local marketing would be launching a social media advertising campaign on Google or Facebook. Paid ads will get you noticed by Google. But you pay for them. So you need to develop a keyword strategy that produces the best results for the lowest CPC and puts you at the top for the right local keyword searches.
The fastest way to get noticed on Google search is with an optimized and up-to-date Google Business Profile.
"More than 50% of GBP interactions result in a visit to your website." (The Media Captain)
To fully optimize your GBP incorporate the following:
NAP: Your name, address, and phone number are how people find you in a Google local search query. Google likes consistency, so be sure that wherever your business is listed online, your NAP is the same (and correct).
Links & signals: This is how you build relevance and show Google you're an authority in the market.
Reviews: Google hosts 73% of all online business reviews, and 63% of customers read them before visiting a business location. So make sure you get as many 5-star reviews for your Google My Business profile as possible to build trust and present as a credible and authoritative agency.
Q&As: This section allows you to drop a pin in specific locations in Google Maps, which can help you rank faster and get you noticed by Google and a local audience.
Images: High-quality pictures are a way to showcase yourself and your brand. Images in GBP have increased revenue per visitor by 17%.
You should also add your site to Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Google Maps.
Where Is The Best Place To Advertise Locally?
The best place to advertise locally is where your potential customer spends their time. Are they active online? Are they a member of a group or association? You can also leverage local online marketing channels like community Facebook groups, local Chamber of Commerce, or LinkedIn.
In addition, platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter don't cost anything. So create a channel or a business page and build the number of followers you connect with. Then provoke conversation and build trust with your ideal business owner. Finally, you can contact your local media and pay for advertising or offer to do an article.
Of course, getting your website to the top of Google search engine and generating local traffic is the ultimate way to win as an agency. (SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate. Not to mention that 4.3 billion people use Google). You can advertise locally for free on sites like Craigslist and Locanto.
Or list your local marketing services in online directories. Email and SMS marketing are also free and a chance to engage with a business owner on a more personal level. Lead generation is another way to advertise for free. And it's the best way to generate organic traffic.
Lead gen is a proven concept. And what we teach over 7000 students in our lead gen coaching program. Of course, free traffic takes time to build. But once your sites produce, you hold the ticket to a passive income.
3 Insider Tips To Succeed As A Local Marketing Business:
To sell yourself as a marketer, business owners need to perceive you as an expert. First, decide on your niche and then dial down. Find a sub-niche that you are skilled at or have a ton of information and experience with. You want to set your small business marketing services apart from what's already on offer.
But you need to build trust. You have to show local area business owners why you're the ideal fit to get them the best ROIs. That's why starting a lead generation company is the best tool to lead with value and generate high-quality leads for potential clients. When your lead generation website sits at the top of Google, you're producing the best leads on the internet in your niche.
Now, if the business owner you're doing a specific marketing tactic for is in the second spot, they're getting all the best local area leads. Even better is that you're getting organic traffic. So your client can't fire you for ad campaigns that don't produce.
(If they fire you when you get them to the top, you can take your leads and sell them to the competition). You have a skill that is in high demand and can make a ton of money if you find the right niche in the right city. The type of marketing that is most profitable is any business that provides a product or service that people are actively searching for online.
Of course, certain markets will procure higher ROIs with digital marketing tactics like fashion, law, food, and the auto industry. But if you can find a gap in the market and have the skills to increase revenue for local contractors. You can make money with a local marketing business in 2024.
Types of businesses that benefit from local marketing are businesses with a physical presence in a local area that offer a product or service like, a restaurant, clothing boutique, or home appliance store. Traditionally these types of business owners relied on word of mouth and referrals.
But in a digital world, retaining a digital marketing agency or local marketing business has become increasingly vital to extend their reach and attract more customers. The goal is to get in front of as many people as possible. But you need to generate interest (and leads) from a specific market audience.
Local businesses get clients by being front and center where their ideal consumer is looking. For example, Are they active on a particular social media platform? Do they prefer ads in the local paper? A few ways to get more clients for a local business include things like:
The more people know about the business. The better the customer experience. The more clients local companies will get. So develop a small business marketing strategy to drive traffic to their store or website. And your services will be in constant demand.
Local marketing is more important than ever because business owners need to stand out if they want to stay in business. With the aftermath of COVID, supply chain issues, and a looming recession, people are reevaluating how they spend their money, and there's less disposable income.
As a result, business owners need to invest in a number of strategies to stay relevant and broaden their reach. Connect with existing customers and generate a stream of new leads. So as a local marketing business, you need to devise a plan to leverage as many avenues as possible to secure leads that convert for your clientele.
Of course, you can invest in paid ads like James Bonadies, and Jason McKim teach in their Local Marketing Vault training program. But they, too, were once students of Dan Klein, so they know the value of organic traffic. And the biggest issue with paid traffic (aside from the price tag) is that it's a gamble.
You can't predict how successful your campaign will be. Or how much your total ad cost will set you back to get the results you want. But to create a business marketing strategy, you need a mix of traffic channels like:
- Content marketing
- Videos & reels
- Social media posts
Yes, you can leverage paid ads. But you need to complement those efforts with other forms of marketing if you want to produce quality leads at scale for your customers.
Why Local Lead Generation Is The Best Online Business In 2024
Local lead generation is the best online business model in 2024. Lead gen is a learned skill set. There's not a level of competition like other online business models. Not to mention that natural barriers like location and population minimize market saturation.
Once you have the skills to build and rank websites that reach the top of Google, you have a ticket to a passive income. You can make as many lead gen sites as you want. And you can build more than one at a time to scale fast. Take this site below, for example. I created this site in about 10-15 hours for a total cost of around $500.
Then it took me 6 months to get to the top. But this site has been making me $2000/month for over 7 years. (It's only one of over 80 I own). The local lead gen model has no ceiling on the income potential. You own the site, the tracking number, and the leads, so you own valuable digital real estate. And that's the best way to make money online in 2024.
Conclusion
You can start a local marketing business and make money if you can build trust and prove that you're worth your salt. First, take the time to find your ideal niche and the best clients. Then learn as much as you can about their industry.
Create social proof and make connections. Then consider adding lead generation skills as your secret marketing tactic to lead with value and over-deliver. But if you can build a reputation as an expert in your local area. You will get a steady stream of clients and be successful as a local marketer.
