Social marketing makes sense for digital businesses, right? They’re online-based, so of course their marketing would be digital.

Well… kind of.

There are many web-based businesses that have had incredible success with traditional print/outdoor/TV/mail marketing efforts.

And there are many local brick-and-mortar businesses that have enjoyed explosive growth through digital marketing.

When it comes down to which avenue you choose (or which combination, more likely), the “type” of business you are has little to do with it.

So, when I hear brick-and-mortar businesses say social marketing hasn’t worked for them in the past… or that they’re “too late” to the game… I say, no way. Social marketing can and does work for local brick-and-mortar businesses. We’ve seen it work at BuzzPlant with countless local businesses in Franklin, TN, from restaurants and coffee shops to retail and event spaces.

Why not you?

Three Tactics for Local Social Marketing

Today I’m excited to share with you five local social marketing tactics, which are based on 2,139 survey responses and 75,000 data points accumulated by Brandmuscle. We’re going to hit some of the highlights below. You can find the full infographic at the bottom of this post.

#1 Pay for the Right Kind of Traffic!

Local marketers tend to use…

  • Facebook – 74%
  • LinkedIn – 32%
  • Twitter – 27%
  • Instagram – 15%
  • YouTube – 10%
  • Snapchat – 5%
  • Pinterest – 4%

…and those who pay to advertise generate more leads. 29% of survey respondents said their paid social ads generated leads, while only 13% said their paid social ads did not.

While nearly three in four businesses had claimed their Facebook Page, only one in four paid to advertise on Facebook. Simply “being there” is not enough. If you want to get results, you are almost always going to have to pay – whether that’s a campaign for generating impressions or an action-based campaign (email sign-ups, website visits, bookings, etc.). And that’s not a bad thing; it means you’re in control of what happens with your strategy!

#2 Host Local Community Events.

Hosting a local event is said to be the most effective marketing tactic (and the hardest tactic to implement). But if it were easy, everybody would be doing it, right?

92% of local businesses believe they will increase or maintain local event spending in 2017. Don’t miss the opportunity to amplify your local event through social media and after-event content.

#3 Develop a Plan.

Lastly, no matter what your local marketing plan consists of… just start by making a plan! Only one in three survey respondents said they had a plan! Of course they’re not getting the results they want when there’s no course of action or measureable objectives!