Thriving in the digital landscape requires rethinking traditional business avenues. In the past, finding local customers was primarily attributed to television commercials, radio, and Out-of-Home Advertising (OOH). Today, emerging digital spaces like Facebook and Google have disrupted that advertising status quo.

Consumers have a digital-first mindset. 82% of smartphone shoppers search for businesses "near them" on Google and 50% of those searches lead to a store visit the same day (28% lead to a store visit and a purchase). However, finding ways to incorporate location-based searches into your marketing portfolio isn't always easy. 33% of marketers struggle with figuring out how to use local searches to deliver a relevant message.

What digital platforms should your business have a presence on to take advantage of local searches? How do you deliver a relevant message on those platforms? And how do you manage your business information across all of those digital platforms regularly?

E.R. Plumbing is a plumbing company in the Charlotte area that has handled all aspects of home and commercial plumbing service and emergency repairs since its founding in 1997. Dave Parker, the owner of E.R. Plumbing, became a Local Solutions client in 2016. Dave needed to improve his marketing tactics to reach new audiences and project an image beyond emergency plumbing needs. Read on to see how Local Solutions helped him double his gross revenue and break sales records every month.

Almost two-thirds of smartphone users are more inclined to make a purchase from businesses that customize location information. Businesses that optimize their local search presences are primed to convert searchers into sales.  

To improve the odds of appearing in local searches, businesses should take full advantage of their Google My Business (GMB) page. When searching locally, Google will display GMB pages before more traditional website links. For example, search for "Chinese restaurant" on your smartphone. Google will display the GMB pages of restaurants that fit that description in the Maps results at the top of your screen. As a business owner, you can leverage your GMB profile to improve your local search visibility and increase potential customers.

If you've ever been to a website and then noticed ads for that brand everywhere you go online, you've experienced remarketing. Honestly, who hasn't seen a remarketing ad by now? They are everywhere, and for good reason. Those ads, following you on purpose, are serving an important marketing strategy known as remarketing or sometimes referred to as retargeting.

If you're a small business, the Super Bowl of sales is just around the corner. Do you have your Small Business Saturday marketing ideas lined up and ready to go? If not, don't worry. There are ways to ensure your business scores a touchdown.

Small Business Saturday is the perfect opportunity for small business owners to double down on their marketing strategies and find new customers by using eye-catching content. Learn how to get the most out of the small business event of the season.

How to Get All Eyes on Your Business