Before television, radio and the Internet, traditional hyperlocal marketing was the sole advertising method available. Local merchants or shop-owners had to advertise locally to survive.  One of the first expressions of this marketing was word-of-mouth. But with the advent of technology and easy availability of smartphones, hyperlocal marketing has now a transformed into a super targeted and niche marketing method.

To define it simply, hyperlocal marketing is the process of targeting prospective customers in a highly specific, geographically restricted area. The intention is to target people conducting “near me” searches on their mobile device, while roaming in the vicinity of the brand’s outlet or store.

With the recent popularity of “near me” searches, the main objective of hyperlocal marketing is to drive footfalls to physical locations and capitalize on near-me searches, which have strong commercial intent.

Benefits to all Businesses alike

• Low cost per target
• Time sensitive promotions
• Niche targeting
• Rich remarketing strategies

How does Hyperlocal Targeting work?

When a person uses an app on their smartphone, the app may ask for permission to access the location data of the phone. Certain apps are unusable if you do not accept to share your location with them.

If an app user accepts this location-sharing request, the app will basically be aware of their GPS co-ordinates at all times. Similarly, if the app also happens to be supported by ads, these co-ordinates will be passed on to ad networks or ad exchanges that sell ad spaces to advertisers.

Advertisers thrive on such collated data to better target their prospects and convert them into customers. This date is highly substantial in terms of consumer behaviour, buying patterns, past purchases, etc., which is beneficial to advertisers for remarketing purposes.

Hyperlocal Strategies Small Business can use starting today

1. Noticeable SEO - If you don’t show up on search results when customers look you up, you are not only losing out on current prospects, but also paving way for future shambles. To avoid this, make sure you have your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) listed, verified, and matching across as many services as possible (digitally known as organic off-page SEO). Don’t miss out on listing your brand on Google My Business.
2. Reviews Matter - Not responding to positive and even worse, negative reviews on your varied platforms is a huge blunder many brands commit on a daily Word of mouth has always been the biggest source of customer satisfaction for businesses. A good review response coupled with offerings like discounts, offers, or even freebies could you place you on top pf your SEO as well as brand image ranking!
3. Direct Marketing - Email marketing till today, remains one of the most personal forms of communication. Brands can leverage their emailer campaigns with certain unmissables like mobile optimization, custom offers, CTA’s or even a simple feature of personalizing the emails with the name of the recipients.

A simple cost-effective hyperlocal marketing strategy will not only enhance brand image, but also pool in customers who are looking exactly for businesses like you!