I’ve come to realize one thing — business owners want to become “Insta-famous" too — meaning they want a lot of followers or “likes” on their posts even though that doesn’t translate into dollars. Obviously, it makes sense for certain companies to have thousands of followers, for those who are conducting e-business where everyone is their target, growth of that magnitude can make a big difference to their bottom line. However, a local pharmacy whose primary target is a 15 KM radius of their physical location won’t benefit from people 1,000 KMs away liking their posts.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with support from all over, as growth can happen unintentionally with non-local hashtags. I'm just saying don't spend time and energy focusing on the wrong thing. I’m talking about real, local targeting and focus — targeting the people who will actually buy from you or use your services. Here are my top tips on growing your socials with a local focus in mind:
Discover your local hashtags and use them in every post. In London, Ontario for example our local hashtags are: #LdnOnt #519Ldn #YXU #LondonCanada #ForestCity, just to name a few. As you can see, there are a LOT to use! So find yours and use them in each post. This will help by growing your local traffic on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn
Tag your city. Tagging your city will open your business up to those who search using the location tags; you can capture a new customer this way.
Cross promote with other local companies. Is there a local company your business supports by carrying their products? Do you tag them in your social posts? You should! After all it’s called social media for a reason...and, one thing small businesses do well is support one another. Like and comment on local business posts and not only will the business appreciate it but their customers/followers will see your comments and get curious about your business, too.
Growing your social sphere takes time and effort, but consistency is key and whatever you do, don’t buy followers! Instead, fill your pockets with money from local, live customers by following the tips above.
Questions about this article? Give me a call 519.200.6447 shoot me an email allison@thecreativeco.ca or send me a message on Instagram @thecreativecoldn!
