3 Main Street USA Marketing Musts | If you aren't doing this, you are missing out.

Justin Babcock • Sep 03, 2019

When your business sits on main street, you think... 

I'm old school. People know me because they've been here. They tell their friends. They walk by my shop. People are still coming through my doors. Hell, I have doors, so...

I don't really need to worry about my website or my digital footprint.

The truth is... 

People know you because they've been to your place, but they aren't checking-in if they can't.

People don't tell their friends if they can't share their experience on social media.

People don't notice your shop. They stare at Google Maps and look at pins.

People are still coming through your doors, but there could be more.

I recently moved to Palm Harbor, Florida, and was amazed at how many thriving local businesses exist throughout the community. I was also suprised at how many of them I couldn't find on Google maps or find when I search for something simple like Pizza near me.

There are two pizza shops in the strip mall by my house, and only one shows up in search. Being new to the neighborhood, guess which one we ordered from multiple times before realizing there were other options?

There are three marketing musts to be like pizza shop 1: Claim your listings, get people to review your business, and add content.

Main Street Marketing Must 1: Claim Your Local SEO Listings

Local SEO listings signal to Google that your business exists, and its location is 123 Main Street, Every Town, USA. The more websites that echo your address, the more likely Google Maps will serve your business in a local search. Just think of the last time you searched for a "dealership near me" or "best restaurants near me" or "bike rentals near me". If you want your business to be a "near me" destination. Start claiming those listings now.

Start with Google My Business. They are the granddaddy of local, for obvious reasons. They have 92.27% of market share for search. For a step-by-step guide, go to how-to list your business with google. Make sure to copy and paste your profile responses into a Google or Word Doc. Consistency is King for local SEO, so you want all your profiles to be the same.

Next up is Facebook. They are second only to Google. For a step-by-step guide, go to how-to create a business page on Facebook. Make sure your Facebook profile matches your Google profile. The biggest mistake people make is writing slight variations of phone numbers and addresses. 

For example, a company might have a main line, a customer services line, and a direct line to sales. They use different numbers in different profiles. Inconsistencies confuses web crawlers and can hurt your SEO. Consistency in your profiles are key.

If you have the budget, we highly recommend claiming your Google and Facebook pages manually and then signing up for a local SEO software like yext.com.

If you don't have the budget, start claiming your business on the local directories below. Skip the ones that don't make sense for your business. For example, a law firm should probably ignore Trip Advisor. 

If you want Web Education Services to do the work for you, schedule an intake meeting with us.

Main Street Marketing Must 2: Get More Reviews

The smaller you are, the easier this can be. Start by asking friends and family who have worked with you. Typically, this is easier for businesses who have a physical location. 

Chances are your friends have rented bikes from you, come to your restaurant, or bought from your boutique. Ask them for a 5-star review. Asking can seem hard at first, but trust us, its worth it!

Some of our clients have even thrown review parties. You give people a bunch of free food and drinks, raffle off some free stuff, talk about how good things are going, and ask for reviews. People tend to be helpful after a few adult beverages.

Our last tip is to send out an email to recent customers asking them about their experience. Make it funny:
How did you like [insert service or product here]? Click on the appropriate response below.

5-stars, you guys are awesome... <= link this to your google review, and make sure you put 5-stars in the title. People are more likely to click on 5-stars if they just told you it was a 5-star experience. People feel a psychological pull to be consistent.

Meh, you didn't suck, so that was okay <= link this to a landing page, see example

You guys kinda suck <= link this to a landing page, see example
By linking negative results to a landing page, people can get their experience off their chest quickly. If it's bad, they've vented to you, and you can make it right. If it's good, they can tell the world about how great you are.

If you need some help creating a landing page or writing an email, schedule 30-minutes with us and we'll help you out for free.

Main Street Marketing Must 3: Add Content Regularly

Adding content can be the hardest thing for main street businesses to maintain. But the truth is... Google likes it when you are updating your website regularly, adding content, and increasing site traffic.

We highly encourage blogging once a week. Blogging doesn't have to be hard. Keep it conversational. Remember that conversation you had with the wine vendor about 2017 Napa wines? Or the conversation about where you source your shoes? Or about changes to tax law? Or the difference between 120-volt and 240-volt baseboard heaters? WRITE IT DOWN.

You are having business conversations every day, and if you write it down you will increase business. Why, because people are searching google for the same answers to the same questions, they are asking you every day.

Tip number 2, write about local events. Odds are, there is some local festival, or gathering or something within 5 miles of your business. Write about it from your business perspective. If it's the local greek festival, talk about your complimentary or alternative items in relation to the event.

If there is a local road race, get involved. Donate or set up a popup store at the event. Then broadcast it using blogs and social media. 

Tying your business to local events through content links your business to the community in the eyes of Google. Local events help with local SEO. If you match your digital effort with traditional marketing efforts, its a two for one!

Main Street Marketing Musts: Takeaways

You have about 3 hours of work ahead of you.
  • STEP 1: Claim your business listings
  • STEP 2: Ask for reviews
  • STEP 3: Setup your blog
If you want us to help, give us a call, 727.222.6984 or schedule an appointment. We'll set it up for you, teach you how to use the tools, and support ongoing marketing effort.

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