Branding | Marketing | Advertising
99% of Big Business Fail Local Marketing
By: Steven Lockhart
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Too Big To Be A Success At Local Search Marketing?
99% of big brands fail to market in the biggest marketing channel – simply because they are too big to know better.
When it comes to marketing, it’s easy to get caught up in big-picture strategies and forget about the importance of local marketing. Big companies often think that their brand name alone is enough to attract customers from all over the world. However, this is far from the truth. In reality, local marketing is crucial for businesses of all sizes.
Why Do They Fail?
- Centralized Focus: Large companies often prioritize national brand awareness campaigns, overlooking the power of localized marketing efforts for individual branches or franchises.
- Data Overload: Managing a multitude of local listings and data points across various locations might seem overwhelming, leading to neglect of local SEO optimization.
- Internal Silos: Disconnects between national marketing teams and local franchisees or branch managers can create communication gaps and hinder a cohesive local marketing strategy.
- Short-Term Metrics: Large companies might prioritize immediate national sales figures, failing to see the long-term value of building local customer loyalty and brand recognition.
- Franchise Disconnect: Franchises may operate with a degree of autonomy, lacking access to the resources or expertise needed to execute effective local SEO strategies.
The Power of Google Business Profile / Google My Business
One of the most powerful tools for local marketing is Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) – and, ironically, it can easily outproduce paid ads (at a fraction of the cost). This platform allows businesses to manage their online presence across Google, including search and maps – it also gives you high quality backlinks and increases the chances of you being found through snippets. I have spent the last 4 years reverse engineering the algorithm (knowing what buttons to push, levers to pull, and knobs to turn) and while a lot of people claim they know how to do it, I’ll be honest, they operate at maybe 25% efficiency.
Despite the numerous benefits of using Google Business Profile, many big companies fail to take advantage of this platform. Why is that? Well, it all comes down to a misunderstanding of the importance of local marketing.
You see, as someone who has been a CMO, I will tell you 100% of all big companies I have worked with often have marketing teams that are focused on national or even global marketing strategies. These teams are tasked with creating big-budget ad campaigns, sponsoring major events, and partnering with other brands to reach a broad audience. While these strategies are undoubtedly important, they often overlook the power of local marketing.
Local marketing is all about understanding the unique needs and preferences of customers in a specific area. It’s about creating targeted campaigns that resonate with people on a local level. Remember the saying, “all marketing is local,” or “meet the customers where they are and how they want to be met? This is where Google Business Profile comes in.
Google Business Profile offers numerous features that can help businesses stand out from the competition. For example, businesses can post updates and offers that appear in search results, giving potential customers a reason to choose them over their competitors. They can also use Google Business Profile to track their online reputation, monitor website traffic, and even get insights into how people are finding them online.
Maybe They Just Don't Get It? And, That Is Your Small Business Advantage!
Well, it all comes down to a lack of understanding of the importance of local marketing. These companies often think that their brand name alone is enough to attract customers from all over the world. However, the reality is that local marketing is crucial for businesses of all sizes.
Don’t overlook the power of local marketing (whether you have 1 or 1,000 locations). If you need help, give me a call. Meeting your customers where they are and how they want to be met is the best way to use marketing to create opportunities to close sales. And, your customers will thank you for it!
Connect on LinkedIn with Steven Lockhart and Branding | Marketing | Advertising!
Steven Lockhart is a nationally recognized leader in digital marketing and one of the foremost experts in local search marketing.
Small Business Beats Big Brands In Local Search Marketing
Imagine Bob’s Burgers, a charming family-run joint famed for its juicy patties and secret sauce. Across the street loomed Big Burger Barn, a national chain known for…well, being big. But size doesn’t always win. Enter Sarah, Bob’s tech-savvy niece. Tired of seeing Big Burger Barn hog all the online glory, she convinced Bob to partner with Branding | Marketing | Advertising (BMA for short).
BMA, unlike those fancy corporate agencies, understood Bob’s “burgers, not boardrooms” vibe. They optimized Bob’s Google My Business listing, making sure “Bob’s Burgers: Home of the Holy Grail Patty” popped up for anyone searching for “best burgers near me.” Suddenly, Bob’s loyal customers were leaving rave reviews online, attracting a whole new wave of burger enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, Big Burger Barn, stuck in their national marketing silo, remained clueless. Their generic “Big is Better” ads did little to entice hungry locals. Social media? Forget about it. Bob, on the other hand, had BMA create hilarious, mouthwatering Instagram posts showcasing his signature dishes.
The result? Lines snaked out of Bob’s Burgers while Big Burger Barn echoed with the tumbleweeds of neglect. The moral of the story? In the age of local search, even the smallest fry cook can sizzle past the big guys with the right marketing partner. So, ditch the generic and embrace the local with BMA!