Businesses need to rely on either excellent marketing or local customers if they want to be successful locally. The only thing is that businesses usually have low budgets for local marketing. One optimal method of ensuring that you maximize your potential in terms of marketing is to utilize local sources of marketing and develop your business locally.  There are more than just a few methods you can get this accomplished so you need to select strategies that best fit your business model. You need to always identify the demographics of your customers before anything else and cater your efforts of marketing to them when you can.

Setting Up for Local Business
Before you launch a local campaign for marketing, make sure you are completely set up especially if you are beginning a brand new business. It is a good idea to do research of the options you plan to pursue and plan up to half a year in advance while you get your business license or settle a lease. In the case where you have already set up your business, you might want to think about local business rebranding. You need to consult your graphic designer or website developer to ensure that you have great, attractive, and professional local branding. In the long run, it will pay off.

Create Local Website
Setting up your website is the next step. This is something you should do especially when you are planning to penetrate the local market. After all, local customers search online for stuff they need using search engines. Having your site online with service details, directions and contact information is highly recommended.

Advertise with Free Ads
Use free advertising online. Sign up for a free account on Google places where you can list a service description, post a picture, list a website link, phone number and your address. Outside of Google, there are also going to be places your customers might look so get listed as much as you can. Sign up for free accounts on CitySearch, Yelp, FourSquare, Twitter and Facebook. You should set up a Facebook page and make friendly suggestions that your customers or visitors ‘like’ your account. When used regularly, these are great tools for exposing your business to local customers.

Start Blogging
If you love to write and want to share your business, your craft, offer videos, photos and tips of your business then you need to consider blogging. This could attract a throng of customers. Keep in mind that successful business blogs are the ones that give out stuff other than business promotions. They offer insight about the community or the craft. Blogs updated regularly will gain followers and can be linked to Twitter, Facebook or your website.

Network Locally
In your local newspaper business section, find out who the local reporters are and get to know them. They can, after all, be the key to getting your business promoted locally. You might first ask about advertising that is paid and then inquire if there are free listings for businesses on the website of the newspaper.  When you can, make sure you keep networking with them and other local businesses.

Get Referrals
Encourage all your website visitors and customers to write reviews on your website to help promote what you have to offer. Not all reviews might be great and if a majority are favourable they will get you more customers.

Growing your business, whether locally or online will demand a lot of time from you and the only way to succeed is by using proven strategies. Try these 6 awesome strategies to grow your business locally.

Emma Ursula is the local online marketing expert at OSI Affiliate Software providing local marketing help. When Emma is not golfing, she is always reading.