Hyperlocal marketing: what is it and how does it work
What is hyperlocal marketing? Let’s say you’re out, you’re shopping and you really want a coffee but there’s no...
What is hyperlocal marketing? Let’s say you’re out, you’re shopping and you really want a coffee but there’s no...
Published by : Vicinus
Date : August 6, 2020
Let’s say you’re out, you’re shopping and you really want a coffee but there’s no coffee shop in sight. You take out your phone and type into Google ‘coffee shops near me’. This is what is known as a hyperlocal search. The prevalence of these types of searches has been increasing steadily since 2016 and they are now a frequent part of people’s everyday online activity. Hyperlocal marketing, then, is the set of activities to target potential customers in geographically specific areas. This may include searches that mention hyperlocal qualifiers like ‘near me’ or an address or street name. But there are also search terms, where Google determines that the search intent is hyperlocal.
The central purpose of this marketing technique is to drive foot traffic to your business from these hyperlocal searches which have a high transactional or commercial intent. Businesses, ideally, want to appear in the top 3-pack on a Google search result. This is so that when someone conducts a ‘near me’ search, for example, ‘car rental near me’, their business appears at the top of the Google SERP with contact details, directions opening times and a link to their website. Having your business in this 3-pack leads to more customers and more conversions. Here’s an example of one of our clients map pack results:
Hyperlocal searches are based partially on proximity, meaning that Google provides you with the businesses which are the shortest distance away from you. However, there are several hyperlocal marketing factors that can help your business rank and perform well in hyperlocal search.
To show up in hyperlocal searches and in the Google 3-pack, you need to have registered and optimised your business listings online across multiple platforms including Facebook, but most importantly Google My Business. Google My Business is where Google collects data from when providing information for a local search. You want to have all your business information up to date and accurate on Google. This allows potential customers to easily click through to your website, get directions to your business, phone or just check your opening hours. This is otherwise known as your NAP(W): Name, Address, Phone Number, Website.
Furthermore, consistency is key. Make sure your business information is the same everywhere. This includes your business website, Google my Business and any other local directory where your business appears.
These business listings are highly important for ranking in local search and getting conversions. If you have multiple listings for different business locations, make sure all of these are up-to-date and listed on Google also.
When a customer leaves a review of your business on Google, this shows up in the 3-pack, alongside an average star rating of your business. Potential customers will likely view these before visiting or calling your business. Therefore, an important part of hyperlocal marketing is to check on and respond to online customer reviews. Make sure you respond to both positive and negative reviews. If a potential customer sees that your business is reliable and responsive, they will be more likely to choose your business over others.
Your business will perform better in hyperlocal search and drive more footfall if you have SEO optimised store locator pages on your website. They help customers find and visit their nearest store. By having these pages, potential customers are more likely to go straight to your site without any detours. Adding individual location pages for each of your locations helps too. Then you can optimise these pages with relevant information such as location-specific reviews, promotional offers, directions and lead capture. Doing this will help your business rank in hyperlocal searches and lead to more conversions. Want to see a live example, check out the store location pages we built for Metro Shoes!
Now, we know that doing all of this by yourself can feel like a daunting task. That’s where hyperlocal marketing software can help!
Vicinus is a hyperlocal marketing platform that can help you manage all your business listings across multiple platforms and locations, all from one place. It has many features that can help you with your hyperlocal marketing including Machine Learning-led sentiment analysis to help you gain location-specific consumer insights and auto-respond to reviews. With Vicinus, you can also auto-schedule promotional offers on your listings across multiple platforms, monitor business images online using AI technology and even protect your listing data against external alterations, online scams and lead cannibalisation. If you are a multi-location business, Vicinus can publish and manage multiple location listings for you. Additionally, within Vicinus you can create and optimise Store-Locator pages and integrate them with your business website.
In summary, Vicinus can handle all your hyperlocal marketing needs.
