3 Ways to Build Your Online Business with Your Local Community
Being engaged with others within your local community can fuel your small businesses. As a small business owner, your local community might even be the first rung on your customer base ladder. While it may only represent a part of your actual clientele, especially if your business has a growing online community, building a relationship with your brick and mortar customers can create a great foundation for growth. By getting involved with your local community, you can earn its support and loyalty, bringing in business year-round.
Here’s how to strengthen your relationship with your brick and mortar customers and grow your small business:
Know Your Local Community:
The first step to getting involved with your local community is knowing your community. While your small business may have a target or niche demographic in mind with the products or services that it offers, it’s important to be aware of your local demographic because the next person that enters your small business could be a new loyal customer, a potential sale, or even a possible brand ambassador for your company. Finding ways to target and appeal to those customers will help you convert them from window-shoppers to regulars. Tailoring your marketing strategies and campaigns to their needs can not only attract a local but make them feel connected to your business and its mission, making them more likely to return to your storefront. Staying attuned to their changing needs can even help you as you begin planning future business initiatives.
Get Involved with Your Neighborhood:
Knowing your community prepares you for engaging with your community. If you know what your community wants, needs, or feels like it lacks, you can respond by providing the missing product or service. Even if your target customer isn’t in your local community, widening your demographic could bring in new customers and introduce potential profits. You can show your community your willingness to meet their demands in a variety of ways. You can create flyers and post them around the neighborhood, design a sign that promotes a product or service they might be interested in, or host an in-store sale. If your goal is to get your clients engaged beyond the storefront, you can offer locals a surprise discount if they subscribe to your online newsletter or if they add their email to your database. Offering a loyalty program or rewards system for repeat customers can keep you connected with local community members as well. It is important to remain engaged with your local community because they can be your small business’s greatest support system.
Build Relationships and Create Trust:
Building a deeper relationship with your community can play a significant role in the success of your business. Word-of-mouth remains a popular way for knowledge to spread about a business and your small business can benefit from chatter amongst local community members. Spreading awareness at the local level can be a great way to work upward and continue growing your customer base. Showing your customers that you are able to respond to their needs and maintain a relationship with them establishes loyalty and builds trust. If you get involved with your community, they will get involved with you, too.
As a small business owner, rallying the support of your local community can help you build a loyal following. Showing your brick and mortar customers that you want to be a bigger part of their community by recognizing their needs and engaging with them can be a great way to create a solid foundation that can help grow your business.