If you’re a small business, odds are, you have close ties to the community you reside in. Odds are, you depend on your community to keep your doors open!
Here at PGN Agency, a full-service branding and marketing agency in Royal Oak, we believe in the power of tapping into the energy and excitement surrounding local events to boost your brand awareness, customer engagement, and ultimately, sales! Not just because it’s a great way to create content but it is a great way to connect with your local community. In fact, PGN Agency has been working with Metro Detroit businesses for four decades! If you’re looking for a branding and marketing agency in Michigan, look no further.
In this blog post, we are going to discuss why appealing to your local audience is important and a few ideas to do so.
Why Local Events Matter for Small Businesses
Local events offer a unique opportunity to connect with your target audience in a personal and meaningful way.
Increased Visibility: Events attract a concentrated pool of potential customers who are already engaged and interested in activities happening within your community. By participating, you place your business directly in their sights. If you’re a small business without a storefront, this is the perfect opportunity to expose your brand and offerings!
Building Relationships: Local events allow you to break down the digital barrier and connect with customers and business owners face-to-face. This fosters trust and allows you to build valuable relationships that can translate into loyal brand advocates, maybe even future partnerships!
Enhanced Brand Image: Participating in local events demonstrates your commitment to the community, establishing you as a good neighbor and a brand that cares. This positive local association strengthens your brand image and adds an emotional layer to your marketing efforts.
Targeted Marketing: Events often have specific themes or demographics. You can tailor your marketing messages and offerings to resonate directly with the event’s audience, maximizing your marketing impact. For example, our clients at The Old Shillelagh regularly participate in VegMichigan’s VegFest in order to reach their plant-based audience, just one of their many target markets.
Optimizing Your Local Event Marketing Strategy
Ready to harness the power of local events? Let’s dive into actionable strategies to ensure your success:
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Research & Selection
The key to successful local event marketing lies in strategic planning. Don’t just jump on the bandwagon for every event in town. Odds are, there will be events that don’t resonate with your business offering or values. Here’s what to consider:
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- Target Audience Alignment: Identify events that attract your ideal customer base. Is it a music festival targeting millennials? Or a farmers market attracting health-conscious families? Understanding the event’s audience is crucial for tailoring your marketing message effectively.
- Brand Relevance: Choose events that resonate with your brand values. Sponsoring a charity 5K aligns great with a local fitness studio, while a local bakery might be better suited attending a food festival. Authenticity is key!
- Event Scale & Scope: Consider the size and reach of the event. Large-scale events offer high visibility but might be more competitive. Smaller, niche events can provide more focused engagement with potential customers who share your niche interests.
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Pre-Event Buzz
Don’t wait until the day of the event to start promoting your presence. Here’s how to create some pre-event buzz:
Social Media: Announce your participation on your social media platforms. Create engaging content like video from past events and event pages to generate excitement. Utilize relevant event tags to increase discoverability and share other user’s posts promoting the events.
Email Marketing: Send targeted emails to your subscriber list highlighting your participation and offering special deals or discounts valid during the event. This is a great time to direct them to your event page so you can begin collecting RSVPs.
Content Calendar Synergy: Update your website blog or social media content calendar to include the event in your strategy for the month.
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Shining Bright at the Event
Now it’s showtime! You may be wishing that the work is done, but the day of the event is truly the time to pull out all the stops. Make your presence count with these tips:
Create a Visually Appealing Booth: Invest in an eye-catching setup that reflects your brand identity. Use high-quality visuals, clear signage, and interactive elements to grab attention and encourage engagement.
Promotional Giveaways: Offer branded merchandise like t-shirts, stickers, or tote bags to generate brand awareness and encourage interaction. Make sure all merchandise is branded with simple direction to your website and social media.
Experiential Marketing: Go beyond boring displays. Offer interactive experiences like product demonstrations, live music, or free samples to draw in potential customers.
Capture Leads: Utilize lead capture tools like tablets or QR codes to collect visitor information and nurture them into leads after the event. Encourage signups for your email list, followings on your social media, and tags from customer’s accounts!
Leveraging the Power of Local SEO
Local SEO plays a crucial role in ensuring your small business gets discovered by your local audience. Below are a few ways to optimize your online presence:
Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business (GMB) Listing
Ensure your GMB listing is accurate, up-to-date, and includes high-quality photos and detailed information about your business offerings. Double check that your phone number and address are correct to avoid any potential confusion from customers. If you don’t have any reviews, encourage customers to leave one. Positive reviews not only establish trust but credibility.
Using Local Keywords on Your Website
Integrate relevant keywords related to your service area into your website content and social media posts. This will improve your search engine ranking and increase the chances of potential customers finding you online when searching for information about the event.
While doing a website redesign for The Old Shillelagh, we optimized the copy by using keywords such as “Downtown Detroit” and “Michigan Business”. We also included a page of local hospitality and entertainment recommendations for visitors!
Local Hashtags
Hashtags are an SEO-friendly tactic to use across all social media profiles. Start broad, like #BrandingAgency and slowly narrow it down to more niche hashtags like #DowntownRoyalOak or #MetroDetroitBusiness. Hashtags can also be used for special events. For example, the NFL Draft is coming to Detroit, Michigan! Our client, The Potato Place, a local restaurant in Detroit, is using the hashtag #DetroitDraft in any posts relevant to the event.
Think Big: Ideas for Local Partnerships
Ready to take your local marketing to the next level? The ideas below require connections, money, and a marketing team like PGN Agency to make it happen.
Influencer Marketing: Partner with local social media influencers who resonate with your target audience. Leverage their following and reach to promote your business and spread the word about your brand within their established community. Influencers can help you create valuable content thanks to their eye for photography and videography. A form of payment or trade of services may be involved with this partnership.
La Collina of Rochester Hills partnered with a Metro Detroit influencer for content as seen here! The video gave viewers a glimpse of the restaurant’s atmosphere and food, enticing them to try La Collina themselves. Users are more likely to trust the opinion of someone they already follow versus trusting an ad of an account that they don’t. This is where the term “influencer” makes good on it’s name!
Event Sponsorships: Explore event sponsorship opportunities to gain increased brand visibility and recognition. Negotiate sponsorship packages that offer valuable benefits like logo placement on event materials, dedicated booth space, or speaking opportunities. Local schools are a great place to start when it comes to sponsorships. With your logo visible on the scoreboard, we’d say that’s a home run!
Strategic Partnerships: Collaborate with other local businesses for cross-promotional activities. Offer bundled deals and giveaways, co-host events together, or simply share a shoutout for shoutout! In a small community, it’s important for business owners to support each other. The more you show support of others, the more likely it is to be reciprocated.
Small Business, Big Impact
By strategically leveraging local events and happenings, small businesses can gain a significant competitive edge. By understanding your target audience, selecting the right events, and implementing effective pre-, during, and post-event marketing strategies, you can build brand awareness, cultivate valuable customer relationships, and ultimately achieve your growth objectives.
At PGN Agency, we are passionate about helping small businesses thrive. In fact, we are celebrating four decades of service to the Metro Detroit community and beyond. Our team of expert marketers and designers can help you develop a comprehensive local marketing strategy that aligns with your brand goals and delivers measurable results. Contact us today for more information!