The Best Local Online Marketing Platforms

Business and marketing for small businesses have gone beyond classic measures now. Regular tactics like telemarketing barely get the job done now, and being ahead of others in the competition is all about utilizing the available resources to the max. If you want the upper hand, you’ll have to use tools for local online marketing to the max for many local businesses to target local customers. Plus you will need a Google My Business listing to be found on Google’. Here we will break down the different platforms you can use and the benefits of using them.

What Is The Best Local Online Marketing Platform?

Depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking to tap into a broader audience base for a local online marketing strategy and want a middle or bottom of funnel audience with a high conversion rate, then nothing will beat social media marketing for you. If you want higher website traffic and organic engagement, then you should go for local SEO marketing for your local business.. Figure out what you want and you can pick your option according to that and get your business online..

 

1. Google Ads

One of the top names in terms of audience reach. Their data collection is one of the, if not the biggest collection of all digital marketing platforms and they know how to use it. Google Ads (used to be Google Adwords) can reach across a higher number of platforms and is relatively easier to set up. 73% of the paid ads come from Google so you can do the math. It also has a high click-through rate and a lower cost per click thanks to Google’s algorithm. This will definitely get you a good number and quality of local customers for your business.

What Are The Benefits Of Google Ads?

• Google has multiple platforms under them (called Google Display Network) so the reach potential is massive
• Lets you fine-tune your target audience based on factors like age, gender, device, and topic of interest
• Has region-based targeting with the help of Google Maps for other local businesses
• Takes less time to get up and running
• The new ad extension feature generates dynamic sitelinks so less need for manual sitelinks
• Known to do well with local online marketing
• Has room for experimenting with the settings
• Has a higher chance of generating more leads, more potential customers, and more foot traffic with the Google search engine being everyone’s go-to
• Lets you schedule your ads
• Captures more tech-savvy, global audience of all ages
• Allows you to choose the local search by zip codes and mile radiuses to better target your local area.
• Can separate campaigns by mobile searches and devices.

What Surge Web Marketing Says About Google Ads

If you are looking for something you can set up easily for local marketing and your main target is increased audience reach, Google Ads is your best bet. You will also get a good number of local customers.

 

2. Bing Ads

Not a very popular name but it is a powerful one. Bing Ads’ cross-platform reach is not as major as Google but it reaches a lot of audiences and is definitely a viable option for local marketing strategies. Bing Ads reaches an extra 63 million that Google Ads can’t, and most of the corporate ads come from Bing. It is pretty easy to set up and use with an option to directly import your campaigns from other platforms. Bing Ads also has a high conversion rate (10% higher than other search engines).

What Are The Benefits Of Bing Ads?

• Reaches across multiple search platforms like yahoo, AOL and DuckDuckGo
• Targets an older audience base (Almost 60% of Bing’s user base is aged 25-54 years)
• Lets you tune your target audience at an ad group level making it easy to target potential customers
• Option to assign different ad campaigns based on time zone difference to easily target your local area.
• Better ad limiting (based on devices) option
• Offers OS-specific and mobile devices specific ad campaigns
• Has an older, more educated, and higher-earning audience base so the conversion rate is high
• High click-through rate for local businesses
• Less competition for local search keywords than other platforms with similar bidding work principle
• Most likely to reach audience living in the USA
• Use data to create a unique customer base for a solid local online marketing strategy

What Surge Web Marketing Says About Bing Ads

Bing Ads is more suitable for corporate and local business ads. If you are okay with your main audience being less tech-savvy, blue-collar people mainly from the USA then Bing Ads is a safe option for you.

3. Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads is almost unparalleled when it comes to target-specific advertisements, their only real competition being Google Ads. Their massive data collection helps in reaching very specific audiences and has more potential to reach the middle/top of the funnel audience. Facebook has now acquired multiple other social media sites which makes it the perfect outlet for running social media-based campaigns. Facebook Ads is also easy to track and the business suite, Pixel, makes it even easier. Facebook’s borderline notorious tracking can help ensure a higher conversion rate too.

What Are The Benefits Of Facebook Ads?

• Very high reach potential with the mother company Meta having multiple social media like Instagram and Snapchat under its wing
• Captures a diverse global audience of all ages
• Has lower cost per click than Google
• Broader retargeting scopes with Pixel’s website trafficking
• Very detailed dashboard control for ads
• Lets you custom your audience based on factors like age, gender, location, interest, and mobile devices
• Easier to target to local area of an audience for local online marketing strategies
• Higher outbound CTR means more traffic for a business website
• Offers multiple formats of ads to target more customers
• Can track by mobile devices
• Easier to tweak your campaigns with Audience Insight
• Multiple CTA (Call to action) buttons are available
• Landing page is not always needed because lead ads has one built in that normally gets more leads than a landing page anyways
• Positive reviews attract more business.

What Surge Web Marketing Says About Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads is probably the best option if you’re focused on social media marketing strategies. If you want to capture a broader audience and don’t expect immediate results, Facebook Ads is your friend. But any way you look at it, Facebook must be part of any local digital marketing strategy.

4. Instagram Ads

Instagram is a very promising name for local business owners. It has a big number of users which means the reach potential is sky-high. The platform also gets data from Facebook’s collection which makes targeting an audience base easier. The tools are easy to set up and use, and you won’t need separate ads to account for your promotions. Instagram Ads also has a higher chance of bringing in referral audiences and the continuous expansion means your opportunities are pretty much endless.

What Are The Benefits Of Instagram Ads?

• Ads show up on multiple social platforms ensuring maximum audience reach
• Option to custom target audience based on factors like habits, interests, age, and location
• Excellent for creating brand awareness (or increasing it)
• Visual-driven ads ensure more organic engagements
• Multiple usable outlets like stories, reels, or IGTV for ads on a single platforms 
• New features and outlets for ads gets added almost regularly
• Lets you target a global audience or local area.
• Suitable for a local online marketing campaign for small local businesses
• Easy to create ad campaigns and the ads look less conspicuous
• Has higher engagement rate
• Higher ad recall rate than other social platforms
• Full use of Facebook’s website tracking

What Surge Web Marketing Says About Instagram Ads

Instagram is the best tool to use for brand awareness. If you are looking for organic engagements, diverse demography, and an easy-to-use tool, Instagram Ads is for you.

5. YouTube Ads

Youtube Ads are usually overlooked as a smart local online marketing plan but that doesn’t change the power it holds. With access to Google’s huge database and being the second most traffic generating platform, Youtube Ads and the reach it has is no joke. It works based on the same principle as Google Ads, bidding, and has more organic engagements than Google. The pay-per-click feature also makes it very cost-effective for a local marketing strategy, and the control panel is highly user-friendly.

What Are The Benefits Of YouTube Ads?

• Access to Google’s database ensures maximum accuracy
• High reach potential since the ads show up on Google Display Network
• A more customizing option allows reaching a specific audience base
• Offers region-specific advertising
• No separate business suite so the analytics and numbers are easier to see
• YouTube Builder makes the tool very friendly for local businesses
• Generates results comparatively faster

What Surge Web Marketing Says About YouTub Ads

Youtube is a powerful tool used to create a robust local online marketing plan. If your target is region-based advertising, more organic engagement, or something you can see the result easily of, go for YouTube Ads for small businesses.

6. Pinterest Ads

Pinterest ads rarely get their due recognition. The site itself is built differently from other social platforms which makes it an interesting tool to create a local online marketing plan. The site has the option for the user to directly buy the thing they are looking at. Among all the social platforms, ads are probably the most appreciated on Pinterest. Pinterest Ads offer a higher visibility rate and are a good tool for brand awareness.

What Are The Benefits Of Pinterest Ads?

• “Brand safe” platform that helps reach more audiences
• Pinterest Ads has a higher conversion rate than other social media platforms
• Offers you the chance to almost directly generate demand from the root
• Easier to use sitelinks
• Known to generate traffic which is good for business website tracking and retargeting
• Offers multiple types of ads to promote
• Takes less time to get up and running and has user-friendly controls

What Surge Web Marketing Says About Pinterest Ads

If you are looking for a high conversion rate and are willing to take the risk of not fine-tuning your audience, you can leap with Pinterest Ads.

7. Twitter Ads

Twitter should be more popular among digital marketers, but that isn’t the case. That doesn’t mean Twitter Ads don’t do the job right through. With an improved targeting mechanism, Twitter is doing pretty well on its own in local digital marketing. Twitter Ads offer specific marketing strategies of a product or topic based on its excellent keyword-based local search. It also offers the chance to automate the ad creation process, and the click-through rate is higher on Twitter.

What Are The Benefits Of Twitter Ads?

• Ads on Twitter can be completely integrated into a user’s timeline
• Let’s target your audience by keywords
• You can custom your ads to target people that are more prone to engaging
• Let’s you target audiences without having to have their information stored
• Can generate faster results than other social platforms
• Offers the chance of promoting without having a separate local business account
• Let’s customize your targeted audience based on multiple factors like location, device and wifi network, age, and language for your local online marketing strategy.

What Surge Web Marketing Says About Twitter

Twitter Ads is an intelligent and interesting tool to use. If you are looking for a cost-effective option to generate more website traffic and an easy-to-use control, you can give Twitter Ads ago.

8. Tiktok Ads

TikTok is a pretty new platform but the high advertising potential has it blowing up in no time. As a relatively new platform, TikTok Ads target their already existing user base which is made mostly of young adults with an age range of 18-34. TikTok Ads almost guarantees you an audience reach of Google and Facebook Ads level. It can work as an excellent tool for boosting brand awareness, and they can also generate a massive amount of traffic. Tiktok has the most growth as compared to the other digital marketing platforms.

What Are The Benefits Of Tiktok Ads?

• Can reach a diverse audience base
• Lets you customize your target audience based on factors like demographic, app activity, location, and engagement
• The engagement in TikTok Ads is very high
• The local online marketing ads have a massive conversion rate
• The interface is easy to use
• TikTok Ads target an audience with higher income than average

What Surge Web Marketing Says About Tiktok Ads

If you want faster and visible results, and your target is gaining exposure and generating traffic above anything, you should include TikTok Ads in your digital marketing plans to find potential customers.

9. Snapchat Ads

Snapchat is a great platform to get your local business advertisement going as it allows you to advertise through short videos. Although the videos might seem too short at the beginning, you will realize that these work better than longer videos. Not only does it grab the attention of an audience with a compromised attention span, opening up your local business to a whole new kind of audience, but it also creates general brand awareness. Digital marketing with Snapchat reaches 306 million people every day, out of which 75% are Millenials and Gen Zs; your ads will be tailored to an audience that is interested in your products and services.

What Are The Benefits Of Snapchat Ads?

• Reach target audience easily with their 306 million daily users
• Target audience by radius around a certain location or city
• Track interests and behaviors of users and access data from Datalogix and Experian to reach the right audience
• Allows you to create brand awareness and website traffic 

What Surge Web Marketing Says About Snapchat Ads

Snapchat is a great digital marketing platform to reach your audience if you are targeting Millennials and Gen Zs. To reach your target audience most effectively, create a short video with a customer about your products or services and their experience as a customer with your brand, or create short and professional videos highlighting your products.

10. SEO

SEO (search engine optimization, or sometimes called search engine marketing) is a different digital marketing tool from the rest of the list. Instead of promoting ads, Local SEO focuses on ranking higher on search engine results, which means you will be found in local searches online. SEO also includes Google My Business listing and Content marketing, which is usually a big part of it these days. SEO is completely website-based, so the biggest plus point is it generates more website traffic. Local SEO also offers organic search engine exposure to your target audience by having local listings.

What Are The Benefits Of SEO?

• Generates organic traffic for a website because your business will be found in local searches.
• Has higher inbound click-through rate and quality leads
• You can easily track the output you’re getting in return
• Local SEO helps you create or increase brand awareness
• SEO offers an excellent return on investment, what you get is more than what you asked for
• Lets you target audiences on a much bigger scale than other local online marketing platforms
• Incorporating content marketing means that down the road you will be getting more and more traffic as your business website grows.
• Generates more foot traffic if you have a local store.
• Positive reviews attract more business

What Surge Web Marketing Says About SEO

SEO is probably the most hassle-free way of local online marketing. If your main digital marketing target is website traffic and you can take your time to get results, SEO is the best option for you. When your business shows up on the first page of local searches, you will be found.

The Best Local Online Marketing Platform

There is no direct answer to that question since different products and services appeal to different demographics of audiences that are spread across the internet. For the best results, it is essential to promote your service on multiple platforms and generate a massive local presence in your local. However, social media advertisements are the most effective way to reach a diverse set of audience and stay in front of people 24×7.

Although social media ads give the best results when you’re using multiple platforms for it, if you have to pick only one option, we will suggest picking Google ads (linked with Google My Business listing) because of how versatile it is and the amount of foot traffic it can bring in. The region-based targeting makes it an excellent tool for creating a local online marketing plan.

Bottom Line

A good local online marketing campaign is all about strategy and working out what works best for your local business, but creating a local presence is always a good start. The best way to get your audience base to expand is to use multiple digital marketing platforms for ads and keep up with SEO. This generates the highest authentic qualified leads and makes sure your target audience base is constantly expanding.

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