
“It’s easy to write off regional titles and just go for national publications because you know you’re going to reach a broad audience, but you could get a better return on your money by targeting more specific audiences in local media, potentially at a cheaper rate.”Of course, the right path for your business depends on your audience, but with the correct insights, this strategy could be an integral part of your customer acquisition process.

Claim and Optimize Listings
Most web searchers will typically resort to Google, Yahoo, or Bing, so it’s a good idea to secure your listings on all three of these search giants. You can optimize your listings based on location, business names and categories, custom fields, and business descriptions as well as by publishing a photo of your location. As for ranking in local search results, one of the easiest ways to do this is to set up a location-specific page on Google My Business. This helps promote your business in the local area and also directs local search engine queries directly towards your business’ website.Take Advantage of Social Media
Advertising on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn is one of the best ways to identify and target a specific audience. Facebook advertising can be tailored for hyper-targeted, local ads to reach niche groups. What doesn’t work as a national strategy may work really well locally, and tools such as social media advertising, Google PPC, and Keyword Planner make it easier to find that balance within your marketing plan.Interactive Marketing

Event Marketing
Okay, enough of the techy stuff. There are many ways to build the reputation of your business, and a great place to start is in the community. First, never underestimate the power of volunteering and participating in local events. Putting the name of your business on youth sports uniforms or
Humanize Your Brand
As marketers, our goal is to grow traffic, generate qualified leads, nurture those leads into customers, convert those customers into raving fans, and increase revenue. Ask yourself how you feel when you thumb through your company’s website, social media channels, or email marketing campaigns. Are these messages mostly promotional or are they engaging with visitors? Could your brand could be more successful if instead of pitching sales-heavy content, your website focused on buyer needs and solutions? Brands are created by humans for humans, so why shouldn’t they feel that way?Let Your Hair Down
Whether you are part of a B2B or B2C company, you’re in the business of selling a product or service to people, but don’t just sell them your product or service. “Sell” by providing information, education, and inspiration. Relate to people on a level they can understand. It’s
Show Off Your Staff
Appoint some office personalities to be used in your marketing efforts. Customers like to see the real people behind the work. You can do this by using real photos of your actual employees. Employees can be featured on various parts of the company’s website like the “About Us” and “Career” pages. Make it known who writes each piece of content, and attach an image of the author. Share photos from outings or events on the company Facebook page, and post day-to-day office moments and new employee greetings on Instagram. Any photo of your team being themselves is sure to relate to your audience.Encourage Staff to be Social

ABOUT CATMEDIA:
CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. Current CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
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Tesseras, Lucy, Secret Marketer, Branwell Johnson, Lucy Handley, Jonathan Bacon, Epiphany, Thomas Hobbs, Helen Tupper, Portia Woollen, and Samuel Joy. “The Brand Benefits of Going Local.” Marketing Week. N.p., 17 Oct. 2014. Web. 05 July 2017.
Wainwright, Corey. “12 Simple Ways Marketers Can Humanize Their Brand.” HubSpot. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 July 2017.
“Why Local Marketing Really Makes a Difference for Small Businesses.” Kabbage Small Business Blog. N.p., 04 Aug. 2016. Web. 05 July 2017.
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