Written by Ordering | Jun 30, 2022 8:12:02 PM
Are you about to launch a new online marketplace?
Having strong marketing tools in place is the first thing you should consider when launching locally. This year, Google accounted for 360 billion searches.
Consumers now do as much as 70% of their purchasing research online before they ever get into a sales conversation. Let’s dive into some useful tools, to make sure they choose you!
Consistent experience both online & offline
Maintaining a consistent experience for your customers is the number one factor that will determine the success of your hyperlocal marketplace.
Offline consistency of course refers to meeting the customer’s expectations when it comes to the quality of the delivered products or services.
Online consistency, however, includes having a fast, well-featured, and accessible app and website that will make your customers choose you for the ease and simplicity of their online experience that they remember from a previous purchase.
Additionally, being consistent online also includes reliable and timely delivery of your products, which can be tracked and traced, giving the customer full transparency after their purchase.
Optimizing the geolocation
Geolocation goes way beyond appearing in your customers' search results. As a hyperlocal on-demand delivery business, the location data serves a crucial part of the entire delivery process.
Geolocation can be used to monitor your customers’ spending patterns in terms of time and quantity and manage inventory based on this data, to avoid overstocking and to optimize your costs.
Hyperlocal businesses leverage data from geolocation in order to accurately calculate delivery times and get the ‘last-mile’ delivery right, such as Amazon last mile.
When choosing software, make sure to have the real-time delivery tracking and push notification feature. This way, you will be able to stay transparent, engage your customers throughout the process, and collect historical data to improve your maps, staffing, and delivery planning in the future.
The real-time traffic is also used by hyperlocal businesses to run location-based advertising, and gain insights into competitor store visits and customer loyalty.
SEO strategy
Relate to the customers near you! Google’s search algorithm uses more than 200 factors to rank websites. Creating high-quality localized content on your platforms is another crucial technique to make your hyperlocal business stand out.
Regardless of your industry, whether it is a food delivery app or a laundry service, make sure to include the correct SEO wording in your content. Terms, such as ‘near me’ and specific location names that link your business directly to the local community.
61% of marketers say improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority.
In addition, ensure to create a blog on your website and post daily! This is a great way to boost your SEO and draw a community of loyal readers who are interested in fascinating, informative, and relatable content.
Customer Reviews and recommendations
According to Trustpilot, 89% of online buyers read online reviews before purchasing online or physically in-store. Therefore, reviews matter nearly equally, regardless of whether the purchase is happening online or in-store.
When going hyperlocal it is important to make your customer feel like they can get in touch with you at any time and ask questions. Make sure to always be reachable and personal in your customer interactions.
As many as 82 percent of consumers say they consult reviews to find out more about local stores. 97% of buyers who read reviews, will also read the business’s response. That is why, you respond to positive and negative feedback, as well as
Storytelling and community creation
As previously mentioned, adding an interactive website blog also adds a sense of community, especially if your content is specific to the location and nuances where your business operates.
For example, if you are planning to run a food delivery business, you can talk about food-related events and fairs in your area, record the process of preparation and delivery, and promote discounts related to the local holidays and celebrations.
Being transparent about your brand and making the customer feel like they can have a peek inside of your everyday operations.
When going hyperlocal it is important to make your customer feel like they can get in touch with you at any time and ask questions. Make sure that your team is reachable and personal in your customer interactions.
Clear communication of the benefits
Offer a variety of options for your customer, which is not available on big, third-party apps. Even as an independent restaurant, there is a variety of special offers and perks that you can implement, to draw customers.
Such as memberships, limited-time offers, personalized offers, discounts, free delivery, etc.
Showcase all your benefits on social media and create strong visuals. Invest in the right photography and carefully select your posts, telling a story in creating a multisensory experience for your potential customers.
Monitoring tools
Use Google Analytics and other monitoring tools, to gain insight into customers’ responses to new features and posts.
Every time you create new content or implement a new feature, check which pages are the most frequently visited throughout your website.
Once you have an idea of which tools were the most effective you can expand on them over time.