Getting the word out about your brilliant business idea is one way of ensuring your business is booming. Indeed it may depend on many aspects of your business. And what better way to attract new customers than to come up with some easy local marketing ideas for your small business. 

Overall, small businesses’ marketing ideas can mean many different things: advertising to public relations and promotions. In other words, marketing is more like a multi-layered process that introduces your business and promotes it to potential customers. Sounds good, right?

But all marketing strategies don’t cost the earth. So if your local marketing budget is small or non-existent, be sure to check out the list of effortless and local marketing ideas below and some local marketing ideas for small businesses – that can help you spread the right word about your business.

Inexpensive and straightforward Small Business Marketing Ideas

#1 Develop a Referral Program for Customers

It is often ignored, but word-of-mouth marketing is a compelling way of selling more with fewer small businesses’ efforts. There’s a reason why word-of-mouth is ranked number one on everyone’s marketing ideas for small businesses. According to research, 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family in the overall local marketing.

One way to maximize your word-of-mouth marketing is by implementing a referral program for customers. Try to offer your existing customers something for referring new customers like a free sample product, complimentary service, discounts, or some other low-cost reward.

#2 Create a Survey on Customer Satisfaction

In addition to being the best way to learn about your customer base, a customer satisfaction survey is also an excellent way for customers to remember that you exist. Surveys took their rightful place as the second position on local marketing ideas for small businesses.

Customers will be happy that you’ve asked for their opinion, and they’ll feel involved in the survey results, which will translate into improved loyalty over time. You might learn one or two things about how your business could be improving along the way, which is more like a win-win.

#3 Get Your Business Listed on Local Online Directories

As a local business, it can be a big challenge to attract new customers with local marketing. The days of people going to the Yellow Pages to find local companies have already gone. People today turn to the internet as a means of finding trusted business recommendations.

One way to make it easy for people to find local businesses is by including them in the online directories. It’s easy to add a listing to these online directories, but you miss a massive opportunity for online searchers to find out if you list only a few.

#4 Tell Your Story of Achieving Milestones

Run the numbers on your small business and see if any meaningful story comes through the data to achieve one of these local marketing ideas,  and maybe you’ve been doing business with more than 1,000 consumers in your neighborhood, or perhaps you’re delivering your service at a percentage higher than industry standards. 

Post the results online or put a sign at your store. People answer numbers well, and they are an easily digestible data point. In contrast, assume you’re doing an academic analysis centered on your industry. By publishing it online and highlighting the essential parts, you can use it to relate to your business’s effectiveness.

#5 Share Infographics Designed by Your Business

It should be considered, with all this talk of data, the infographics are super-powerful local marketing tools, and they are relatively easy and inexpensive to make.

Infographics are easily understandable and visually compelling, which is why many people love to share them. You can use internet platforms right in your browser that requires software or design skills. You can also step these local marketing ideas up a notch and hire freelance designers to create infographics for you, which would come in as a relatively affordable idea of local marketing small business.

# 6 Strengthen your Social Media Presence

While this might be a compelling local marketing idea for small business, many people are not investing as much as they should in establishing and maintaining their social media accounts. Plus, if you have the time, with just a phone or computer, you can do all of this on your own, making it one of the efficient local marketing ideas

Some companies will be perfectly suited for being on specific platforms to implement their local marketing ideas. But if, say, you run a local bouquet shop, and you’re not posting on Instagram pictures of your perfectly designed bouquets, you’re missing out on attracting customers to your shop.

Local marketing for your small business can be useful when done right. As you can see above, with low funding and the tiniest ounce of creativity, you can scale potential customers that will help your business grow without breaking the bank. 

Plus, you can try out these local marketing ideas for small businesses and find those that work. You can invest more and more in those local marketing ideasby enhancing strategies and determining which channels are worthwhile for your business.