This is for all our creative entrepreneurs, local experts, small businesses, and nonprofits. If you’re reaching for a wider audience, consistent growth, and more wins, read on. The rise of AI, semantic SEO, and push for personalization are among the top 5 digital marketing strategies for local business marketing in 2024. By leveraging one or more of these 2024 marketing trends, you can create organic growth that compounds over time.
The online world is both your playground and your battleground.
There are 1.13 billion websites online (200,121,724 actively maintained and visited). Not to mention, 328.77 million terabytes of content uploaded daily. And with countless advertisements vying for your customer’s attention online and offline, you want to stay ahead of the curve.
Your best shot at getting in front of more people organically is a hybrid model. It takes traditional word-of-mouth marketing and digital marketing.
FUN FACT: Assuming you read around 300 words per minute (WPM), by the time you finish reading this article, 200 websites have been created.
Let’s chat about marketing strategies for local businesses in 2024.
The information below is tailored to help local businesses and organizations with marketing budgets of any size. Leverage these marketing trends to attract new raving fans organically, curate exceptional experiences, and build a thriving online reputation.
2024 Local Business Marketing Trends Include:
- Semantic SEO & the Rise of Voice Search (Alexa, Siri, Hey Google…)
- Google Business Profile Optimization (Reviews, Keywords, Posting…)
- Short-Form Video Storytelling (Tiktok, Reels, Shorts…)
- AI Prompting or Engineering (ChatGPT, Bard, Midjourney, Canva…)
- Hyper-Personalized Experiences (Hyper-Relevant, Loyalty Programs…)
Decoding the 2024 Local Business Marketing Trends
The rise of AI, explosion of video, push for personalization, and the inevitable cookieless future, means local businesses and organizations have a chance to rewrite the rules of success. These local business marketing trends are strategies to build incoming traffic for consistent organic growth.
What does organic mean here? Natural growth without paid advertising.
It’s how you gain permanent traffic—people finding you on their own. This is why you can’t outrun marketers preaching local SEO marketing. It’s why we teach ALL local businesses about Google local marketing like Google Maps marketing. Plus, how to SEO your Google Business Profile. In other words, how to show up #1 on the king of all search engines, the ultimate nerd: Google.
All these marketing trends boil down into:
Building stronger, more personalized connections with your local audience through creative and efficient use of digital tools. Helping you to establish a foundation for organic growth in 2024 and beyond.
Let’s chat about each local marketing strategy to better understand how they each can serve your growth this year.
What is semantic SEO?
If you haven’t heard about “semantic SEO,” get used to it—it’s the next wave.
Semantic SEO is a search engine optimization (SEO) approach that focuses on meaning and context rather than just keywords. It aims to create content that is informative, relevant, and well-structured, not just stuffed with keywords. This helps search engines understand your content better and rank it higher in search results for relevant queries.
Google crawlers and algorithms now prioritize intent + keywords to serve up your content. For example, you’re looking for a classic Neapolitan Margherita pizza with fresh mozzarella. You take to Google search. Surprisingly, not all restaurants containing the keywords “pizza” and “Italian” in their names pop-up anymore. Instead, only restaurants that fit your description of the specific type of pizza you’re searching for online populate the top of your search results in 2024 and beyond.
By the end of this lesson on local business marketing, you’ll probably search up “seo companies near me,” and rightfully so, local SEO marketing is powerful and greatly misunderstood. But implementing semantic SEO to appeal to the nerd we call Google isn’t the only noteworthy SEO trend in 2024.
How do I get found on voice search?
With the rise of voice search (“Alexa, please call a plumber!”) comes the need to use long-tail keywords and conversational language in your website and online content. Again, there we go with that damn SEO. You can’t escape it!
To show up as a result when people use voice search, you should use the same keywords or search terms your customers will actually say to their robot servants to find your services.
For example, instead of the short-tail keyword “concrete contractor,” you’d use the long-tail keyword and conversational language of “find me the best concrete guy near me.”
Another example for our creators, makers, and shakers is “what are some fun things to do near me today” versus “fun things to do.”
You also need to list your local business’ NAP (Name, Address, Phone #) information on all applicable online directories, online business listing sites, online marketplaces, and citation sites.
Psst…there’s over 95+ local directories. We can help you with this. Ask us how!
What is Google Business Optimization?
Unlike VHS tapes, payphones, and dial-up connection, Search Engine Optimization is not going way anytime soon. Google Business Optimization is just another local SEO strategy that’s underrated, but gaining steam.
So, what is Google Business Optimization exactly?
Short Answer—Google Business Optimization is the process of enhancing your business listing on Google. The goal is to make it more attractive to both search engines and potential customers.
Long Answer—Google Business Optimization includes:
- Keeping your business information up-to-date online
- Choosing relevant categories
- Adding your products and services
- Peppering in your targeted keywords and semantic SEO
- Consistently asking customers for reviews and replying to them
- Adding high-quality images
- Regularly posting keyworded updates and images with location meta data
- And other tactics to raise your ranking in search results
The takeaway here is that optimizing your Google Business Profile with local SEO strategies will elevate your unique offerings in local search. The benefits? 1) Reach the right customers organically, 2) more of them, and 3) more often.
What is short-form video storytelling?
You’re likely familiar with Tiktok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
These are short-form video content. And they have the highest ROI.
Short-form video storytelling is simply a compelling narrative in ≤60 seconds. Given the amount of content people consume, people surfing the interwebs or social media jungle want bite-sized and easily digestible content.
How do I make a short-form video stand out?
Make it super shareable! Provide short lessons, challenges, or make an eye-catching teaser of what you offer using snappy cuts between clips.
In 2024, optimize your short-form video content for silent viewing. This can be as simple as adding subtitles or including key instructions in tutorial videos. Voilá! Your videos will be more accessible and consumable for the 96% of consumers who prefer to watch short-form video and the 92% of people who watch mobile video with the sound off. Why? People watch video on-the-go and in public. They scroll while waiting in line or watch while multitasking. Cater to consumer behavior or get scrolled by—Dem your options.
As always, include a call-to-action at the end that directs viewers on what to do next. Plus, cross-promote between platforms to reach a wider audience.
Here’s how you can create subtitles, captions, images and even videos . . .
What is AI prompting?
The talk of the town has been AI Prompting. It’s making it easier for everyone (including small business owners wearing all the hats) to keep up with the demands of social media marketing, email marketing (one way to combat the cookieless future with first-party data), and workflows.
In short, AI is a powerful tool! That’s why it’s the talk of the town.
What exactly can AI do?
With AI, you can generate images, videos, articles, social media captions, email subject lines, compelling descriptions, and personalize messaging for different audiences. All in a matter of seconds.
AI makes it 1000x easier to leverage other trends, too, like creating short-form video or hyper-relevant content. It’s also a powerful tool for automating communication, analyzing data, and gaining valuable insights.
Peep our article on AI Prompting in Customer Research:
5 Interactive ChatGPT Prompts to Identify Your Target Audience
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg with AI prompting or AI engineering.
The deeper you go down that rabbit hole, the more you’ll want to make AI your employee of the month. See for yourself. Try ChatGPT or Bard.
How do I create hyper-personalized experiences?
Marketing 101: Understand your audience.
Hyper-personalized experiences made the list for 2024 local marketing trends. Why? Consumers have loads of choices these days, why should they choose you? Because you provide a unique, personalized experience.
Consumers are craving hyper-personalized experiences tailored to their preferences and needs. This means tailoring products, services, and interactions to individual customer preferences and needs to create a deeply customized and meaningful connection.
These days, consumers value authenticity and transparency. Buyers are more conscious of their spending and make value-driven decisions. This means offering value-added services, packages, and promotions that address their specific needs (e.g. extras, perks, upgrades).
This could mean adding a complimentary drink or snack, bespoke consultation, a customized experience, or meaningful surprise.
It can also mean delivering relevant content that resonates deeply.
In all cases, this is a great opportunity to leverage data and AI to understand your customers preferences, tailor your offerings, and create a hyper-personalized experience that feels tailor-made for each individual.
How do you learn your customers’ specific needs?
Research.
Knowing your ideal customer changes everything—your product or service offering, your marketing strategy, value proposition, pricing, tone, what channels you advertise on, and much more.
To help you better understand your audience, here are 9 essential questions to ask in the process of defining your target audience. For more information on defining your ideal customer and creating your dream buyer persona, review our in-depth article: Creating Your Dream Buyer Persona.
Remember, customer desires are powerful motivators. By empathizing with their wishes and crafting compelling messaging and experiences that fulfill those desires, you’ll captivate your audience and earn lifelong supporters.
Over to You!
Remember, the key to success lies in authenticity, engagement, and creating value for your local community. By embracing these top 5 digital marketing practices for local businesses in 2024, and tailoring them to your unique offerings, you can create a thriving business doing what you love.
What strategy will you implement first?
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