Kick Off 2022 With A Localized Marketing Strategy That Drives Real Results

Darcy Bickham

Kick Off 2022 With A Localized Marketing Strategy That Drives Real Results

While we've already shared a blog on which localized marketing trends your multi-location business should focus on in 2022, there are specific strategies that can help your team get the most out of its efforts. Leveraging the right localized marketing tactics is critical, but they won't drive results unless executed effectively. Throughout this blog, we'll take a look at how your multi-location business can implement a localized marketing strategy across locations that drives revenue.

What to Consider Before Implementing Your Localized Marketing Strategy

Before your multi-location business begins implementing your localized marketing strategy, everyone must align on which aspects of the localized marketing strategy will be handled at headquarters vs. what local teams will be responsible for. For instance, who will be in charge of responding to reviews? Will local listings be managed at the local level or by corporate? If everyone is on the same page regarding who is responsible for which marketing tactics, it will increase the likelihood of local adoption. After both corporate and local teams are on the same page about who is responsible for what, you need to establish what resources are required in order to execute the strategy successfully. Resources that local teams will need to achieve success include, but are not limited to:

Onboarding training. Every new team member should receive an intro to your business's localized marketing program.
Tools to execute. Does your business have a platform that allows local teams to effectively achieve the marketing efforts they're responsible for?
Proper approval workflows. This is something essential to consider as well. Does corporate need to approve social content before it goes live? Who is monitoring review responses?

When it comes to onboarding, if you're in the restaurant industry and your local teams are responsible for creating local social content, teams need to be trained on:

Various types of local content that can and should be shared
Posting frequency
Branding guidelines, if any apply
How to respond to engagement on local social

If your local teams have all of the information needed to execute their marketing efforts seamlessly, it will increase the chances of following through.

Plan Adoption Programs

While training your local teams is a must, you also need to think about an adoption program. If you're not already familiar, an adoption program is a process by which members of your local teams become acclimated to the localized marketing solutions your business has, and they decide to keep using it. So how exactly can you ensure local adoption? First, think about how many logins your local teams need to execute their marketing efforts and how many platforms they need to learn. If four different logins are required to manage your localized marketing strategy, it may deter buy-in from some local teams. On the other hand, if your local teams can accomplish everything they need to under a single login, that will help boost local adoption. We'll get more into options for localized marketing platforms later in this blog. Your multi-location business should also consider how it would incentivize local adoption. Often as marketers, we thrive off positive feedback and reinforcement. Do top-performing local teams get a bonus? Is everyone using your localized marketing platform put into a raffle to win a prize? While ideas like this can help boost local adoption, even recognizing local teams crushing their marketing efforts goes a long way. If your multi-location business makes an effort to acknowledge teams leveraging local adoption, it will create a cascading effect where more and more local teams get on board.

Focus Efforts Where They Matter Most

This tactic might seem pretty straightforward, but your multi-location business needs to focus its marketing efforts on the search and social channels your target audience is using. It's the same concept as finding a single login tool. If your local marketing teams have a set list of local search and social channels they should be focusing on, it will seem a lot more manageable than spreading their already limited time across every possible marketing channel. So which channels are most important when it comes to localized marketing for multi-location brands? Our 2021 Localized Marketing Benchmark Report analyzes how top multi-location businesses perform on Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business, Facebook, and Yelp.

As a multi-location marketer, it's essential to implement your localized marketing efforts and optimize your locations' presence across these three main channels. If your multi-location business isn't already leveraging Facebook, Google Business Profile, or Yelp, it's time to start. With that being said, there are additional search and social channels your multi-location business can leverage depending upon your industry. For instance, a presence on Open Table may be significant for the restaurant industry, while retail brands should consider a presence on Instagram. Conduct target audience research to learn where your local audiences spend their digital time, , but Facebook, Google Business Profile, and Yelp are non-negotiable.

Maximize Your Spend

Understanding the budget for your localized marketing strategy is another excellent way to ensure your business is getting the most out of its efforts. What is the best way to maximize your budget? If your multi-location business hasn't already done so, it's crucial to analyze which marketing tactics drove a high ROI in 2021 and which fell flat. This can help inform your current strategy and ensure your business maximizes its spending. It's also essential for corporate and local teams to be on the same page regarding the budget. Will corporate be responsible for all marketing costs, or are local teams accountable for digital advertising or other marketing costs? These are things to determine before launching your 2022 localized marketing strategy. For more information on what it takes to maximize your spending and get the most out of your localized marketing efforts, check out our blog on the topic.

Begin 2022 With A Winning Localized Marketing Strategy

Now that you understand what it takes to create and implement a winning localized marketing strategy, it's time to get started. As we kick off the new year, your multi-location business needs to realize what it takes to dominate the world of localized marketing. There's a lot to keep in mind, from getting your local teams on board to practical training, budget management, and more. As we mentioned previously, finding a platform that allows both corporate and regional teams to manage marketing efforts under a single login is essential. That's where SOCi comes in.

SOCi is the marketing platform for multi-location brands. From reputation management to local social, local listings, and more, SOCi has you covered. SOCi has all the tools your multi-location business needs to drive actual results under a single login. Request a demo today for more insight into how SOCi can help your multi-location business crush its localized marketing strategy in 2022!