LAM! Done right, this is a franchisee's favourite acronym; done poorly, and well it's just not their favourite acronym anymore. We're not often known for our jokes at Outfit, but we are known for our awesome marketing production platform that makes Local Area Marketing a walk in your 'local' park 😄 . To make it even easier we've put together 5 quick ways to hack the bejesus out of your Local Area Marketing efforts.
1. Open up those doors
If you have a physical store front, then count your lucky stars or square meters because you have some prime space ready for some LAM! A lot of brands and organisations in your neighbourhood are looking for space to host events in, and with the right partnership this type of initiative can bring new people into your business and strengthen your support to your local community. It can also encourage reciprocal sponsorships: Gym = Protein Shake tastings, Smoothie Bar = Active wear Appreciation Hour (no workout required), Pizza Parlour= 80's Arcade Game Enthusiasts night! You get the picture.
2. If you scratch my back, I'll be sure to refer to you!
Depending on your business, it is ideal to try and build up your referral network. This means finding businesses or services that are complimentary to your business, and not direct competitors. For example, if you are a bottle shop, aligning yourself with a great local BYO restaurant means you can team up and offer deals and specials for your customers in common.
This can also help with letter box drops in local areas where you can halve the production and distribution costs of your flyer drop if another business shares in the route. Just make sure head office are cool with it first.
3. Reward the regulars
It's a pretty simple one, but a lot of franchises forget the value in rewarding repeat customers. Your regulars are the customers that will get you through your slower periods, and building a relationship with them means you can get a trusted voice from outsiders in your business as well. They will give you feedback on anything from a new menu item or new fit out, to what you want to name your new cat so reward them accordingly. It doesn't have to be over baked either, a simple loyalty card and stamp system is a failsafe. Or if you want to get a little fancy you could opt for something like www.flok.com.
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4. Give a little, get.......A LOT!
It pays to do good and there is plenty of opportunity to do that. Get on MeetUp we promise there will be something in your local area that needs your help.
Donating your time sometimes helps, for example if you are a local sports store and focus a lot on running shoes for kids, it could help to align yourself with Prep Days to help new parents choose the right school shoes for their kids. Or if you're in the coffee business, events like Creative Mornings are always looking for local doughnut and coffee sponsors to chip in and help them feed hungry creatives at their free events. The trick here is to align yourself strategically with your target audience.
5. Keep up the chat
Keep your social channels up to date! A lot of franchises are guilty of getting excited for the first month, posting every day and then just losing interest. Social Media is a long game, and it has got to stay top of mind for you, so that your customers understand it is a regular source of news and updates for your business. Using a platform like Outfit makes posting across all channels super easy. The trick is to pick a timeframe that you know you can commit to, and keep it authentic and interesting. Involve your community, ask for opinion and feedback, and make sure you respond in a timely manner to comments and questions; it makes all the difference.
The 12 Round Fitness guys are doing a great job at localising all of their national messaging! You can check out their Facebook pages here.
With those 5 ideas in hand go forth and conquer you local area! By conquering we mean create awesome content, make lots of great relationships, and grow your business of course 😄 !
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