The Top 10 "Must Have" Local Marketing Tools for Small Business Success

At some point, there is a good percentage of clients that either A) Don't understand the importance of digital B) Believe they can do it themselves or C) Believe they're already doing good enough without it and don't think it will make a difference.

This article isn't about convincing you of the importance of digital marketing because if you've read this far, you probably know just how significant of a role it could play in business. The advice I'm going to provide are excellent for both new and existing small businesses targeting the local market. That being said, I'd like to introduce you to a list of 10 MUST HAVE tools for local digital marketing success that if used correctly would drastically increase both your overall efficiency and profits.

1. Mobile Responsive Website - It's safe to say that most businesses nowadays consider a website as an essential part of creating a business. Heck, many people choose their business names by first making sure their .COM is available. If you don't have a website, you're invisible to new clients looking for exactly your product or services. Even those that already know your brand/company may be looking for you, but can't find you. It's imperative that for a business to succeed online they have a website that adapts to a users device resolution. For example, if someone were to visit your website on a desktop computer, it would probably look fine. If someone were to look at it on their phone, it may frustrate them and you would lose a potential customer. Make sure you get a mobile optimized website. Yes, even Facebook pages help, at the very least.
2. Citation Tracking/Builder (SEO) - These tools are specifically for organic search engine traffic or better known as Search Engine Optimization. When it comes to local online marketing, search engines are the single most important channels to acquire new customers. Studies have shown that 89% of consumers perform online research before making a purchase. Think it's different for B2B? Think again! Another study done by the Acquity Group found that 94% of B2B buyers perform an online search before doing business. Finally, a study found that 50% of mobile users who perform searches end up visiting a local business. That being said, you need to show up on local searches and this requires building citations. Currently, there are only 3 local businesses that will show on the Maps listings and this depends on: proximity, reviews, citations, authority, and a host of other criteria. If you want to show up on local, build citations and track them! The best tools for this are BrightLocal and WhiteSpark.
3. Keyword Research (SEO/PPC/Content) - Using the Google Keyword Planner is the first thing you should use when building any advertising campaign based on search engines. It allows you to type in relevant search terms and see the number of searches that are done on a monthly basis. The more searches for that term, the more competitive it usually is. This is why it's important to find not only the top searches, but the low hanging fruit which are terms that get under 150 searches per month. In quantity, they are very powerful drivers of growth. This tool can be used for nearly any sort of online marketing such as SEO, Pay-Per-Click, Social Media, and Content Marketing.
4. Competitive Analysis (SEO/PPC) - Once you get a feel for the type of keywords people are searching for related to your business, you should do some competitive analysis using tools such as SEMRush. I'd even suggest doing this before using the Keyword Planner. Just type in a known competitors site or a popular keyword and you'll see a vast amount of useful data that will help you tailor your SEO/PPC campaigns.
5. Link Monitoring (SEO) - Citations aren't the only important elements when ranking on Google/Yahoo/Bing, but so are links from other sites, aka backlinks. Google's algorithm views your site as either relevant to a search query or not by analyzing the sites that link back to you. For example, if you're in the cleaning business, you're going to want links from cleaning related sites. The easiest way to view your current links and that of your competitors is by using tools such as Majestic and Ahrefs. Another option is using Google Webmaster Tools, but I believe it's best to use a combination of 2-3 for optimal
6. Traffic Monitoring - In order to know how much traffic you're website is getting, you're going to need to install some sort of analytics tool such as Google Analytics or StatCounter. Honestly, I install both just because I like the advanced features of Google, but also enjoy the simplistic user interface of StatCounter. Make sure to setup goals and conversion values in order to estimate the revenue generated. To get stated with traffic monitoring, all you have to do is create an account, add your site, and copy/paste the tracking code they provide onto your websites index before the </head> or </footer> code. If you're using Wordpress, you may need to add it in header.php or footer.php.
7. Call Tracking - Most local businesses rely on calls for transactions which is why you should create a specific number for your website that forwards to your business line. Using call tracking services such as CallFire allows you to track calls by date/time with the latest calls showing at the top. It also allows you to add your own audio messages for greetings/voicemail as well as other advanced features.
8. Social Media Automation - Social Media is an important aspect of online marketing due to the fact that most people that go online do so to check their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin feeds. The more you can show up on their feeds with interesting content, the better. Although this is not necessary at first, it's nothing to be overlooked. Search engines also place emphasis on the sort of social media activity your businesses gets. If customers mention your site/business on social media, it's a good sign. The best tools for this are Buffer andHootSuite.
9. Email Marketing - One of the best ways to your brand top of mind is by sending effective e-mail campaigns to existing or prospective customers. For example, by simply sending a slight discounted offer to prospective customers you may be able to spike your sales significantly in only 24-48 hours. This is the difference between staying in business and going out of it. Great tools for setting up e-mail campaigns are MailChimp and GetResponse which are very easy to use and provide great support. You can even integrate these into your Facebook pages for e-mail capture.
10. Payment Systems - Last, but not least you need a payments system that makes it easy for your customers to pay. I'm not talking about an old school merchant account that requires manual input for recurring payments like many businesses still use, but a modern hassle-free system such as Stripe, Square, or even PayPal. These options allow you to accept payments on your website, in-person, or over the phone and are easily integrated into the most popular e-commerce/content management platforms out there.

There you have it! A top 10 list of must-have tools for any local business, especially those in the quickly growing Tampa/St. Petersburg areas. Succeeding in business is all about having the right resources and knowing how to effectively use them better than your competitors. I know this may seem overwhelming at first, especially if you're not very tech-savvy, but it's well worth your time to at least familiarize yourself with these tools in case you ever decide it's time to hire a pro. Not only will you have a fundamental understanding of what needs to be done, but you'll be prepared with the right questions.

Check out a simplified Top 10 list, bonus tools, and some interesting data below. If you have any questions whatsoever regarding the content in this article, feel free to get in touch. To your success!

Top 10 Must Have Local Marketing Tools for Small Business Success

1. Mobile Responsive Website
2. Citation Tracking/Builder (SEO)
3. Keyword Research (SEO/PPC)
4. Competitive Analysis (SEO/PPC)
5. Link Monitoring (SEO)
6. Traffic Monitoring
7. Call Tracking
8. Social Media Automation
9. Email Marketing
10. Easy Payments

BONUS Local Marketing Tools

• WordPress - a time tested Content Management System used for all types of websites. Makes it easy to create a site using themes and has a vast amount of plugins that allow you to do pretty much anything. WooCommerce is their eCommerce integration which I highly recommend if you are selling products directly through your website.
• UberSuggest - keyword research made easy. Helps you find the low-hanging fruit keywords in mass.
• Follow - get insights on any site using a variety of sources including traffic estimates.
• Canva - quickly build social media friendly graphics with this online platform.
• Fiverr - hire someone to do something for $5. This comes in handy for tedious work like copywriting, video/image editing, data entry, and more. Note: I would avoid any SEO services from this site as it may get your site penalized by Google.
• FAQFox - a great tool to help you figure out the questions you're audience is asking. This tool comes in handy for content writing ideas.
• TweetFull- Twitter automation made easy. Get real followers and relevant traffic with the use of keywords and hashtags.

Local Marketing Success

• 1 in 3 Google Searches is a local search (has local intent).
• 4 out of 10 people use local search every day.
• 86% of smartphone owners use their device for local search.
• 90% of smartphone searches end in an action.