Local businesses have a unique opportunity that doesn’t often present itself in the face of giant corporations. They can connect with people in their community easier and more personally than large businesses who aren’t necessarily located in the same city as their target audience. Plus, there are a lot more social media tactics you can take advantage of because you are local! If your local business isn’t all over local social media, now’s your chance to get started with these social media tactics.

7 Social Media Tactics That Will Cost Nothing But Your Time!

[thrive_headline_focus title=”1. Complete all of your profile/page information.” orientation=”left”]

This is the least creative idea we’ll give you, but the easiest to knock out of the park. As search gets more social, it’s more and more likely your social profile could show up in search results. Make sure you’ve filled out as much information about yourself as possible within your profile settings. Your potential clients and customers need to know about who you are, what you do, where they can find you, and how to get in touch with you. Check out this Facebook profile that we set up for a lawn care company.

[thrive_headline_focus title=”2. Monitor social media mentions.” orientation=”left”]

Keep track of when people mention your brand, related products and services, your competitors, etc. When people are talking about these things, you should be the first to respond with a coupon, information about how your company can help, or just a helpful answer to their question. People use social media for real-time information, and if you’re the one who provides the answer, you elevate yourself as a local authority in your industry. This tactic will help you generate new leads and close more deals, in addition to keeping prospects, customers, and your community happy.

[thrive_headline_focus title=”3. Do a little social media stalking.” orientation=”left”]

Check out your fans’ and followers’ profile information to see what they like, and edit or adjust marketing activities and communications accordingly. This helps you create buyer personas, refine the style, tone, and content of your messaging, and ensure you’re talking about the things your audience likes to prompt more social engagement.

[thrive_headline_focus title=”4. Become a resource for local events in your industry.” orientation=”left”]

Keeping your ear to the ground on up-coming events – whether live or web-based – that your audience would like to attend. This makes you an indispensable resource that your audience will want to follow. Share everything that’s happening in your industry, and maintain groups on social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn, or Circles on Google+ that keep interested parties up to date on can’t-miss opportunities. Be sure to show up to these events, too; your future customers will likely be there!

[thrive_headline_focus title=”5. Maintain your presence on local review sites.” orientation=”left”]

Sites like Yelp! and YellowPages often appear among the top results in search engines. How does your reputation look? Have you looked at your reviews lately? If not, you should… all your other social media tactics could be for naught if you have bad reviews! Consumers put a lot of stock in peer reviews and it’s crucial you make sure their first impression of you is positive. Plus, these sites help answer common questions for customers like addresses, hours of operation, and contact information that people are frequently checking on their mobile devices when on the go. You should be actively involved in maintaining your reputation on these sites by keeping your business information up to date, soliciting positive reviews from happy customers, and working to resolve issues with those who have posted negative reviews of your business.

[thrive_headline_focus title=”6. Ask your employees to use their social networks on your behalf.” orientation=”left”]

National companies may ask their employees to do this, but they won’t reap as much benefit unless their employees connect with people that are overwhelmingly interested in their industry. Not likely, right? But you know what people tend to have in common with lots of their connections? Location! If their networks know their friend or family member works for a local company, you can be sure they’ll contact them the next time they need a local dentist, doctor, health food store, pet groomer, t-shirt maker, lawn care company, HVAC service… you get the point.

[thrive_headline_focus title=”7. Connect with other local businesses and consumers.” orientation=”left”]

Get active in online conversations. Connect with people that live in your city and businesses who are doing cool things in your area (especially if they could act as a referrer of business!). It’s important to stay locally connected and network with people even if they’re not directly related to your industry; you never know when someone has a secret passion for something you offer or a need arises further down the line for your products and services. Local businesses can use social media to remain a fixture in their local online community and at their brick-and-mortar establishment.

How do you leverage social media to grow your local business? Share your social media tactics in the comments!