Growing a business in Downtown Chicago means you cannot ignore digital marketing. Because of local search, smaller screens and targeting just your neighborhood, it is essential for local business to turn to digital marketing methods created for them. If you have a cozy café, a busy fitness center or a bookstore, this book will show you how to be successful online.
Keep reading to learn why a local digital strategy helps, how you can maximize it and how Downtown Chicago companies have seen success.
Table of Contents
Why We Need Local Digital Marketing
Digital marketing brings your business close to people searching for what you offer near them. Because people use voice search (“Which fast food place is close to me?“) and value strategies created for certain nearby communities, there has been a big increase in local marketing.
That’s why Downtown Chicago businesses must take these steps:
- Local searches lead to results as Google data reports that 46% of all queries are local. Your company should be visible whenever someone searches for digital marketing near me.
- Because national businesses and online sellers are so competitive, using the right digital techniques gives small local companies a way to stand out.
- The audience you want is close by: Young professionals, wealthy locals and tourists often go to Downtown Chicago which is great for having a local strategy.
- The right approach will help you get noticed, encourage more people to visit and keep your customers coming back.
Changing How You Approach Your Audience
Getting to know your audience where you live makes a big difference. In the heart of Chicago, you’ll find a wide variety of people.
- Individuals in the early stages of their careers want services delivered quickly and a fun mobile experience.
- Wealthy residents interested in loyal experiences that are made just for them.
- Those who are looking for affordable fun and what’s on trend.
- Visitors enjoying sights and sounds in the city’s nearby landmarks.
Practical Tips:
- Make use of Google Analytics to know what interests your target audience.
- Create content that meets the needs of specific people. As a case in point, organize advertising events at college campuses for the student community and sell premium services to rich customers.
- By placing your business in Yelp, TripAdvisor and Google My Business, you can reach the tourists who come to Downtown Chicago.
Getting to know Local SEO
SEO works for all businesses, large and small. Local SEO gives small firms the support they need to survive in busy downtown Chicago. When you add digital marketing near me to your listing, you improve your chances of being found.
Methods for Improving Your Site’s Local Search Placement:
- Register your business with Google My Business.
- Choose your business details (like name, address, number and operating hours) and make sure they are correct. Showcase attractive images and invite customers to tell you what they think about your service.
- Make use of local search terms.
- Include phrases such as “Downtown Chicago marketing solutions” into all your website and content without overusing them.
Let Your Customers Know What’s New
Produce guides or blog posts that connect with what’s going on in your area or what people care about locally. For example:
- “The Best Places for Food as You Walk in the Chicago Marathon”
- Ways for fitness enthusiasts in downtown to stay moving all year long
Improve your website for use on mobile devices as well as for people who speak into search engines.
Since many people ask assistant apps for nearby restaurants, be sure to include phrases people might speak such as “Where should I have brunch in Chicago?”
If you concentrate on these key points, your business will improve in local rankings and attract extra customers.
Bringing Your Brand to Social Media
Social media gives a direct path to members of the Downtown Chicago community. Updating your fans, running promotions and sharing things from behind the scenes can all be done well on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
What You Need to Know for Success on Social Media:
- Market both your events and new offers.
- Center special offers around popular Chicago events such as the Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza.
- Invest in getting people involved with their own content.
- Choose a hashtag to represent your business and let your customers know you’d like them to use it when posting about your shop. Give users discounts or interesting tools on your page when they like or comment on your post.
- Get in touch with influencers in your area.
- Find influencers that are in line with your audience to get your brand message out further.
Example Idea:
The Chicago Marathon is a good time to hold a contest where winning a free membership goes to the person who posts about your gym and tags it on social media.
Success Stories You Can Find in Downtown Chicago
How to Increase Customers at The Corner Cafe
We improved their local SEO by getting their Google My Business profile, adding good visual content and answering reviews. We created fun posts for social media to advertise their changing latte offers each season. Result? In only three months, the number of people headed to stores went up by 40%.
Downtown Fitness is trying to improve how it is seen online.
The strategy we employed used local SEO, updated our website and served ads on Facebook to Chicago fitness fans. As a result, our memberships grew by 60%.
How Targeted SEO Lifts the Profile of Chicago Art Gallery
We focused on their business as an artist, making sure their website and listings came up high in search results for art. That move brought them 75% more people who were interested in art asking about their works.
Localized content marketing strategy is transforming the experience at Family-Owned Bookstore.
Through blog posts about Chicago’s writing events and authors and regular social media posts, we saw a rise in people visiting our bookseller and buying from us.
Every one of these companies used targeted digital marketing to make their presence known in the crowded Downtown Chicago market.
Follow What’s New in Digital World
Having an edge over new trends is essential to do well in digital marketing. Take a look at these for inspiration:
- Optimizing for mobile should now be a necessity. There are now more mobile users looking at websites.
- Being found by voice search is very important for local businesses given how widely Alexa is being used.
- This type of marketing guides your efforts to Chicago’s individual neighborhoods.
- Personalizing your content, reviewing data and improving suggestions is easy thanks to AI tools.
How new is your digital marketing strategy?
Make Local Growth Your Next Priority
Focus on who your customers are, put effort into local SEO, communicate on social media and join hyperlocal events to help your Downtown Chicago business succeed. Digital marketing is more than advertising; it’s a chance to interact with your local population.
Ready to move your effort to another level of consciousness?
Send us a message to get a free evaluation of your digital marketing situation.
Get our guide on how to use local SEO for your Chicago business here.
Our upcoming webinar teaches you how to successfully market your local business on social media.
You can do anything when you use digital tools. We can develop together.