7 ways organisations in Northampton can engage with residents
There are over 190,000 people over the age of 16 living in Northampton. That’s a lot of people you could be promoting your business to!
If you sell products or services to the local community, engaging with residents not only makes them aware of your business but also builds trust.
In fact, businesses that actively engage with their communities can see revenue increases of up to 12%.
We’ve put together seven different ways you can use digital marketing to work closely with prospective local customers.
Article topics
- Host virtual community events
- Engage with local social media groups
- Get involved with the local press
- Focus on your local SEO efforts
- Optimise your local listings
- Use targeted PPC advertising
- Support local causes and charities
Host virtual community events
In the past, one of the best ways to forge strong bonds with local customers was to host in-person events, from networking to business expos.
While in-person events still have their advantages, hosting a community event online can be a more efficient way to get people’s attention. They’re cheaper to organise, easier for prospective customers to attend, and promote inclusivity and accessibility.
The first step in organising an event is understanding what you want to achieve. Do you want to raise brand awareness, encourage people to buy from your business, or build a list of prospective customers you can nurture in the future?
Then it’s a case of choosing the right platform (Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams are great starting points), and advertising your event to the right target audience.
Top tip: If you have the technology and means, why not consider hybrid events? These offer the best of both worlds – you can run an in-person event, but also livestream it for virtual attendees!
Over 40% of event attendees say that hybrid events are their favourite event format.
Engage with local social media groups
71% of the UK population actively uses social media. This makes it a fantastic channel for building a rapport with potential customers.
Many of these platforms offer group functionality, which businesses can use to share information, network with other like-minded organisations, and, most importantly, foster a sense of community with local people.
Facebook is still one of the most frequently used platforms for groups, with almost 1.8 billion people using Facebook Groups every month. However, there are lots of other platforms you can use to communicate with your ideal target audience, including:
- LinkedIn Groups
- Nextdoor
- Reddit (for example, r/northamptonians)
- Discord
- Slack
And of course, if there aren’t any local social media groups that meet your needs, it’s perfectly acceptable to create your own. Be sure to promote your brand-new group to encourage people to join!
Top tip: When networking in social media groups, don’t be overly salesy. Listen to customers, share advice, and provide value with every post. This builds trust and authenticity.
Try following the ’80:20’ rule on social media – 80% of your content should be helpful and informative, and 20% should be promotional.
Get involved with the local press
People still read the local news to understand what’s going on around them – 92% of UK adults still access local news and information, with 89% reading content online.
This means sending press releases and information to relevant journalists can make local audiences aware of you.
Here are some of our top tips for increasing the chances of getting featured in local publications:
- Connect with local journalists on social media – that way, they’ll let you know if they need a quote or information for a story they’re writing
- Make sure the stories you send are newsworthy and interesting. You may be pleased that you’ve renewed a specific accreditation for another year, but will readers care?
- Add a boilerplate to the end of your press release – a few lines explaining who you are and what you do. This provides journalists with more context about your business and saves you from having to explain yourself in your story
- Send a link to a few high-quality photos alongside your press releases – we recommend providing at least one portrait and one landscape image
Top tip: Search for your local competitors and see which journalists have covered them. These journalists are more likely to cover your business!
Focus on your local SEO efforts
68% of internet visits start with a trip to a search engine like Google or Bing. This means the higher you can rank in the search engine results, the easier it will be to showcase your business to the residents and workers of Northampton.
Local search engine optimisation (SEO) is when you rank for localised words and phrases, like ‘things to do in Northampton’ and ‘small businesses near me.’ Ways you can increase the odds of your content appearing in front of people carrying out local searches include:
- Claiming and completing your Google Business Profile
- Creating localised content that informs, entertains, and inspires. We love Northampton Museums and Art Gallery’s ‘A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects’ podcast!
- Optimising your website for relevant local keywords
Top tip: With local SEO, it’s vital to make sure all your marketing elements, from your website to the videos you post on your social media platforms, are mobile-friendly.
58% of local searches happen on mobile devices, so make sure your content loads quickly and is easy to read on a mobile phone.
Optimise your local listings
Adding your details to relevant, trustworthy directories provides many benefits.
Not only does it boost your online presence and drive backlinks to your website, but it can also show the search engines that your business is relevant to prospective customers in the local area. This can provide a handy SEO boost.
Here are some local directories to get you started – bear in mind that you may have to pay for inclusion:
- Digital Northants
- Northampton News Directory
- Northants Directory
- Start Your Own Business in Northampton
- Touch Northampton
- What’s on in Northampton
You can also list your business on more generic listings sites like TripAdvisor, Yell, and Yelp.
Top tip: If you have a lot of local listings to manage, you may benefit from software that helps ensure all your listings are automatically updated and discovers new opportunities for you. One of our favourite tools is Moz Local.
Use targeted PPC advertising
Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) isn’t the right choice for every business. However, one of the key benefits of it from a local perspective is that you can target customers with laser precision.
On platforms like Google Ads and Meta Ads (which covers Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger), you can set the locations you want your ads to appear in. This can be the whole of Northampton, a specific area… Even a particular postcode!
This means you can create highly targeted messages that appeal to people living in specific locations, encouraging them to respond to you.
Top tip: You can target your advertising in other ways besides location. You can target people based on their job, their hobbies and interests… Even the other companies they follow on social media!
Support local causes and charities
When you’re trying to showcase your business on a local scale, working with charities, sports teams, and other organisations in the area can increase brand awareness and reach brand new audiences.
Plus, it’s highly likely that these organisations will promote you on their websites and social media, amplifying your reach even further.
Who should you partner with? It depends on your values, budget, and the audiences you’d like to appeal to. Ask your team if there is a charity or organisation that is close to their hearts too.
Top tip: As well as charities, think about how you can partner with relevant local businesses.
For example, if you operate as a women’s hairdresser, partner up with a makeup artist or beauty therapist. That way, you can share each other’s audiences and there’s no risk of being in direct competition.
Xigen: Your local, friendly digital marketing specialists
Growing and nurturing a group of loyal and dedicated local followers doesn’t have to be hard. Understand their likes and dislikes, regularly engage with them, and provide content that fulfils their needs. That way, you’ll be one step closer to engagement, conversions, and sales!
We have over twenty years of experience working with Northampton businesses, helping them appeal to the right people. Whether you want to see if PPC advertising is right for you or create high-quality video content that showcases exactly what you have to offer, we’ll get people talking about your brand.
Contact us today, and let’s build a local community together.
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