Five tips for regional online marketing

Shahab Hosseiny, CEO, MSO Digital1. hit the markUse clever targeting options for search engine advertising (SEA) and display advertising to address potential customers at the right time. Perimeter targeting is possible up to one kilometer for Facebook ads, for example. For retailers that rely on good weather, such as ice cream parlors or beach bars, weather targeting is an advantage. Situational targeting can also attract target groups to the store or location. For example, hotels near airports can advertise when a late flight is canceled.2. rely on telephone callsTelephone calls are one of the most important sales drivers in local marketing. Forgotten keys, legal dispute, death - if a customer is in need, they don't want to write an email, they want to speak directly to a local expert. For these companies, it is important to create landing pages on which individual telephone numbers are displayed. These enable telephone tracking, i.e. the assignment of the call as a response to a specific advertising medium or campaign.3. book regional bannersRegional daily newspapers stand for local reporting like hardly any other medium. If you advertise in the print editions of regional daily newspapers, it is worth booking a parallel placement on the corresponding online presences of the media. This allows you to place regional banners not only in the catchment area of the daily newspaper, but also in surrounding regions.4. update Google My BusinessAccording to Google, every third search has a local or regional reference. In most cases, users have a specific contact or research goal. This is precisely why it is important to keep your details on Google My Business up to date. Google's business directory is free of charge and can be administered by you. The information about your company is optimally displayed on Google Maps, in search results and on Google+. Tip: If you have several branches, be sure to create individual entries for the stores. Google My Business also offers the option of displaying a 360-degree view of your business.5. show personalityImages generate emotions and act as a decision-making aid. Don't advertise with stock images, but show the people behind your company. This makes the ad more personal and arouses curiosity. Images with real employees are particularly suitable for advertising products or services that require a lot of consultation.Shahab Hosseiny, CEO of MSO Digital, advises avoiding the trial-and-error principle in regional online marketing measures: "For many companies, it is difficult to shape the digitalization of marketing from their own DNA. But lengthy learning processes cost a lot of money. Stationary companies without online marketing expertise are best able to accelerate their business by bringing partners on board who, for example, develop a strategy or train internal employees on the topic. "*Local Search Study by Google, conducted by Ipsos MediaCT, n=3,500 German smartphone users, 2015