Leveraging local: How to build a brand that belongs
In a retail and service world filled with Amazon, Costco, Target, Walmart and other massive, multinational companies, there still remains a surprising amount of space for local business.
The convenience these giants offer can be overwhelming and discouraging to the local business owner. In fact, it might be easy to look at them and think it is game over for local business.
It’s quite the opposite.
The small business owner is absolutely competing with these big companies. But like David and Goliath, sometimes the little guy (or gal) simply wins.
Think about your community. Consumers are using these big retailers for all sorts of purchases and services, but they also are waiting to hear from you about the local option you offer.
Everyone does not want everything delivered in a dirty, dusty package thrown at the front step. People do want to shop in person and see and touch items to confirm if a product is right for them.
Recently, Wayfair opened a large showroom store in Wilmette. It’s near my house and I stop in from time to time. The store is very pleasant and the best thing about it is I can see the merchandise. In fact, I’ve bought a few items from there simply because I was able to try them and confirm they were what I was seeking. There is no way I would have gotten that buying experience had I been looking at their website. Even the giant website is working on creating a local shopping experience.
This insight reminds me that local businesses can take advantage of consumers’ enormous need to get their shopping done right. Use your email list, website and social channels to promote very specific features or qualities of your products or services. Take photos that portray the variety, the features, of your customers, of your business space and promote the value you offer. Go a little further and take some of these photos in places that are iconic or familiar to your local area. Your customer has an affinity for the area where they live and work.
If you don’t have tangible products you can still connect your brand with the local area by creating photos or videos of you and your staff team in local spots talking about the good work you do, answering commonly asked questions against a familiar backdrop in the neighborhood or by simply creating strategic partnerships with local organizations, businesses or points of interest.
Creating a sense of togetherness, of belonging, is a feeling that will inspire people to choose you — the local option — over a big corporate juggernaut. You have an unknown number of customers who have yet to find you in your neighborhood. Help them see the value you offer, the great products you have in store and the convenient services you provide so close to home.
Of course, it is easy for people to hop online and search for what they are seeking. But it is just as easy for you to interrupt their digital quest with a local shopping or service opportunity that is exactly what they need. Build your brand as an irresistible local resource. Your proverbial neighborhood is waiting to hear from you.
• Rebecca Hoffman is the founder and principal of Good Egg Concepts, a strategic communication and brand marketing consulting practice serving clients across the Chicago area and nationally.