Hyperlocal social media marketing focuses on the potential customers in your neighborhood.
This affordable and immediate social media marketing strategy will help you reach new customers in your community and build trust within a specific geographic area.
In this blog post, you will learn what hyperlocal social media marketing is, its importance, and the tools you need to boost your business locally.
Are you ready?
Hyperlocal social media marketing uses platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to reach people who live or work near your business.
It can help you attract more customers looking for products or services you offer in your area.
For example, assuming you own a restaurant in Lavington, Nairobi. You want to let people know you have the best food in town and offer delivery and catering services. How can you do that using hyperlocal social media marketing?
One way is to create a Facebook page for your restaurant and post regular updates about your menu, specials, events, and customer reviews.
You can also use Facebook ads to target people who live or work within a few kilometres of your restaurant. Show them ads with photos of your delicious food and a call to action to order online or call for delivery. You can also use Facebook Messenger to chat with your customers and answer their questions.
Another way is to use Instagram to showcase your food and restaurant atmosphere. You can use hashtags like #lavingtonfood, #nairobifood, or #foodlovers to reach people interested in food and living in your area.
Use geo-tags to show your location on the map and encourage your customers to tag your restaurant when they post photos of their food.
You can also use Instagram Stories to share behind-the-scenes videos of how you make your food or feature your loyal customers and staff.
So, what exactly are its benefits?
What are the Benefits of Hyperlocal Social Media Marketing for Local Businesses
Some of the benefits of hyperlocal social media marketing for local businesses are:
Increased brand awareness and customer engagement
Brands that devote time and energy to becoming a big name in their local town can reap massive results. For instance, a restaurant in Nairobi’s Lavington region can use hyperlocal social media marketing to showcase its food, atmosphere, events, and customer reviews.
They can also use hashtags, geo-tags, and stories to reach people interested in food and living in their area. Doing so can increase brand awareness, customer loyalty, and word-of-mouth referrals.
Builds trust and loyalty with your local community.
Building relationships with your local community through social media creates a sense of trust and loyalty.
People are more likely to do business with businesses they can trust. And when people feel loyal to a business, they’re more likely to continue doing business with that business in the future.
A coffee shop in a small town could use social media to share information about upcoming events, such as farmers\’ markets, concerts, and festivals.
The coffee shop could also share information about local businesses, such as restaurants, shops, and other businesses that its customers might be interested in.
The coffee shop could also use social media to answer customer questions and concerns about its products and services. Sharing this content shows locals that the coffee shop is invested in the local community.
The coffee shop also shows its customers that it’s responsive and helpful.
This engagement can help build trust and loyalty with the local community, leading to increased foot traffic and sales.
Increased foot traffic for brick-and-mortar businesses
Hyperlocal social media marketing allows businesses to target users near their physical stores, driving more potential customers to visit in person.
You can reach people nearby or those looking for products or services in your area using geo-targeting and geo-fencing features. You can offer exclusive local deals, promotions, and events to entice customers to visit your store.
Hyperlocal SMM reduces and focuses ad spend
Hyperlocal social media marketing allows businesses to target a specific geographic location, sometimes just a few blocks or streets. This means they can spend less on advertising and increasing foot traffic to their business.
For example, a pizza shop in Downtown Seattle can use Facebook ads to target people who live or work within a few kilometres of their shop and show them ads with photos of their delicious pizzas.
The shop can add a call to action for the neighbors to order online or call for delivery. In that case, the business can optimize its ad spend and increase its conversion rates.
It can help you capitalize on near-me searches
Near-me searches have become immensely popular in recent years.
Data from Google indicates that near-me searches grew in volume by 130% year-over-year between 2014 and 2015 alone.
Moreover, 76% of people who search for something nearby on their smartphone visit a related business within a day, and 28% of those searches result in a purchase.
In other words, hyperlocal social media marketing can help businesses rank higher on near-me searches and drive more foot traffic and sales.
You can use Google My Business to optimize their online presence for local search. In doing so, you can increase your brand’s visibility and relevance on near-me searches.
Local community building
Hyperlocal social media marketing allows businesses to establish community and trust with their local audience, encouraging customers to become brand advocates and generate organic word-of-mouth marketing.
Engaging with your local customers on social media platforms can create a loyal fan base that supports and promotes your brand.
Hyperlocal social media marketing can also help you to participate in local causes, events, or initiatives that resonate with your local audience and demonstrate their social responsibility
Platforms to Use for Hyperlocal Social Media Marketing
Here are some platforms to use for your hyperlocal social media strategy:
According to Statista, Facebook had almost three billion monthly active users worldwide as of the second quarter of 2023, making it the most popular social network in the world.
Facebook is a good platform for hyperlocal social media marketing because it allows businesses to reach and engage with potential customers in their local area.
It allows you to create a business page, post updates, photos, videos, events, and offers, and interact with your followers.
Facebook introduced “Local Awareness Ads” in 2014 and rebranded it as “Reach Ads” in 2017. You can use these ads to target people within a specific radius of your store location and choose whether the ad will target everyone in the location, people who live there, people who have recently been there, or people traveling there.
You can also use Facebook Groups to join or create communities of people who share similar interests or live in the same area as your business.
Add call-to-action buttons like “learn more,” “call now,” or “Whatsapp” in some of your Facebook posts to drive potential hyperlocal leads and conversions.
X (formerly Twitter)
Source: RTL Nieuws
X is a microblogging platform that lets you share short messages, images, videos, and links with your followers.
X’s geo-targeting, trend analysis, visual content, influencer collaborations, real-time updates, and customer engagement capabilities make it a powerful tool for hyperlocal social media marketing.
According to Elon Musk, a tweet is now called an X.
Tweets with images received 150% more retweets than tweets without images. Utilize this by sharing high-quality visuals of your products, services, or local scenery. These strategies can capture attention and enhance your hyperlocal marketing efforts.
You can use hashtags, mentions, and geotags to increase your visibility and reach potential customers. That is, people searching for or browsing content related to your business or location.
For example, a local coffee shop can use X to target its tweets to people within a 5-mile radius.
The coffee shop can also use local hashtags and geotags in its tweets to reach even more people in the area. Hyperlocal social media marketing can increase the shop’s foot traffic significantly.
You can also use X Ads to promote your tweets or accounts based on location, demographics, interests, and behaviors.
X also has a feature called Fleets, which lets you share ephemeral stories that disappear after 24 hours.
Source: Logo
Instagram is a powerful visual platform that lets you showcase your products, services, and brand personality through photos and videos.
You can use hashtags, geotags, and stories to increase your visibility and reach local customers searching for or browsing content related to your business or location.
Instagram Ads allow users to promote posts or stories to a targeted audience based on location, demographics, interests, and behaviors.
Instagram also has Reels. They let you create short videos with music, effects, and stickers that can help you attract attention and engagement.
For instance, Sarova Hotels, a hotel chain in Kenya, uses Instagram to highlight its properties, amenities, and offers.
The hotel uses location tags and hashtags such as #sarovahotelskenya, #sarovalionhilllodge, or #sarovaexperience to reach its local customers. Sarova Hotels also uses stories and reels to share travel tips, destination guides, and customer stories.
TikTok
TikTok is a video-sharing platform that lets you create and watch short videos with music, filters, and effects.
The platform has a powerful algorithm that shows relevant content to users. It uses factors such as location, hashtags, and preferences to recommend videos to users.
If you create content relevant to your local area, you have a higher chance of reaching people interested in your products or services.
You can use hashtags, sounds, and trends to increase your visibility and reach potential customers.
You can also use TikTok Ads to promote your videos or accounts to a hyperlocal audience.
TikTok also has a For You Page (FYP) feature. It is an algorithmically generated feed of personalized content that can help you discover new customers and influencers.
The platform has popular local songs, filters, stickers, and challenges to make your videos more entertaining and appealing.
Social media gurus recommend collaborating with local businesses or influencers with a large following on TikTok. You can cross-promote each other’s products or services on the platform.
Threads
Instagram Threads is a standalone app from Instagram that takes threaded discussions to the next level. It’s your space to connect, communicate, and create discussions around your concerns.
Threads is perfect for hyperlocal social media marketing because it allows you to connect with your community more deeply. You can share your thoughts and ideas about local events, businesses, and organizations and get feedback from your followers.
It allows you to create and share photos and videos with your local customers. You can personalize your content with captions, stickers, filters, and themes.
You can also use Threads to send messages and chat with your audience. Threads can help you build trust and loyalty with your loyal customers by providing them with exclusive content and offers.
Threads business account will give you access to business tools such as ads, analytics, e-commerce storefronts, and third-party tools. You can also add a website link to your Threads profile to drive hyperlocal traffic to your site.
Tools to Use for Hyperlocal Social Media Marketing
Here are some tools that can help you with hyperlocal social media marketing:
Hootsuite
The social media management tool lets you plan, create, schedule, publish, monitor, and analyze your social media content across multiple platforms and accounts.
Hootsuite is a credible source for hyperlocal social media marketing. It has over 18 million users worldwide, including over 800 Fortune 1000 companies.
It also partners with leading social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest. Hootsuite is trusted by many small businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies that rely on its solutions to connect with their local communities.
You can use Hootsuite to manage your Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media profiles from one dashboard.
You can also use Hootsuite to track your performance, engagement, and reach with analytics and reports. Hootsuite can help you optimize your social media strategy and save time and resources.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social is another social media management tool. It lets you plan, create, schedule, publish, monitor, and analyze your social media content across multiple platforms and accounts.
You can use Sprout Social to manage your Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media profiles from one dashboard.
You can also use Sprout Social to measure your impact, engagement, and conversions with analytics and reports. Sprout Social can help you improve your social media performance and customer satisfaction.
Buffer
Buffer is another social media management tool that lets you plan, create, schedule, publish, monitor, and analyze social media content across multiple platforms and accounts.
You can use Buffer from one dashboard to manage your Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, and other social media profiles. You can also use Buffer to track your results, engagement, and growth with analytics and reports.
Buffer can help you streamline your social media workflow and increase your reach.
How do you start hyperlocal social media marketing? Here it is:
Know your local audience
Because hyperlocal marketing is about targeting a specific geographic area, you need to know who lives there, what they care about, and what they need. This information will help you create relevant, engaging content to drive results.
For example, if you are a coffee shop in a college town, you would want to know the students’ age range, interests, and favorite social media platforms. You could then create content that appeals to their specific needs, such as a promotion for free coffee on finals week or a giveaway of gift cards to local businesses.
Use tools like Facebook Audience Network or Google My Business to get insights into your local market. You can also conduct surveys, interviews, or focus groups to get feedback from your existing customers. Based on this information, you can craft content that appeals to your hyperlocal audience’s tastes, needs, and interests.
Choosing the right social media platform is crucial for hyperlocal social media marketing because different platforms have different user demographics, behaviors, and preferences.
For example, Facebook is the most popular social media platform worldwide, with over 2.9 billion monthly active users. However, Facebook may not be the best choice for targeting younger audiences, as only 51% of U.S. teens use Facebook. 85% use YouTube.
Therefore, consider other platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok to reach a younger market in your locality.
Choosing the right social media platform also means understanding the features and functionalities of each platform and how they can help you achieve your hyperlocal marketing goals.
For instance, Instagram has a ” Places ” feature, allowing users to discover content based on location. This can help you increase your visibility and engagement with local customers interested in your niche.
Similarly, TikTok has a ” Local ” feature that allows users to view videos from nearby creators. This can help you showcase your local culture and personality and attract more customers who resonate with your brand.
To choose the right social media platform for your hyperlocal marketing strategy, research and analyze your target audience, competitors, and your strengths and weaknesses. Find out where your potential customers spend their time online, what kind of content they consume and create, and what messages they respond to.
You must also assess your resources and capabilities, such as your budget, team size, content creation skills, and analytics tools. In doing so, you can select the most suitable social media platform that can help you reach and connect with your local audience effectively and efficiently.
Video advertising
Source: EM4b
Video advertising is a powerful way to reach your hyperlocal audience on social media. It can tell stories, showcase products and services, and build trust and rapport with hyperlocal audiences.
A study by Cisco found that video will account for 82% of all internet traffic by 2022. According to the report, video traffic will quadruple by 2022, driven by four major factors.
The first factor is the increasing popularity of video content among consumers and businesses.
Secondly, hyperlocal video advertising will increase due to the emergence of new video formats and applications. These include 4K, VR, AR, and live streaming.
Improving network speeds and quality, such as 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and fiber, will make hyperlocal video advertising commonplace.
Expanding video-capable devices like smartphones, tablets, TVs, and M2M will make video advertising non-negotiable.
Some examples of successful video ads for hyperlocal social media marketing are:
- A video ad that features a local customer testimonial of how your product or service solved their problem.
- A video ad that highlights a local event or a social cause you are sponsoring or supporting in your community.
- A video ad that showcases your local expertise or authority on a topic that is relevant to your niche or industry.
- A video ad that invites your local audience to visit your physical store or location
Creating video ads that are informative, engaging, and entertaining can help you stand out from the crowd and grow your hyperlocal business to new heights.
Local sponsorships
Source: NBAA
One of the most effective hyperlocal social media marketing methods is to leverage local sponsorships.
Local sponsorships are partnerships between businesses and local entities, such as events, nonprofits, or associations. Both parties benefit from the exchange of resources and promotion. It can help businesses reach their target audience, build trust and loyalty, and enhance their reputation as community leaders.
Local sponsorships can also create positive word-of-mouth and social media buzz as people share their experiences and opinions about the sponsored entity.
For example, a local coffee shop could sponsor a charity run and offer free samples to the participants, who might post photos and reviews on their social media accounts, tagging the coffee shop and the charity.
In that case, the coffee shop can increase its exposure, generate leads, and support a good cause.
Local sponsorships are a win-win situation for both businesses and communities. They can create lasting impacts that go beyond sales and profits.
They can foster relationships, enrich culture, empower people, and improve quality of life. That\’s why local sponsorships are a powerful hyperlocal social media marketing tool.
Collaborate with influencers
“67% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy from a brand after seeing it promoted by an influencer.”
One of the most effective ways to do hyperlocal social media marketing is to collaborate with influencers with a strong local presence and influence.
Influencers are people who have a large and loyal following on social media platforms and who can sway the opinions and behaviors of their audience.
A study by Nielsen found that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they follow on social media. Therefore, working with relevant influencers in your target market can increase your brand awareness, credibility, reach, and sales in your locality.
For example, if you are a local restaurant wanting to attract more customers in your neighborhood, you can partner with a food blogger or chef with a large following.
Invite the food blogger to try your dishes, post reviews and photos on their social media accounts, and offer discounts or giveaways to their followers. This will showcase your unique offerings, generate positive word-of-mouth, and drive more foot traffic to your restaurant.
Collaborating with influencers is not only beneficial for your business but also for the influencers themselves. They can gain more exposure, credibility, and income by working with local brands that align with their values and interests. They can also build stronger relationships with their local community and fans by sharing relevant and authentic content.
Source: Brafton
Using local keywords and hashtags is a smart way for hyperlocal social media marketing because it helps you reach your target audience more effectively.
Local keywords and hashtags are words or phrases relevant to your location, such as #SeattleCoffee or #NairobiFashion. They help you optimize your content for local search engines and social media platforms, making it easier for potential customers to find you. Local keywords and hashtags can increase your store’s visibility and traffic.
Using local keywords and hashtags also helps you create a sense of community and engagement with your local audience. You can use them to join or start conversations about topics that matter to your locality, such as events, news, trends, or issues.
In that case, you can show your personality and values as a brand and build trust and loyalty with your customers. For example, a local bakery in Nairobi could use the hashtag #NairobiBreadLovers to share their recipes, tips, and stories with other bread enthusiasts in the city. This would showcase the bakery’s expertise and passion and encourage user-generated content and word-of-mouth marketing.
You need to do keyword research and plan to use keywords effectively in hyperlocal social media marketing.
Once you have chosen your keywords, you must use them strategically in your content. Include them in your headlines, captions, hashtags, descriptions, tags, bios, and links.
You can also use keywords in your images, videos, and stories. However, you should avoid keyword stuffing, which is the practice of using too many keywords unnaturally. Keyword stuffing can make your content look spammy and lower its quality and credibility.
Create local guides or how-to articles
Source: DizitalSquare
A how-to article is a type of instructional writing that provides step-by-step instructions on how to do something. How-to articles can be about anything, from cooking recipes to home repairs to software tutorials.
A how-to article aims to inform and educate your local audience on how to complete a task. The article should be clear, concise, and easy to follow.
Creating local guides or how-to articles is a great way to hyperlocal social media marketing because it helps establish authority and credibility in your niche and location. Valuable and relevant information to your target audience can attract more traffic, engagement, and conversions to your website and social media platforms.
For example, if you are a florist in Nairobi, you can create a guide on choosing the best flowers for different occasions or a how-to article on arranging a beautiful bouquet.
You can also include photos of your work and testimonials from your happy customers. This showcases your expertise and personality and builds trust and loyalty with your potential and existing local customers.
Local guides or how-to articles can increase your chances of getting positive reviews and referrals from satisfied customers. You can boost your local SEO ranking and visibility, as Google favors relevant and useful content for local searchers.
Here are some examples of how-to articles:
- How to Make a Paper Airplane
- How to Change a Car Tire
- How to Cook a Steak
- How to Install a New Light Bulb
- How to Use Facebook for Hyperlocal Social Media Marketing
Source: Loop11
UGC is content created by your customers, not by you. This makes it more authentic and trustworthy, which is important in hyperlocal marketing.
Sharing photos, videos, and stories from your customers shows that you care about their experiences and are part of the community.
In fact, 86% of businesses use user-generated content as a digital marketing strategy.
For instance, a local bakery in my neighborhood occasionally runs a contest where customers submit photos of themselves enjoying their birthday and wedding cakes.
The bakery shares the winning photos on its Facebook and Instagram business page and a caption thanking the customers for participating. Sharing UGC has helped them connect with the local audience and build a sense of community.
User-generated content shows you understand your community’s needs, preferences, challenges, and aspirations. If you are a clothing store owner, you can share the outfits and styles of your local customers and how they reflect their local identity and lifestyle.
Here are more examples of UGC that you can share to boost your hyperlocal social media marketing strategy:
- Photos of customers using your products or services
- Videos of customers sharing their experiences with your business
- Reviews and testimonials from customers
- Posts from customers tagged in your location
- Stories from customers about your business
How to Create a Hyperlocal Social Media Strategy
Here are some steps to create a hyperlocal social media strategy for your business:
1. Define your target audience and location
You need to know who you want to reach and where they are.
For example, if you own a bakery in Nairobi, you should target people who live or work within a 10-kilometer radius of your store and who are interested in baked goods, coffee, and desserts.
You must ensure that your social media profiles and pages have accurate and updated information about your business, such as your address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and services.
Ensure you use relevant keywords and hashtags that describe your business and location, such as #bakerynairobi or #californiacoffee.
You must create and share content showcasing your products, services, offers, events, and stories. You can use photos, videos, live streams, stories, polls, quizzes, and other formats to capture your audience’s attention.
Use user-generated content, like reviews, testimonials, and customer feedback, to build trust and credibility.
4. Use geo-targeted ads and promotions
You need to use the advertising features of the social media platforms to reach more people in your local area.
Geo-targeting options help specify your ideal customers’ location, radius, demographics, interests, and behaviors.
You can also use geofencing options to trigger ads or notifications when someone enters or leaves a certain area near your business.
5. Monitor and measure your results
You need to track and analyze the performance of your hyperlocal social media marketing efforts.
Use the analytics tools of the specific social media platform to see how many people saw, clicked, liked, commented, shared, or visited your content and ads.
Use tools like Google Analytics or Facebook Pixel to see how many people visited your website or store from your social media channels.
To automate your hyperlocal social media strategy, consider using AI tools to streamline your tasks and optimize your results.
Here are some examples of AI tools that can help you with different aspects of your hyperlocal social media strategy:
- Social listening and analysis: You can use AI tools like Sprout Social, Hootsuite Insights, or Brandwatch to monitor and analyze what people say about your business, your competitors, and your industry in your local area. These tools can help you identify trends, sentiments, influencers, and opportunities to engage with your audience and improve your reputation.
- Content creation: You can use AI tools like Lumen5, Phrasee, or Snazzy to create engaging and relevant content for your social media channels. These tools can help you generate captions, headlines, hashtags, images, videos, and stories based on your keywords, topics, and goals.
- Content curation: You can use AI tools like Curata, Scoop.it, or DrumUp to find and share high-quality content from other sources that are relevant to your local audience. These tools can help you discover, filter, and personalize content that matches your niche and interests.
- Content scheduling: You can use AI tools like Buffer, CoSchedule, or Later to schedule and publish your content across different social media platforms at the best times for your local audience. These tools can help you plan, organize, and optimize your content calendar based on data and insights.
- Content optimization: You can use AI tools like BuzzSumo, Socialbakers, or Unmetric to optimize your content performance and improve ROI. These tools can help you measure, analyze, and improve your content strategy based on metrics like reach, engagement, conversions, and sentiment.
Hyperlocal social media marketing can be overwhelming for business owners managing multiple tasks and platforms.
It can be challenging to create and share engaging content, target and reach the right audience, monitor and measure the results, and optimize the strategy.
You need social media marketing managers and agencies to help with your hyperlocal social media strategy.
Andika Writers has experts who can handle all aspects of your social media marketing, from content creation and curation to scheduling and publishing, optimization, and analysis.
We can also use AI tools to automate and enhance your hyperlocal social media marketing efforts.
Our social media marketing packages depend on your needs and preferences.
You can choose from:
- Basic package: This package includes content creation and curation, scheduling and publishing, and basic analytics for one social media platform of your choice.
- Standard package: This package includes content creation and curation, scheduling and publishing, basic analytics, and optimization for two social media platforms of your choice.
- Premium package: This package includes content creation and curation, scheduling and publishing, advanced analytics, optimization, and geo-targeted ads and promotions for three social media platforms of your choice.
Contact us now for a free hyperlocal social media marketing consultation and a potential contract.
