It can be easy to forget that online marketing can have a much wider effect than just “online”. These days, it is also one of the most powerful tools businesses have to drive in-person and other types of offline sales.
The key is knowing how to optimize specifically for local searches to help those nearby find you and your products or services at the most effective times.
To help smaller businesses do this, Google recently published a small guide with 4 tips and ideas for driving offline sales using your online ads and marketing.
Creating In-Person Sales With Online Marketing
Establish Your Digital Storefront
The first step to using your brand to drive local sales is establishing your Google My Business profile. This allows you to appear in the prime search results placements for relevant localized searches.
As Google says:
“Stand out when people search for your business, products or services. Getting your business on Google is the essential first step towards driving and measuring visits to your stores.”
2) Measure Your Offline Impact
These days, the search engine’s analytics tools can measure a lot more than online traffic and conversions. Using metrics like Store Visits and Local Actions, you can see exactly how effective your online ads and marketing are in the real world.
“Getting the full picture of how your ads drive impact across channels is important to refine campaigns, make budgeting decisions, and inform your overall business strategy.”
3) Optimize For Online AND Offline
Use ads and optimization to highlight what you have online and what you have to offer at your brick and mortar locations. Not only can you use Google Shopping to showcase your products in search results, you can specifically promote your in-store inventory using Local Inventory ads.
The guide suggests:
“Make the most of your marketing investment and grow revenue for your stores, whether customers ultimately purchase online or in-store.”
4) Showcase Your Locations
Use local campaigns to highlight your local stores and send online searchers straight to your door.
“Machine learning makes it easier and more efficient to promote your physical business locations at scale across Google properties. It can help you reach customers throughout their purchase journey and optimize for those who are most likely to visit your business.”
