For most small business owners, 2020 was an extraordinarily difficult year. But although this health crisis continues on, consumers and business owners alike are eager for a return to normalcy.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the power of community. When individuals and organizations have found themselves in trouble, others in the area have rallied together to lift them up and show their support.

Still, independent businesses and local franchises need to make a concerted effort to reach customers within a close proximity. And since we know that 93% of customers used the internet to find local businesses in 2020, the most effective way to reach local consumers is to meet them where they already are: online.

Of course, smartphone use has reached new heights – and with that comes along the need for repair services. So how do you ensure that local customers find you? You need to engage in targeted digital marketing efforts for your cell phone repair shop. 

If you’re looking to increase brand awareness and ensure customers in your area can easily locate your business, here are just three local marketing techniques you should consider.

Claim Your Google My Business Page

One of the most important steps you can take to reach local customers is to take full advantage of the Google My Business platform.

GMB, as it’s often called, is a free service that essentially highlights your business in relevant web searches. Google My Business is what drives the organic promotion of specific kinds of search results. 

If you’ve ever seen an outlined section on the side of a search results page when you type in the name of a business or the “map pack” when you look for specific kinds of services in your immediate area, you’ve noticed GMB at work.

GMB is an incredibly powerful tool for small businesses, as the platform allows you to list a wealth of information that appears in search results. Your hours of operation, location, contact information, products and services, images, and relevant updates will appear when a user tries to find businesses like yours in their area. 

The perk for web visitors is that they won’t ever have to go to your website to find out the information they need. While this might seem like a drawback at first, it can actually be to your benefit. Visitors want to find nearby information quickly – and if they do, they’ll be more likely to take immediate action with an in-person visit or purchase. 

If you want customers to easily find you online, you’ll want to claim your GMB and fill it out completely (and accurately). You’ll increase your ability to appear in relevant searches and will add to your brand’s legitimacy in the process. 

Optimize With Long-Tail Keywords

As a small business owner, it’s tough to compete with larger corporations and retail chains. But you actually shouldn’t be competing with these corporations when it comes to your keyword usage.

Optimizing your site with relevant keywords will make it more likely for web users to find you when they’re looking for cell phone repair services or even cell phone accessories. If you’re overly broad in your keyword selection, however, you may struggle to appear in searches because large companies (with even larger budgets) are dominating the SERPs.

As a result, you may want to get hyper-specific with the keywords you add to your product pages and other website content. While you’ll still want to ensure the keywords you use have ample search volume, targeting slightly less competitive keywords can yield better results.

Instead of trying to appear in searches for “cell phone repair,” you might target terms like “cell phone repair services in Charleston SC” or “cell phone repair shops in Little Rock AR.” Of course, the location you target should align with the area you serve. 

Because most local customers are going to use their smartphones to conduct searches, they’re also more likely to use voice search technology. Optimizing with long-tail keywords and conversational phrases can increase your chances of appearing in those searches. Longer keywords are also a better match for user intent, which means your site will actually be more relevant to your customers’ needs – and they’ll be more likely to make a purchase.

Generate More Online Reviews

Online reviews are more important for small businesses than ever before. Most people aren’t willing to take a chance on a brand they’ve never heard of before, even if it’s close by. But if they see that other customers have had an awesome experience with you, they’ll be more comfortable taking a leap of faith.

Online reviews are now considered to be just as important as personal recommendations from friends and family. If you want to boost your brand perception and your website traffic, you’ll need to learn how to generate online reviews for your business and respond to the reviews that come in.

In general, you should make it easy for customers to leave you a review. You’ll probably need to remind them to do so, as most of us are inclined to remember only if we have a poor experience. Send out a direct link in your newsletters and put it on social media and your website for starters.

Once you start receiving reviews, remember to respond to each one with compassion. This is your chance to showcase what makes your customer service so great. You can cement your good reputation or even save a future sale if you remain calm, lead with your values, and make sure the customer feels heard. Even if you get a bad review, your response to it will matter more to other potential customers than the review itself.

Since online reviews can drive customers to your website and build trust, focusing on this area of your reputation management can also improve your marketing and sales as they pertain to local customers.

Local Marketing Can Increase Your Local Reach

It’s likely that your cell phone repair shop mainly serves customers within your community. As such, you need to find a way to reach these local customers on a consistent basis. By optimizing for long-tail keywords, harnessing the power of Google My Business, and increasing the number of online reviews for your business, you can more effectively connect with nearby consumers who are in need of your services.