How To Measure Local Marketing Success In Difficult Times - Semalt Hints

Local searches undergo significant changes in times of crisis. The Coronavirus pandemic is a clear example of the changes we can expect during unpredictable events. It is hard to believe that just a few months ago, we had set a goal, and we had to drastically change what we considered as local marketing. We've had to develop new ways of measuring the success of local marketing channels and campaigns. Otherwise ignored skill such as flexibility or the ability to scale soon has become a must have if you plan on surviving this market. 

Hard KPIs have had to shift as customers' expectations from brands require a heavy lift of development to execute. Curbside pickups, which were once meant for busy individuals, became the new normal. Gone were the days when this was something special or a unique value. It has become an expected health and safety protocol for every customer. 

What effect has all these changes had on local marketing but particularly, how has this influenced how we measure success. In this post, we will be sharing some of our best practices for measuring the success of local marketing amid the global pandemic, but these tips can be used in other unpredictable events. 

Every company encounters challenges. We feel it is essential that our customers have a sense of how we do things here. This goes a long way in creating a stronger relationship and trust. At Semalt, we believe in teamwork. As a company, we understand that to serve our purpose; we must all work as one.

It is common to face challenges in an organization, and we want to let our customers that we face new challenges every day, but we can help you pull through. Semalt isn't just a company to help your website; we are here as your friends. We are here to help you grow.

In light of the pandemic, neatly marked-out content calenders were torn down and recreated with new topics in mind. Marketers were now more concerned about how to keep customers informed while showing them ways to stay safe. Regardless of the location, product, or service offered, every industry felt the devastating impact of the pandemic. 

From temporary closures and changes in working hours to the alterations in outdoor and indoor seating, every aspect of a business's operations required quick and effective methods to disseminate information to its customers. In addition, Google also created a COVID-19 Post option that allows businesses share health and safety information directly to SERP. This made it absolutely important to track the following points on Google My Business. 

Prior to the pandemic, key metrics of success included Map Views and Driving Directions, but as several states ordered lockdowns and places restrictions on movements, consumers relied more heavily on traditional search practices and adopted e-сommerce alternatives. 

Mobile devices are owned by billions of users, and the pandemic only increased the number of mobile device searches. With that being said, it is also important that we remind you that mobile benchmarks alone shouldn't be your sole area of focus. We recommend that every website spreads its focus and analyzes desktop traffic with as much tenacity as they do mobile traffic. Doing this can be very rewarding as you may discover immediate trends that may assist with figuring out what are your customer's current needs and expectations from your website. 

Referral traffic to a website isn't always the main KPI. Depending on the customer engagement story being told, it may exist as a supportive or secondary KPI. With changes in how Yelp, Apple Maps, and other local factions interact with their users, brands can take advantage of these opportunities to share Covid-19 details as they show improvement to their businesses which protects their customers. Measuring the upticks and referral traffic from these platforms will showcase how people are checking additional sources as they need to fact-check every piece of information. 

It also fine-tunes brands to publish more accurate information across the local ecosystem. 

For some time, this point has been important in developing the perfect SEO strategy. While Google influences brands to be better via its ever-evolving SERP layouts and new integrations like the local search efforts of the Hotel Ad Feeds should be looked at as another apart of their paid counterparts. 

For example, you may be helping your customers find what they are looking for faster and more efficiently if you added budget to Local Search ads of Integrating Local inventory ads in listings. Keeping track of your paid performance is important, and if it proves to be a beneficial endeavor, it should be included in your overall search strategy. Ultimately the goal of a brand's website is to be wherever their audience is; however, they get there. 

Due to the pandemic, customer feedback has evolved. Platforms like Yelp are now relying on its users to provide insight on whether a business is working inline with the health and safety protocols. 

Being able to monitor and know how to respond to reviews during a crisis positively has become an important element of local SEO success or its strategy. Understanding the sentiment around a brand or business, average star rating changes, user satisfaction, and addressing the concerns of consumers will grow positive sentiment. 

How quickly and fluently you are also able to respond to reviews and feedbacks is another important success metric. 

If you run a retail business and you haven't created an eCommerce channel before, now is as good a time as ever to develop and execute an eCommerce strategy flawlessly. With many consumers preferring to shop online, through the holiday season last year, and the e-сommerce sales which were delayed by the pandemic as it delayed shipping timeframes and created logistical nightmares, businesses need to maintain a seamless operation to ensure customers can order for product and services easily. Customers should experience quick turnarounds to receive the product, and it will help you build a positive brand association.

But now that the pandemic has begun easing off, how will it be possible for marketers to understand how brick and mortar are performing against the digital shelf? One particular report that can help is Google's Analytics beta Story Visit report which shows brands their omnichannel performance. 

As searches grew in 2020, so did keywords pick up, and as they did, newer terms like contactless delivery began ranking as well. That begs the question, "are you tracking the relevant trending keywords in your industry?" if you aren't, then the chances are that you are missing out on the opportunity to convert high-intent customers. 

Reviewing the most pressing GMB insights gives us an idea on which keywords should be optimized so that you can continue to reach your current and potential consumers. Refining your local marketing strategy involves reshaping the metrics and KPIs that may mean the most to your business. 

Although no one was prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic, it showed us new areas of opportunities for businesses, such as ways to stay in touch with customers while social distancing; it also caused a significant boost to mobile and desktop purchases. 

Metrics that we all relied on to determine the success of a brand's local marketing became obsolete. While recovering from the largely tumultuous event and as we set up your business for a prosperous year ahead, we must stay in touch with the latest SEO information and understand how we can apply that knowledge in making your website better. 

Semalt uses several engagement tools to create great content and ensure your visitors are delighted by what they see on your website. In the end, you have happy customers willing to patronize your business.

 We understand that realizing your goals may sound a bit much. But, with our help, you do not need to carry the burden on your own. Our experts make all these difficult tasks easy. In the end, our objective is to ensure that not only are you satisfied but that your website is at the top.

Why don't you register with us today and be part of the leading team!!!