How do you market a service business in a small town?
In a small town, reputation often travels faster than any ad, so the basics carry more weight: be easy to find and check on Google and on a simple website, do work people talk about, ask every customer for a review and a referral, and show up where the town already gathers. There are usually fewer searches, but also fewer businesses competing for them, and Google says distance from the person searching is one factor in its local results.
What is different in a small market
- Word of mouth often carries further. Many customers will know someone you have worked for.
- One bad exchange can be remembered, and repeated, for a long time.
- Fewer people usually search for your service, but fewer businesses are usually competing for them.
- People often hire the owner as much as the business, so your name and face can help.
Be easy to find and check
Google's help page "Tips to improve your local ranking on Google" says businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results. It describes distance as how far each business is from the customer who is searching, and says more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking.
In a small town, being close by already counts for you. As general advice, the work is making sure that when someone looks you up after hearing your name, they find a complete profile, current hours and a simple website that says what you do and how to reach you. The related answer on what local SEO means covers the rest in plain terms.
Reviews and referrals
Ask every customer for a review, in person and with a direct link, and never offer anything in return for one. Referrals often matter even more where everyone knows everyone; the related answer on referral programs covers whether to formalize them. Thank the person who sent the work, every time.
Show up where the town gathers
- Community events, school and youth sports, and local causes you actually care about.
- The town's Facebook groups. The related answer on whether to start a Facebook group notes that joining local groups is often enough.
- The local paper or community magazine, paid or free; the related answer on local magazine and newspaper ads covers both.
- Other local businesses whose customers need you, such as a hardware store for a handyman.
Nearby towns, and knowing what works
Many small-town businesses also serve the towns around them. Say plainly on your website which nearby towns you cover, so a visitor from the next town over knows you will come.
Ask every new customer how they heard of you and record each inquiry with its source channel, followed to won, lost or still open. In a small market, a few months of those records usually show whether referrals, search or the local paper bring the work.
Sources
Related answers
- What is local SEO?
- Should a small business have a referral program?
- Is advertising in a local magazine or newspaper worth it for a service business?
SEO for service businesses
Get found on Google by the people already looking for what you sell, in the places you serve, and see which searches turned into inquiries.