In July, business recommendation site Fresh Chalk and social marketing platform SOCi each released an important local marketing study. Fresh Chalk analyzed local business websites, while SOCi focused on localized social marketing. Last week, Search Engine Land mined both reports for insights on the state of local digital marketing. Here’s what they found.

In general, location-based businesses and local marketers fail to take advantage of the full variety of local digital marketing tools at their disposal. Many do not have complete business profiles on Google, Facebook, or Yelp, and those that do tend to prioritize one platform above others. As a result, businesses miss opportunities to improve visibility and engage with local consumers.

Claiming your business location on Google, Facebook, and Yelp is as basic as local marketing gets, yet just 78 per cent of total locations were claimed across the three platforms. While most businesses (75 per cent) post content on Facebook, very few do so on Google or Yelp. And many businesses fail to respond to online reviews, a critical misstep in the eyes of consumers.

The key takeaway from the studies is that most local businesses have room to improve their marketing strategies. Building a comprehensive Google My Business (GMB) listing should be the first priority, followed closely by attention to Facebook and Yelp. Soliciting and responding to reviews is also critical, especially when those reviews are negative. Customers want to patronize engaged businesses that care about the quality of their products and services.

As a Google Premier Partner local digital marketing agency with access to valuable insights on Google’s preferred practices, GrowthEngine Media has a wealth of experience helping local businesses get found by their preferred customers. From GMB optimization to social media management, our team will ensure your local online presence is robust and highly visible.