In the world of multi-location marketing, what informs your localized marketing strategy? Do you do research ahead of time to see which tactics will resonate best with your target audience? Do you keep your efforts the same year after year? The more thought and planning you put into your localized marketing efforts, the better. That’s where an answers-based digital marketing strategy comes in. If you’re not already familiar, an answers-based marketing strategy is a marketing strategy that provides consumers or potential consumers with answers to commonly asked questions without them having to ask. Throughout this blog, we’ll dive deeper into why an answers-based digital marketing strategy is a must for your business and explain how to develop it.
What is an Answers-Based Marketing Strategy and Why It’s Important
While we’ve already defined an answers-based marketing strategy, providing some examples may help you better understand. For instance, if your multi-location business knows that many consumers are asking about vegetarian options at your restaurant brand, you can proactively share that your local businesses have various vegetarian options. Whether it’s through local social, promoted in images in your local listings, or highlighted on your local pages, there are many ways your business can share information consumers are looking for.
So why is an answers-based marketing strategy necessary? Now more than ever, consumers crave convenience. They want to find the information they are looking for in an instant without having to do a lot of additional research.
With an answers-based marketing strategy, you’re feeding customers the information they’re looking for without them even realizing it. If potential customers can find all of the information they want and need about your business, it will help differentiate you from competitors.
Where to Find the Questions Consumers Are Asking About Your Business
In order to develop a solid answers-based digital marketing strategy, your multi-location business must first understand what consumers want to know about your business. There are several areas your business can leverage to better understand what questions consumers have specific to your company and your industry. Here are a few:
- Google Q&A
Google Q&A is one of the easiest ways to analyze what consumers want to know about your business. With Google Q&A, you can find the most frequently asked questions and ensure the answers are included in your marketing efforts. For instance, are consumers asking about your prices, whether or not you have a curbside pickup or questions about accessibility? Once you determine which questions consumers are asking, you can decide which are worth proactively answering in your marketing efforts. It’s also important to note that your multi-location business should provide answers to the questions asked in Google Q&A directly. If your business doesn’t respond to the questions, it allows someone else to do so, leaving room for misinformation.
- Social Listening
Social listening can help your business get a more holistic view of what is being asked about your company. Social listening allows your multi-location business to uncover conversations about or around your business. While keeping track of these discussions at the corporate level is necessary, individual business locations need to understand local consumers. With social listening, your multi-location business can analyze commonly asked questions about your business or industry that go beyond Google Q&A.
The thought of having to leverage social listening across 100s or 1,000s of business locations prevents many multi-location businesses from doing so. On the other hand, some companies only pay attention to conversations that directly mention their business. If you fall into either of those two categories, think of all the chatter you could be missing out on. Finding a solution that can help you manage your listening efforts across 100s or 1,000s of business locations is key. That’s where SOCi Listening comes in. Through SOCi Listening, your multi-location business can gain VIP access to critical conversations happening around your business, industry trends, and frequently asked questions. Creating an answers-based marketing strategy becomes more manageable with a social listening solution.
- Ratings and Reviews
Ratings and reviews are other great tactics for preparing an answers-based digital marketing strategy. While the tactics mentioned above are used to understand what potential customers want to know about your business, ratings, and reviews can provide insight into what previous customers have experienced. Leveraging your ratings and reviews to understand any shortcomings your business may have can help prevent any future disappointment. For example, suppose your local nail salon has received various reviews emphasizing long wait times. In that case, your business can include a CTA to book an appointment on your local listings and promote social content that encourages customers to book an appointment.
On the other hand, things about your business may pleasantly surprise customers, which your business can then share in your marketing efforts. An excellent example of this would be your company receiving multiple positive reviews about the indoor pool at your local gym. If this isn’t already being highlighted in your marketing efforts, it’s time to reconsider.
How to Incorporate an Answers-Based Strategy into Your Marketing Efforts
Once you find the most commonly asked questions about your multi-location business by using the tactics above, you can begin incorporating the answers into your localized marketing strategy. To start, pick the top three or five questions, and determine how to incorporate them into your marketing efforts. The key here is to get creative! Is there a fun video your business can create answering the most frequently asked questions? While creativity is essential, it’s also critical for your business to share this information on as many channels as possible. The more opportunities a potential customer has to find crucial information about your business, the better.
Don’t let the stress of managing your localized marketing efforts across all of your business locations prevent you from dominating the competition.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Darcy Bickham
Darcy Bickham is a graduate from Texas A&M University and has worked in education related fields for the past four years. Over the years she has developed experience writing on a variety of topics including business, local politics, transportation, and both primary and higher education.