print advertising Archives - Best Version Media Bringing People Together Tue, 29 Jul 2025 12:50:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3 https://www.bestversionmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/cropped-BVM_Logo_2023_Round_White-Background-Favicon-18-32x32.png print advertising Archives - Best Version Media 32 32 Double the Impact: How Print Ads Can Supercharge Your Digital Marketing Campaigns https://www.bestversionmedia.com/double-the-impact-how-print-ads-can-supercharge-your-digital-marketing-campaigns/ Tue, 29 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://www.bestversionmedia.com/?p=8099 The primary focus in most marketing campaigns has become effective digital advertising. However, print advertising, a medium often considered outdated, has proven to be a valuable resource when it comes to reinforcing digital marketing efforts. When used strategically, print ads can drive digital engagement, increase brand awareness and trust, and boost online conversions. No matter […]

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The primary focus in most marketing campaigns has become effective digital advertising. However, print advertising, a medium often considered outdated, has proven to be a valuable resource when it comes to reinforcing digital marketing efforts.

When used strategically, print ads can drive digital engagement, increase brand awareness and trust, and boost online conversions. No matter if you’re a local business or a national brand, combining print with digital helps reach a wider range of potential consumers across multiple touchpoints. 

The hybrid approach can prove particularly effective during times when visibility and brand recall are paramount, including when businesses are launching new campaigns, pushing promotions or during seasonal sales cycles.

Combining print with digital successfully requires a key focus on consumers and how they absorb information, trust content and act on marketing messages. Ultimately, an effective campaign can guide readers to online action, forming a powerful one-two marketing punch.

Here’s a closer look at the value that print advertising holds, why it is beneficial to combine print and digital, and how to implement a hybrid strategy that can help your business thrive.

The Continued Value of Print Advertising

While print has a stigma of being a thing of the past, it maintains several effective marketing benefits. Print advertising still offers long-term strategic value, and is a useful tool to enhance any marketing campaign thanks to several benefits, including:

  • Tangible brand presence – Whether it’s a direct mail postcard, a magazine or a brochure, print gives your brand a physical presence that digital can’t replicate. This allows for a deeper emotional connection and a lasting impression with consumers that helps them remember your brand. According to worldmetrics.org, 78% of consumers say they are more likely to recall a brand after receiving printed marketing materials.
  • Perceived legitimacy and less clutter – Having something featured in a print publication often carries greater weight than it being displayed on a digital platform. Print suggests stability, professionalism and investment, building trust and influencing purchasing decisions, particularly in service-based industries. Meanwhile, print ads can be more attention grabbing for potential consumers thanks to avoiding the barrage of ad messages, overloaded email inboxes and banner blindness that can occur online.
  • Longer lifespan – Customers may only see digital ads for a few seconds, whereas print materials often linger in homes, offices or waiting rooms for days, or even weeks. For example, worldmetrics.org notes that the average lifespan of a printed catalog is 2.5 months, often much longer than that of a digital ad. The extra exposure can help lead to campaign longevity and more impressions over time without additional spend. 
  • Local market penetration – Geotargeting has allowed digital ads to be placed in front of a hyperlocal audience as well, but being able to target a specific area remains a valuable benefit of print ads. Local newspapers, mailers and community magazines give businesses direct access to neighborhood audiences, often with minimal competition.
  • Complement to brand identity – Print can enhance your visual brand identity through rich textures, custom finishes and high-quality images. This contributes to a premium brand experience that can strongly resonate with consumers who value craftsmanship and authenticity.
  • Higher engagement from target demographics – Certain demographics, such as older adults and high-income professionals, still respond well to print advertising. Going exclusively digital with your marketing could mean missing out on valuable leads and loyal customers.

Between credibility, staying power and the ability to grab attention without the distractions that can surround viewing an ad online, print has proven that it remains a valuable part of a successful marketing strategy.

Why Print and Digital Work Better Together

While print still holds value, its greatest effectiveness often lies when paired alongside a company’s digital marketing efforts. Digital marketing is fast, measurable and scalable, but it is also crowded, as customers can easily scroll past many ads while browsing. Meanwhile, print retains tangible power that demands attention, often resulting in higher recall and emotional response.

Still, a well-designed print ad shouldn’t just be a standalone message, but rather a gateway to online interaction. Combined, these strategies can have several advantages, such as:

  • Higher engagement and website traffic – Print ads engage readers longer than digital ads, increasing the chance that they eventually could follow your call-to-action (CTA). In turn, those CTAs, which should be clearly labeled and easy to follow across all advertising platforms, can directly funnel potential customers to your website, landing pages or social media profiles.
  • Increased brand awareness, credibility and trust – Seeing your business at multiple touchpoints should increase brand recall for potential customers, particularly with consistent branding. This also can foster greater trust in a company, something particularly done through print ads. According to worldmetrics.org, 77% of consumers say physical materials like print make a brand seem more credible. Meanwhile, ZipDo notes that 70% of consumers still trust direct mail ads more than digital. 
  • Enhanced campaign reach and omnichannel engagement – Print allows businesses to reach additional demographics that might not actively engage with digital channels. A combined print and digital strategy taps into various customer preferences, allowing messaging to resonate with both tech-savvy users, and consumers who respond better to physical touchpoints.
  • Improved retargeting results – Print ads can ultimately serve as a precursor to retargeting through digital advertising. For example, direct mail recipients who later encounter your brand online could be more likely to convert. According to worldmetrics.org, 62% of direct mail recipients visit a company’s website after receiving print marketing.

Ultimately, the pairing of print and digital within an omnichannel marketing strategy should provide businesses with a cross-channel uplift. As noted by writersblocklive.com, businesses that combine direct mail and digital strategies see a 28% increase in conversion rates, and a 450% increase in response rates.

How to Combine Print and Digital Effectively

Combining print and digital entails more than just adding a flyer to the mix or creating a good design. Rather, it means integrating each campaign with each other to produce optimal results. To do this, marketers should:

1. Identify where a hybrid strategy works best

Businesses should identify the touchpoints where their customers go from awareness to action, and what spots along that journey are the best to use both print and digital. It’s important to figure out where a hybrid effort can best strengthen your marketing strategy to create the most efficient and cost-effective plan for your business.

2. Strategically implement QR codes or augmented reality (AR)

QR codes and AR – technology that overlays digital content onto the real world through smartphones, tablets or other devices – make it easy for print readers to act instantly, and have become increasingly popular thanks to touchless pandemic-driven trends. These codes can be placed on flyers, magazine ads or direct mail that leads users to product pages, sign-up forms, social media pages, event registrations, product videos, tutorials or an online store checkout page. Performance can be tracked through UTM parameters.

3. Leverage personalized URLs (PURLs)

PURLs are custom web addresses that are tailored to the recipient. They can be used within direct mail campaigns to deliver personalized data, capture lead data, track print effectiveness and trigger automated email sequences. Personalization also has a chance to further drive conversions, as 76% of consumers say that receiving personalized communications is a key factor in their consideration of purchasing from a brand, according to McKinsey & Company.

4. Align messaging across channels

Branding, messaging, headlines, visuals, promotional offers and CTAs should remain consistent across print and digital. This will help consumers connect the dots between the mailbox and their inbox, while reinforcing brand identity.

5. Incorporate social media through handles and hashtags

A company’s digital content can be easier to find through engagement on social media channels. Businesses should encourage print readers to connect with their brand online through social handles or campaign-specific hashtags. On the flip side, businesses can also feature social media reviews within print ads. This can showcase positive things customers are saying about your company that certain demographics might not see if they don’t use social media. It also displays your online presence to offline customers while increasing brand awareness and trust.

6. Use print for lead generation

Print ads can introduce a new audience to your brand before retargeting online, potentially boosting click-through rate (CTR) and conversions. Additionally, offering something of value on a print ad, such as an ebook, webinar or discount code, in return for email addresses or online sign-ups, can make for a dynamic lead generation tool.

How to Measure the Success of Print’s Digital Impact

Measuring results and adapting is key in any marketing campaign. Results derived from print ads alone can be hard to gauge, but their impact on digital can be measured in many ways, including:

  • Trackable links – Adding UTM parameters to URLs and QR codes in print ads can help track traffic sources, visits, conversions and behaviors in Google Analytics.
  • Dedicated landing pages – Creating print-exclusive landing pages can help track how many users came from a specific campaign.
  • Conversion analysis – Compare conversion rates of users exposed to both print and digital versus digital-only audiences.
  • A/B testing – Run controlled experiments to test the effectiveness of including a print element within an omnichannel campaign.

With the proper metrics in place, businesses can analyze the impact of combining print with their digital efforts and adjust to the most optimal plan based on the results.

Real-World Businesses That Excel While Combining Print With Digital

Nike

Nike is arguably the most recognizable athletic brand worldwide, and continues to grow thanks to strategically combining print and digital advertising efforts. Through the years, Nike has seamlessly integrated print catalogs, direct mail and in-store print ads with digital campaigns across social media, email and mobile apps.

Nike’s print materials often display QR codes or PURLs that drive customers to exclusive online content or shopping experiences. Personalization, combined with consistent branding across all platforms, encourages customer interaction at all touchpoints, and keeps Nike among the most popular brands worldwide.

One of Nike’s most recent strategies features AR triggers in print ads that unlock exclusive content like behind-the-scenes footage, athlete interviews and limited-edition product releases when scanned with the Nike app.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is another highly popular worldwide brand that continues to build through a combination of powerful marketing efforts. Coca-Cola has long utilized print through billboards, print ads and packaging, and recently, the company’s print efforts have supported digital campaigns and contests.

One of Coca-Cola’s most famous and successful campaigns through the years has been “Share a Coke,” featuring printed names on bottles. Coca-Cola enhanced the campaign in 2025, immersing digital into the strategy with on-pack QR codes that lead to the Share a Coke digital hub. There, fans are immersed in interactive experiences like customizing packaging with additional names or creating personalized videos.

Through this, Coca-Cola has created deeper emotional connections to its product while sparking greater online engagement and user-generated content.

IKEA

IKEA, a furniture retailer that originated in Sweden, has continued to grow through strategic marketing efforts, as it has expanded to over 60 countries, with over 50 locations in the United States. 

One of IKEA’s top marketing strategies has come through its furniture catalog, featuring scannable images that open with AR previews in its app. This not only maintained the appeal of print, but also drove users to digital platforms where they could conveniently make a purchase.

IKEA has implemented other clever marketing ideas in recent years, one being the “Soffa Sans” campaign. To help promote its customizable sofa range, IKEA created a print ad featuring its own font design based on sofas. Users were able to scan a QR code that downloaded the font, creating a fun experience to engage potential customers while sparking brand recall.

Best Version Media Can Help Manage Your Print and Digital Marketing Efforts

Best Version Media can help your business find success by managing a marketing strategy that effectively combines print and digital advertising efforts.

BVM has helped businesses increase visibility through print for nearly two decades with over 1,300 monthly publications across the United States and Canada. We also offer digital advertising solutions which generate over 300 million monthly impressions.

Connect with BVM today to find the omnichannel marketing strategy that best suits your business.

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5 Ways That Local Print Advertising Still Beats Digital https://www.bestversionmedia.com/5-ways-that-local-print-advertising-still-beats-digital/ Thu, 10 Jul 2025 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.bestversionmedia.com/?p=8063 Digital marketing has emerged as the leading method of advertising, pushing print marketing to the sidelines for many local businesses. According to research by Gartner, the average business now allocates just 28% of its marketing budget to traditional channels. While the shift is not surprising, it reflects the changes many companies have made with the […]

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Digital marketing has emerged as the leading method of advertising, pushing print marketing to the sidelines for many local businesses. According to research by Gartner, the average business now allocates just 28% of its marketing budget to traditional channels. While the shift is not surprising, it reflects the changes many companies have made with the increased accessibility and reach of online marketing. 

However, many local business owners may not realize that print advertising still plays a valuable role in successful marketing strategies. While digital ads certainly have their benefits, print advertising has several ways it can positively affect marketing efforts that digital methods simply can’t match. Some of these advantages are straightforward, while others are less obvious.

If you’re looking to take your advertising strategy to the next level, check out these five key ways that print marketing still outperforms digital methods.

1. Trustworthiness

Fostering a connection with the community is paramount for local businesses. Strong relationships can be powerful tools to enhance marketing efforts, but trust must be established before community members are willing to engage with a business. While digital advertisements are a great way to spread awareness far and wide, print marketing builds trust much more efficiently.

According to Electro IQ, 56% of consumers consider print marketing to be more trustworthy than any other type of advertisement. Several factors contribute to this perception, including the more personal nature of how print materials are distributed.

While the internet can reach nearly every demographic, print media is often consumed by specific, targeted groups of people. As a result, the ads feel more personal and relevant to the reader, which leads to more follow-through and action. Print ads also provide a sense of legitimacy to local businesses, increasing the attention and engagement with the advertisement.

2. Viewership

Building trust opens the door to greater ad engagement that digital media often can’t replicate. Marketing Dive found that only 9% of digital ads exceed one second of viewership and just 4% surpass two seconds.

In contrast, Marketing Week reports that 75% of readers view print ads for an average of 2.2 seconds. This longer engagement not only boosts retention but also provides more time to convey detailed information.

How this opportunity is used depends on the nature of the product or service and the intention of the ad. Including elements like business address, phone number, store hours and customer testimonials are just a few effective ways to maximize a print ad that not all digital ads can match.

3. Comprehension

It’s no surprise that people are more likely to engage with content they can easily comprehend. This is another area where print ads have a significant leg up over digital. A study by Two Sides North America found that, “Direct mail requires 21% less cognitive effort to process than digital media.”

This is important because readers are more likely to understand the information and intent of an ad, which helps maximize the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. When an ad is placed in a local magazine, every reader is valuable, and presenting easily digestible information can extend the ad’s impact.

This also leads to another key reason print marketing beats digital, and that’s stronger brand recall.

4. Brand Recall Rate

Before achieving the ultimate goal of making a sale, an advertisement must resonate with consumers enough to become memorable. After all, presenting a product or service that sparks interest is a critical step, but it becomes irrelevant if the consumer chooses to do business with a competitor.

This is another area where digital can’t keep up with print marketing. According to the study by Two Sides North America, consumers recalled the brand from a print ad at a rate 70% higher than from a digital ad. 

Several factors contribute to this advantage, perhaps none more impactful than the longevity of print. Per Linemark, consumers keep print ads for an average of 17 days. While digital ads may reach a broader audience, print ads tend to stick around longer and are more likely to be revisited after the initial impression.

5. Action

All of these factors show why print remains valuable, but it means nothing without the reader taking action and making a purchase. Fortunately, print ads still excel in that area as well. Southern California News Group revealed that print ads have a 20% higher response rate than digital ads.

This stems from all of the reasons previously discussed. A trustworthy, easy-to-understand ad leads to increased viewership and brand recognition, which ultimately results in readers becoming customers. 

Not only do print ads boast a higher response rate than digital, but they also generate a 112% return on investment, according to Neyenesch. At this point, the advantages of print are obvious, but that doesn’t mean a business should rely solely on physical ads to drive sales.

Combining Print With Digital

Print and digital marketing campaigns each have their areas in which they excel. That’s why implementing an advertising approach that uses both is essential to local business success. Neyenesch found that, “Campaigns that integrate print and digital see response rates increase by up to 400%.”

This boost is largely due to the common marketing principle known as the “Rule of 7,” which suggests that a potential customer needs to see a brand at least seven times before taking action. Combining print and digital is not only the fastest way to reach that goal, but it is also more effective.

While print tends to resonate more deeply with readers and offers higher brand recall, digital ads can appear more frequently and are easier to distribute. Together, they form the most powerful and well-rounded marketing strategy for any business.

How Best Version Media Can Fulfill Your Marketing Needs

Best Version Media offers local businesses a comprehensive marketing strategy through print, digital and online presence advertising solutions all from one easy-to-use dashboard. For nearly two decades, BVM has helped businesses grow within their communities and make the most of their marketing budgets.
Contact BVM today and start growing your business.

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The Ultimate Marketing Checklist for Local Businesses in 2025 https://www.bestversionmedia.com/the-ultimate-marketing-checklist-for-local-businesses-in-2025/ Mon, 30 Jun 2025 21:00:00 +0000 https://www.bestversionmedia.com/?p=8057 Local businesses looking to grow and compete in their markets must embrace a holistic marketing strategy that blends digital precisions with real-world presence. In order to thrive, this strategy needs to align with evolving consumer habits, digital tools and trends. The key to winning locally lies in showing up at all touchpoints where your customers […]

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Local businesses looking to grow and compete in their markets must embrace a holistic marketing strategy that blends digital precisions with real-world presence. In order to thrive, this strategy needs to align with evolving consumer habits, digital tools and trends.

The key to winning locally lies in showing up at all touchpoints where your customers are, both online and offline. Remaining relevant and standing out among competitors is perhaps more critical than ever before with consumer attention spread across multiple channels.

Here is the ultimate marketing checklist for local businesses in 2025, including actionable items and strategies that every company can implement in the digital, social media and print landscapes.

1. Determine Your Target Audience and Set Marketing Goals

Above anything else, determining the audience you want to target is the first step in any marketing strategy. From there, businesses should set their main marketing objectives. These processes can be done by:

  • Researching your target market through surveys, social media insights or existing customer data
  • Defining and analyzing local competitors and the strategies they’re using for success by visiting other businesses, talking to local consumers or analyzing Google Trends
  • Determining trends and patterns in customer demographics, behaviors and needs
  • Creating a marketing funnel that analyzes a customer’s journey from finding your business to making a purchase
  • Aligning your marketing goals with business objectives using criteria such as SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound
  • Prioritizing marketing goals that can have the most significant impact on your business and determining where you can set yourself apart

2. Verify and Optimize Your Google Business Profile

A customer’s first impression of a company often stems from viewing its Google Business Profile, or similar listing platforms such as Bing Places for Business. Optimizing each platform is important, but Google Business Profile should be a top priority as reveo.com states that 97% of users discover local businesses online, primarily through Google Business Profile.

Meanwhile, around 64% of consumers use a Google Business Profile to find contact details for a company. Those with a complete listing are 7x more likely to generate clicks. To optimize your Google Business Profile, businesses should: 

  • Simply claim and verify their profile
  • Ensure that listing items like business name, address and phone number (NAP) are accurate
  • Update things like hours, categories and services
  • Upload high-quality, up-to-date photos
  • Add booking, ordering or messaging features
  • Post updates with events, offers or product features

A complete Google Business Profile can be particularly beneficial when it comes to voice or mobile queries, as it may increase visibility in “near me” searches and on Google Maps. According to reveo.com, about 72% of searchers will visit a business that is within five miles of their location, further highlighting the importance of appearing near the top of local search results.

3. Optimize Your Website With Hyperlocal SEO Techniques

First and foremost, businesses should make sure they have a website that provides consumers with a seamless and positive experience. According to Forbes, 88% of users won’t return to a site after a bad experience, while 57% of users won’t recommend a business with a poorly-designed website. 

From there, fine-tuning the site with better SEO practices can help your business appear higher in search results. This can be done by:

  • Creating landing pages for each location or service area
  • Including keywords in meta descriptions, titles, headers and content
  • Embedding Google Maps on your contact page
  • Adding code to your website’s HTML that helps search engines better understand the content on your pages, also known as schema markup
  • Putting yourself in position to earn backlinks from other websites with quality and informative content like blog posts, tips or guides
  • Building citations in directories like Yelp, Bing Places and Apple Maps

Descriptive keywords can prove beneficial when it comes to appearing in search results. Rather than just “restaurants,” customers will often search for something more specific like, “best Italian restaurant in downtown Chicago open now.”

4. Prioritize Reputation Management

Reputation management involves actively monitoring and impacting how your business or brand is perceived in the digital space. By updating listings and tracking reviews, a company puts itself in a better position to be chosen by a customer. Businesses can enhance reputation management by:

  • Making sure all listing information is complete and accurate
  • Adding your business to more directories for additional visibility such as Yelp, Yellow Pages or chamber of commerce websites
  • Creating a review generation strategy through email, SMS or in-store signage
  • Setting up alerts to be made aware of new reviews
  • Responding promptly and professionally to all reviews, positive or negative
  • Promoting and encouraging reviews to customers on Google, Facebook or industry-specific platforms

Reputation management is one of the most significant parts of a company’s digital success. According to Bright Local, 89% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a business that responds to all reviews, positive and negative.

5. Engage Your Audience on Social Media

Social media remains one of the most powerful tools for enhancing the visibility of a business. Meta platforms Facebook and Instagram are two of the most popular social media hubs, as demandsage.com reports that Facebook has 2.11 billion active daily users globally, while Instagram has over 2 billion active monthly users. 

Overall, a strong social media presence can build trust, encourage word-of-mouth and promote community engagement. Businesses should optimize their social media marketing efforts by:

  • Choosing which platforms to utilize based on where your audience spends the most time, with Facebook ideal for community engagement, and Instagram best utilized for visual content, as well as timely, interactive posts that can engage followers
  • Optimizing bios with local keywords and calls-to-action (CTAs)
  • Linking your website and appointment pages 
  • Posting geo-targeted content with consistent branding
  • Sharing engaging content, such as behind-the-scenes stories, customer or employee profiles, product spotlights, seasonal promotions or tutorial videos
  • Using business-specific tools like Instagram Shopping or Facebook Events
  • Responding to all comments and direct messages
  • Joining local Facebook groups or forums
  • Running giveaways with other local businesses
  • Attempting to collaborate with neighborhood influencers or creators
  • Using local hashtags and location stickers

Most social media platforms provide tools for hyperlocal targeting, giving businesses opportunities to engage with potential consumers who are close by and might be ready to make a purchase. 

Also of note is the emergence of short-form video when it comes to social media marketing, with 73% of consumers using short-form videos when searching for new products or services, according to firework.com. Short-form interactive videos also have the potential to increase conversions by up to 80%.

6. Leverage Local Paid Digital Advertising

It’s important for businesses to do all they can to help potential consumers find them organically. However, paid advertising can prove to be one of the biggest drivers toward conversions for small and local businesses, particularly for those that are just starting out. No matter your budget, some form of digital advertising is crucial to drive foot traffic and website visits. Businesses should look to:

  • Create display ads on Google for increased visibility
  • Utilize Meta Ads through Facebook and Instagram, platforms that are both beneficial for geotargeting
  • Take advantage of promoted posts on platforms like Yelp or Nextdoor
  • Retarget potential consumers who have visited your website with local offers
  • Promote events, flash sales or holiday-specific campaigns

Google Ads and Meta Ads dominate the landscape. Google Ads are present on Google Display Network, featuring a group of over 2 million websites, videos and apps that reach about 90% of internet users worldwide. 

Meanwhile, 74% of consumers claim to use Meta’s platforms to discover brands or products online. Pairing a strong ad campaign strategy with a quality online presence and strong social media engagement can be a game-changer for businesses when it comes to increasing conversions.

7. Combine Print Advertising With Digital Efforts

Digital advertising will often be the top focus for many businesses in this day in age, but print advertising still holds significant value, especially when targeting a local audience. To drive foot traffic and keep their brand top of mind through print, businesses should:

  • Print and display branded business cards, flyers and postcards, and distribute them locally
  • Keep signage visible and updated through items like banners or window decals
  • Advertise in neighborhood newsletters, magazines or newspapers
  • Use direct mail campaigns targeting specific neighborhoods
  • Include QR codes that link to your website, social media platforms or Google review page
  • Partner with neighboring businesses for cross-promotion
  • Sponsor local sports teams or community programs
  • Offer “mention this ad” discounts on direct mail advertisements

According to Office Dasher, print ads still have a higher recall rate compared to digital ads, while 82% of consumers still trust print ads the most when making a purchasing decision. Print and digital advertising efforts don’t necessarily need to be equal when it comes to advertising budget. However, they should complement each other while creating greater brand visibility and targeting customers at multiple touchpoints.

8. Build and Nurture a Local Email List

Turning back to digital, email remains one of the greatest tools to reach consumers and increase customer retention. That makes building and utilizing a local email list of potential consumers and existing customers important. This can be done through:

  • Collecting emails via in-store prompts, website pop ups or events
  • Segmenting the list by customer interest or location
  • Sending newsletters with local updates, promotions and loyalty rewards
  • Utilizing tools that help businesses build, manage and automate email lists while tracking performance
  • Testing different versions of your email campaigns to see what works best, and analyzing results
  • Introducing loyalty or rewards programs to further grow your customer base and encourage repeat purchases 

One of the best strategies for email campaigns involves personalization. Tailoring a message to specific customers or audiences creates a higher likelihood of that message being opened. Adobe for Business notes that emails with a personalized subject line have a 20% higher open rate than those with generic subject lines. Personalized emails have also produced a 139% increase in click rate.

9. Implement Mobile-Friendly, Localized Website Features

The frequency of consumers finding businesses and purchasing from them through mobile continues to increase, as 76% of adults in the United States use a smartphone to shop or buy online, with over 30% doing so on a weekly basis, according to Capital One Shopping

While it is important to ensure things are optimized across all platforms, there are some specific items that businesses should prioritize to give themselves a better chance of converting mobile users, including:

  • Ensuring a responsive and fast loading design
  • Adding click-to-call and map integration
  • Using customer testimonials from local patrons
  • Displaying key information like hours, address and offers prominently on their home page
  • Using live chat or AI bots for real-time assistance

As mentioned when optimizing your Google Business Profile, “near me” searches are commonplace for mobile users. After appearing in these searches, it is important the steps above are implemented to keep potential customers around and interested in your product or service.

10. Sponsor and Participate In Community Events

Once a balance is struck between digital, print and social media strategies, businesses can also look to increase visibility through some extra steps, such as getting involved in community outings by:

  • Sponsoring school events and fundraisers
  • Setting up booths at local markets or festivals
  • Hosting workshops and classes that are relevant to your business
  • Partnering with other local businesses on collaborative events

Doing these things further strengthens your brand and may also encourage greater word-of-mouth promotion. In addition, it gives businesses a trusted image within the community, likely translating to increased loyalty and customer retention.

11. Embrace AI and Automation Tools

It’s no secret that AI has continued to play a greater role within the business world in recent years. Businesses don’t need to completely rely on AI when implementing a marketing strategy, but it is worth exploring the benefits it can provide, including:

  • Content creation for things like blog posts or ad copy
  • Automation of email sequences and appointment reminders
  • Providing chatbots to handle real-time FAQs
  • Helping leverage analytics for future campaign planning

Being able to hand off smaller and perhaps time-consuming details to AI allows businesses to focus greater resources on more significant parts of their marketing strategy, a benefit that can help foster growth.

12. Analyze Performance and Adjust Strategy

Any marketing strategy requires data analysis. This allows businesses to see what is working and what is not, and what they can potentially do to adjust or further optimize their marketing plan. Some key ways to track performance include:

  • Setting up your business on Google Analytics with location-based goals
  • Tracking Google Business Profile insights
  • Using UTM parameters to track effectiveness of individual campaigns
  • Discovering top performing keywords and adjusting content based on results
  • Scheduling regular reviews to adjust tactics and strategies
  • Analyzing unique visitors, page views, bounce rates and session duration on your website
  • Measuring cost-per-lead (CPL) and conversion rates within your marketing funnel
  • Tracking open rates, click-through rates (CTRs) and unsubscribes in email campaigns
  • Monitoring likes, comments, follows, shares and engagement rates on social media platforms
  • Evaluating ad performance through metrics like cost-per-click (CPC) and CTRs

Once these metrics are analyzed, businesses can adapt their marketing strategy accordingly in order to put themselves in the best position for continued growth.

How Best Version Media Can Help Achieve Your Marketing Goals

Best Version Media can help guide your business through several parts of this checklist and enhance your overall marketing strategy through management of your digital and print advertising solutions. Manage your listings and reviews from one convenient dashboard, reach potential customers through geo-targeted display and social media ads, and enter local homes within our neighborhood print publications.

Connect with BVM today to help grow your business through a convenient and effective local marketing strategy.

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