Why Spartanburg? Why Local?

It's no secret that our favorite brands here at A-LINE are those that are homegrown in Spartanburg. When we made the decision to move our headquarters, one of the largest deciding factors was that we felt some of our best clients would prefer partnering with a marketing firm that was just a little closer to their own backyards.

Our gut was right! Our list of Spartanburg customers has grown by leaps and bounds since we made the move including developing new sites and strategies for the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, Bob's Carwash and Bella Vision – to name a few.

When advising our clients, we repeatedly talk about the importance of Local SEO and targeted interactive marketing. We've seen, firsthand, the impact a solid website and social media presence can make to help attract local audiences, develop solid leads and create lasting customer relationships. Research proves that 88% of consumers who search for a local business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours, and seven out of ten consumers are more likely to use a local business if it has information on a social media site. And we want to make sure Spartanburg organizations benefit from these platforms, growing not only their own businesses, but the city as a whole.

So we couldn't have gotten more excited when we stumbled across a new research study from May 2014, in which consumers estimated the amount of time they were willing to drive in order to support a local business.

Maximum time: 23 minutes (for a bridal store) and minimum time: 12 minutes (for a gym or yoga studio.) You can see the complete list of 13 business categories and driving distances below.

Driving Times to Local Businesses Infographic
This graphic is from www.brightlocal.com.

This doesn't just mean our decision to move to Spartanburg was the right one. Most importantly, it reveals that if you want to attract Upstate-area customers to your own business, interactive marketing tools including Google+ Local profiles, Facebook, LinkedIn and business directory sites have never been more important.

If you have a new customer driving 20 minutes to visit a brick and mortar retail store, you better make sure that they've got the right address on Google Maps. And if your website doesn't prominently display your phone number, hours of operation and physical address, you better believe that one of your local competitors does.

Too often local businesses buy into the false idea that their presence on the World Wide Web doesn't really matter. They believe that customers are their direct neighbors who walk or drive by their storefronts on a daily basis. Wrong. We now have the research to prove that you have the potential to build a strong clientele base from all around the Upstate. Now, jump in and do it.

Convinced that your local marketing could use some help? Contact A-LINE today and we'll help you figure out the first steps in building an interactive presence that stands out among local audiences in Spartanburg (and all households 23 minutes from your location.)

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