Local business advertising: options by cost and by speed
For a local business, the useful question about any advertising is how many people it brings through the door and how soon. Free listings help people find you, paid ads build awareness over weeks, and a time-limited offer to people nearby brings people in today.
Free: be findable
Claim and complete your Google Business Profile, Apple Maps listing and Yelp page. Keep hours, photos and your main products current, and answer reviews. This costs nothing and is where many people check you before they come.
Paid: search and social ads
Search ads reach people looking for what you sell; social ads reach people near you who were not looking. Both charge per click or per view, both need a budget over weeks to work, and both leave you to work out which visits they caused.
Community and print
Local events, school and team sponsorships, flyers and mailers reach your neighborhood and build familiarity. They are slower to plan and harder to measure, but they suit businesses that rely on repeat local customers.
Same-day: deals to people nearby
When you have a quiet hour today, you need people who are close enough to come now. Beam lets a local business send a time-limited deal to people with the Beam app inside a radius it chooses: a coffee shop, a salon, a bar or a store. People claim the deal in the app and show a code at the counter, so every visit is counted.
A beam starts at $5 for up to a day, before referral discounts. The price depends on how many people it can reach and how long it runs, and it is shown before you launch. Radius is not charged for. Pricing and FAQ.
Choosing
- People cannot find you: fix the free listings first.
- People do not know you exist: social ads, community and print, over months.
- You have specific empty hours: a short offer to people nearby, in that hour.
Ideas to pair with any of these: small business promotion ideas.
See how Beam works for businesses
Questions
What is the cheapest way to advertise a local business?
Free listings: a complete Google Business Profile, Apple Maps and Yelp, kept current with hours and photos. After that, signs and offers to customers already in your shop cost little. For a specific quiet hour, Beam sends a time-limited deal to people nearby from $5 before referral discounts.
How do I advertise my business to people nearby?
With Beam, you write a time-limited deal, set a radius and a timer, and people with the Beam app inside the radius see it while it is live. They claim it and show a code at your counter.
More: Restaurant marketing ideas for slow nights · Bar promotion ideas that fill a slow night · Restaurant advertising: what each option is good for · How to increase restaurant sales without discounting · Small business promotion ideas that bring people in · Proximity marketing for local businesses · A Groupon alternative for local businesses · Businesses on Beam