Local SEO should be a top priority for any business with a physical location or defined service area. Showing up in the local pack on Google and appearing prominently in Google Maps can drive high-intent traffic and increase foot traffic or local service calls.
But local SEO doesn't exist in a vacuum. Other digital marketing strategies can (and should) support your SEO efforts!
One of the most effective and often underutilized of these is local email marketing. While it may not be as flashy as paid ads or social media, email marketing can both indirectly and directly support your SEO goals while building deeper relationships with your customer base.
In this article, we'll break down what local email marketing is, how it's different from traditional email marketing, and specific ways to use it to grow your business and boost your local SEO performance.
What Is Local Email Marketing?
Local email marketing refers to email campaigns that target a geographically specific audience, typically your existing local customer base or nearby prospects.
The goal is simple: stay top-of-mind with local customers, encourage repeat business, and generate actions that feed back into your local SEO performance, such as clicks, website visits, and reviews.
Local email marketing can include things like:
- Promotions or event announcements tied to your physical location.
- Updates on seasonal services or local availability.
- Requests for Google reviews from past customers.
- Location-specific newsletters or personalized offers.
What makes local email marketing powerful is its relevance and familiarity. You're not just another business sending generic promotions. Instead, you're a nearby business staying connected within the community!
Email Marketing for Local Businesses vs. Traditional Email Marketing
Traditional email marketing often focuses on broad, large-scale campaigns designed to reach a national or global audience. These emails may be automated, general, and built for scale.
On the other hand, local email marketing is more personal, targeted, and geographically relevant.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of a few key differences between local and traditional email marketing:
|
Traditional Email Marketing |
Local Email Marketing |
|
National/global lists |
Local customer segments |
|
General promotions |
Location-specific offers or events |
|
Broad messaging |
Personalized, often includes first names or references past purchases |
|
Focus on scale |
Focus on relationships and repeat business |
With a smaller, more defined list, your local email marketing campaigns can be highly relevant and highly effective, compared to mass-market traditional email campaigns that often go straight to junk or trash folders.
Local Email Marketing Tips for Businesses
Follow the steps below to launch or improve your local email marketing strategy.
1. Build and Maintain a Local Email List
Start with your existing customer base:
- Use sign-up forms on your website or at checkout (in-store or online).
- Collect emails during service appointments, bookings, or local events.
- Segment your list by location or past interactions so you can send more targeted messages.
2. Send Personalized Follow-Ups
After a purchase or service visit, send follow-up emails that:
- Thank the customer for their business.
- Offer a discount or other incentive for their next visit.
- Suggest related services or products.
- Request a Google review (more on this below).
Personalization builds brand loyalty and encourages repeat business.
3. Highlight Local Promotions and Events
Let subscribers know about:
- In-store sales or new product availability.
- Local pop-ups or other events your brand will be present at.
- Grand openings or new service area launches.
These emails create local engagement and help drive both foot traffic and website visits, which are a valuable signal for SEO.
4. Use Email to Ask for Reviews
One of the most powerful ways local email marketing supports SEO is by helping you collect Google reviews, a direct ranking factor in local search.
Send a follow-up email to satisfied customers with a simple ask, something like:
"Thanks for choosing [Your Business]! If you had a great experience, we'd love your feedback on Google. It helps other local customers find us."
Include a direct link to your Google Business Profile review page to make it easy.
5. Encourage Referrals and Word of Mouth
Local email campaigns are also a great way to:
- Announce referral programs.
- Encourage social shares.
- Offer "bring a friend" deals.
This boosts brand mentions, click-throughs, and online engagement—all of which support your overall SEO presence.
How Does Local Email Marketing Support Local SEO?
While email itself isn't a local ranking factor, many of the actions it drives can significantly impact your local SEO.
1. Generates Repeat Traffic to Your Website
Email campaigns that link back to your site can boost direct and referral traffic, which is especially valuable for new blog posts, landing pages, or local service pages.
2. Encourages Reviews
Asking for reviews via email is one of the most effective ways to grow your review profile. Reviews help improve:
- Your local pack rankings.
- Click-through rates from search.
- Trust and conversion rates.
Keep in mind that even if you have a lot of reviews on Google with a high average review score, it's still important to keep a steady flow of reviews coming in to keep your review recency score high, which is something Google factors into its local search rankings.
3. Increases Local Brand Mentions and Engagement
Promoting local events, deals, or even blog posts or other resources via email can lead to more shares, local buzz, and user-generated content, all helpful for SEO.
4. Improves Customer Retention and Lifetime Value
Repeat business means more engagement over time, more chances to leave reviews, and more local SEO signals (such as branded search queries and check-ins).
Final Thoughts
Local email marketing is a cost-effective, high-return local marketing strategy that not only keeps your business connected to your community, but also supports your local SEO.
Building and nurturing your local email list, sending relevant and personalized messages, and encouraging review and referral actions help boost your visibility, improve your search rankings, and, most importantly, grow your business.
So, don't treat email and SEO as separate silos. When used together, they create a powerful marketing flywheel that keeps your business top-of-mind and top-of-search in your local market!
