Network with other local businesses

“Make friends with the locals,” as they say. One of the best ways to increase traffic to your small business is to get friendly with others. Spend some time visiting local shops you might be interested in working with. Cross-promotion can be a highly effective way to increase traffic to your social media accounts, website, and online store. So, ask your new friends to share your business with their customers on social media, and offer to do the same for them.

Build a positive digital reputation

More than 90% of buyers read online reviews to help them make a decision about purchasing a product. Luckily, Index makes it simple to request reviews and referrals to increase your star rating. Try creating personalized Templates with your business logo included. Then, send them out to satisfied customers with just a few taps. Pro tip: including a special offer or discounted service rate in exchange for their review can help improve your response rate.

Understand local SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) can be really complicated. But fortunately there are a few very simple things you can do to make SEO work for you—you just need to make a few updates to your existing Google My Business page. Use this simple checklist to get your business listing optimized and help more customers find you online.

1. Complete your Google My Business profile
2. Verify your business location
3. Keep your business hours up-to-date
4. Reply to reviews in a timely manner
5. Include high-resolution photos

Create business cards to leave lasting impressions

It’s an old-school, tried-and-true tactic and it still works today. Consider using a company like Vistaprint or Staples to create affordable, high-quality business cards. Then distribute them far and wide. There are tons of places to leave your business cards—with satisfied customers, on the bulletin boards of coffee shops and other local businesses, at malls and food courts, around local college campuses—just make sure you get permission beforehand.

With luck, if you follow these steps you’ll be a local legend before long. Building good relationships with your local customers and fellow business owners will go a long way, and tools like Index make it easy to keep the conversation going. Give it a try today, and good luck.