Local Ads: how to generate more traffic in-store?

Adapting to a constantly changing environment

For several years now, we have been witnessing an exponential growth of e-commerce. This has a direct impact on traffic in stores and the frequency rate of franchises.

This change in consumer habits reflects a reality that every franchise network must face: the digitalization of the customer buying journey.

So we asked ourselves the question:

How to fight against this exponential rise and how to generate more traffic in stores? And above all, what is the most effective way to gain visibility?

According to the latest studies we have conducted, 85% of consumers research online before making a physical purchase. You can choose to intervene in this cycle tomorrow by using local Google Ads campaigns to generate more traffic in-store.

In this article, we will see together why use local Google Ads campaigns and how to use them for your franchise network.

• What is a Google Ads local campaign?
• Why use Google Ads local campaigns?
• How to improve your local visibility via Google Ads?
• Get started now!

What is a Google Ads local campaign? 

Google Ads local campaigns allow your business to communicate to your potential customers all the necessary information to visit your points of sale.

The objective of these paid campaigns is to generate traffic in yourphysical points of sale. They are part of a Drive-to-Store digital strategy.

Unlike organic results, that is, natural ones, local campaigns appear in the first position in search results, and attract engaged prospects in their buying journey.

These campaigns work through business listings (Google Business Profile) and automatically broadcast your ads on the search network, Display Network, Google Maps, YouTube, and Gmail on mobile, using Google's algorithm to optimize your performance. Targeting by radius around the point of sale allows you to target users close to you using their location.

Why use Google Ads local campaigns? 

More than 80% of consumers research online before visiting a physical store

(Ifop, 2022)

In just a few clicks, users can obtain all the information they need to choose, or not, to visit one of your establishments: opening hours, address, phone number, customer reviews…

 👉 Appearing in the top results is therefore crucial for a business.

In a few figures:  

• 86% of consumers use Google Maps to find a business location (Hubspot, 2022).
• 70% of consumers visit a store after finding information online (FEVAD, 2021).
• 66% of queries come from a mobile device - smartphone, tablet (Semrush, 2021)

It is therefore important to optimize your online presence to differentiate yourself from your competitors and generate in-store traffic. And one of the best ways to improve the local visibility of your points of sale is to use local Google Ads campaigns.

Here are the 4 main reasons to use Google Ads local campaigns:

1. Targeting: thanks to Google's "machine learning", the algorithm displays the right message to the right person, at the right place and at the right time. By targeting precise keywords and a precise location, local campaigns allow you to reach a highly qualified audience.
2. Customer experience: the information is easily accessible (store name, description, opening hours…). The number and quality of reviews also help reassure consumers and encourage them to take action.
3. Proximity: knowing that a business sells nearby what they are looking for online increases the likelihood that the consumer will visit a physical store, especially in the case of an urgent purchase. But it also increases online purchases through the brand's e-commerce options, reassuring them about the possibility of returns or exchanges.
4. Automation: campaigns are largely automated and require only a little time, allowing you to focus on your core business.

In short, local Google Ads campaigns are effective solutions for generating qualified local traffic in stores!However, they require time and some expertise when preparing resources (visuals, video, keywords, titles and descriptions.)

How to improve your local visibility via Google Ads? 

First of all, how to design your Google Local Ads campaigns?

To start a Google Local Ads campaign, you have several strategies that we will briefly outline.

1. Outsource all your Google Ads campaigns to a specialized agency
2. Build your campaigns with the help of Google Ads campaign experts
3. Create your own Google Ads campaigns

Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages: 

• For the first option, by entrusting your campaign to experts, you won't waste time on design. However, a comprehensive service comes at a cost.
• Regarding the second option, you retain control over the design of your campaign while having the help of experts.
• Finally, for the last option, you have total control and can move forward by conducting your own tests. However, if you don't have experience, you'll spend more time creating different resources (keywords, titles, descriptions, visuals, and video) and spend more on tests.

Want to know more about designing Google Ads local campaigns? Check out our article on the subject! Read our article “The benefits of Google local campaigns”

The key points of your campaigns : targeting, audience and content

In 2021, 56% of European web traffic is on mobile (Hubspot - 2021). On average, 1 in 2 users use Google searches as a source of inspiration to buy a new product (Statista - 2021).

Therefore, positioning yourself in this type of search seems quite relevant if the goal is then to generate traffic in-store. By intervening in this loop, you can attract potential customers during events, offers, or promotions in your stores.

The key will be to have relevant Google Ads local campaigns in order to differentiate yourself from your local competitors, but also from your online competitors. This requires good targeting!

Targeting occurs at multiple levels: 

• Keyword selection: the keywords used in your campaigns must be relevant to your local audiences, especially when it comes to highlighting seasonal promotions, such as Easter eggs.
  
• The radius around the Google My Business listing (Google Business Profile): set the radius around the point of sale in which you want to reach potential customers.

Be careful, if your franchise is located in an urban area, recommend that your franchisees respect a certain radius (determined upstream by the network head) in order not to compete with each other, and spend more marketing budget.

• Visuals : prepare different visual variants, in the indicated formats. Google optimizes the campaign based on recorded results.

In summary, get started now!

The goal of Google Ads local campaigns will be to allow you to generate traffic to your physical points of sale.

Google Ads local campaigns in 3 key points: 

• Promoting local offers and events to a geographically qualified audience
• Detailed information about the establishment and location.
• Multichannel distribution: Search, Display, Maps, and YouTube

Given their scope and profitability, local Google Ads campaigns are a must have for retail chain marketing strategies. Local Ads will be one of your best tools to compete with e-commerce specialized retailers.

Vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur comment mettre en place des campagnes locales Google Ads pour un réseau de franchise ? Contactez-nous ! ⬇️

Contact us 🚀

You can start a campaign right now with the advice we've given you, while refining it as you go. 

Sources: Statista, Hubspot, Google Ads