How to Promote Your Business in New York City
New York City is a hub of economic opportunity with a population of 8.6 million and a larger metropolitan area of 25 million. A strong economy, infrastructure, diverse workforce, and innovative culture make it one of the world's best business capitals.
At the turn of the 20th century, New York became what it is today: a city with a reputation that precedes itself. There's a reason Frank Sinatra's iconic song about the big Apple goes: "If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere."
But we know stiff competition follows hot on the heels of opportunity, so we've put together this blog to help small businesses stand out in a saturated market.
We'll discuss how to promote your business in New York City, from digital marketing to traditional advertising. So, if you're looking for more customers in the city that never sleeps, here are some helpful tips!
General Marketing Strategies for Small Business Owners in NY
A business owner with the right marketing strategy and knowledge of the best tactics can successfully promote their business in New York City. For starters, you’ll want to do the following:
Research Your New York Market
Understanding the distinct neighborhoods in New York City is essential to creating an effective online marketing strategy. Each borough has a unique culture, aura, vibe, and prospective customers. For example, a studio executive in Manhattan is unlikely to be interested in social media posts about a new business in the Bronx.
Similarly, someone in Staten Island will rarely travel to Brooklyn for coffee. By honing in on specific areas, you ensure your marketing initiatives reach the desired demographic – those most likely to be interested in your product or service. Thus, concentrating on particular neighborhoods will allow you to create a more targeted and successful online marketing strategy.
Establish a Brand Identity
Creating a brand identity is essential to differentiate yourself from your competitors, establish yourself in the market, and earn customer loyalty.
- Define your values: Your company’s mission and vision should be the foundation of your brand identity. Invest the time to define what makes your business unique and what you strive to achieve.
- Research your competitors in New York state: Familiarize yourself with what other businesses are doing. Analyze their local story, logos, hues, taglines, online presence, and communication. Observe what is successful and what is not to help guide your brand’s choices.
- Develop your visual identity: Your brand’s visual identity should be composed of a logo, a set of colors, a typeface, and any other graphical elements representing your company’s unique identity.
- Create a voice: Consider how you want to communicate with your audience. What tone and language do you wish to use on your website, marketing content, and social media pages? Always ensure all messaging is cohesive and reflects your brand’s values.
Create Local Awareness
Once you have determined your brand identity, you must sell it to potential customers. There are various ways to generate excitement and interest in your business.
- Create a localized online presence: Create a website, blog, and social media presence for your business and integrate local keywords into your content. Register a Google Business profile to promote your business further online.
- Participate in local events: Go to local networking events, sign up for volunteer events, and join meetups in your area to market your products and services.
- Get involved in the community: Show your business’s commitment to the local area by sponsoring a local event or participating in a community project.
- Use local advertising: Advertise your business in local newspapers, radio stations, and TV networks to reach more people.
- Offer discounts and discounts: Provide discounts to entice residents to try your business.
Target Specific NYC Locations
From the bright lights of Broadway to the stunning views from the Empire State Building, there’s something for everyone in the Big Apple. It is a city of endless possibilities. With its vibrant culture, diverse neighborhoods, and endless entertainment, New York is a truly remarkable place to have a business.
To reach new customers, you must create specific ad copy for each borough (provided you are interested in advertising in these spaces). Local SEO is an effective way to target people in a particular area. Optimize your website for local keywords to ensure that people searching for the services or products you offer in that region can find your business.
Additionally, use local directories and review sites like Yelp or Google My Business to maximize your visibility and maximize customer engagement. Create content for the geographical area, such as local events and local stories, and develop social media campaigns that focus on specific areas. Doing so will give you the best chance of reaching and engaging customers in New York.
Partner With Local Businesses in NYC
Partnering with a local business in New York can be a great way to boost your marketing efforts. It increases visibility, creates good relationships with local customers, and builds brand awareness within your local community.
For example, if you’re a divorce lawyer in New York, you might partner with a local therapist; if you’re a cleaning service, you might partner up with a repair company; if you’re a shipping company or a roofing company, you might work with a packing business, and so on. Collaborating like this increases referrals and makes your business more reliable in customers’ eyes.
Offline Marketing Strategy Tips for New York Businesses
Is investing in offline marketing worth it if you want to promote your business in a specific location?
Offline marketing is still a fantastic way to reach your customers, especially in a city like New York, where street culture is so vibrant. Think about creating physical materials such as business cards, flyers, and billboards.
Is offline marketing worth it? Well, the average ROI for billboard advertising is about 497%! Now think Times Square and all the metro stations in the Big Apple – endless opportunities exist.
Print Business Cards
Business cards remain a valuable asset for businesses in today’s market, as they are a physical reminder of your company’s services and are an effective way to leave a lasting impression on potential customers. Additionally, they are inexpensive to print, cost about $0.68 and provide a quick and convenient way to share your business’s contact details with others.
Create Merchandise
Merchandising can be a great way to increase brand awareness and spread your message. When choosing items to merchandise, there are plenty of options, such as keyrings, laptop stickers, notebooks, hoodies, t-shirts, and pens.
Depending on your business, consider partnering with a professional to help you make the most of your merchandising strategy. A great example is BCCO NYC which offers same-day t-shirt printing with no minimum order requirements.
Advertise on New York City Billboards
Around 80% of American consumers observed a billboard advertisement, making it the OOH (Out-of-Home) advertising type with the broadest reach in the U.S. Outdoor advertising can be seen everywhere in New York City. Billboard advertising, retail window displays, and outdoor signs of various kinds can get you millions of impressions.
The cost of billboard advertising in New York varies from $3,000 to $20,000 per month – rentals are mostly quoted on a 4-week as opposed to 1 month. The highways and expressways connecting New York City’s five boroughs are most visible.
Create an NYC Local TV Ad
A captivating television commercial can successfully target a large viewership. This approach allows you to showcase your product or service creatively and can also be used to promote your brand through social media platforms.
Producing a 30-second commercial in New York could be as little as $1,500 – $3,500, while a high-production commercial can venture anywhere from 20k to 30k. The cost of producing a TV commercial ultimately depends on your needs and wants.
Create Even More Local Ads for New York’s Newspapers and Radio!
As far as newspapers go, it costs between $28 – $1000+ for a column inch of black and white advertising space in the paper. On the other hand, 30-second radio spots cost roughly $1,000.
Notable radio stations and newspapers to advertise on include, but aren’t limited to:
- Radio stations: Z100, Hot 97, Q104.3, Power 105.1, and WNYC.
- Newspapers: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Daily News, and the New York Observer.
Both radio and newspaper ads can be used to build brand awareness and reach customers unfamiliar with your business.
Sponsor a Local Event in New York City
You can increase brand recognition through the event itself, advertisements, media coverage, and speaking opportunities by sponsoring events. Furthermore, you will have access to a crowd of potential customers.
Time Out and Events Eye are good resources to get a feel for the types of events your local business might be interested in sponsoring. Providing a ballpark cost is challenging, as every event and sponsorship involvement differs.
Attend NYC Trade Shows
Attending trade shows is one of many low-cost ways to market your business, as you can showcase your products and services directly to potential customers. Trade shows are also beneficial as they provide a platform to network with other companies in your field, form new relationships, and stay updated on the latest industry trends and news.
Some well-known trade shows in New York City include The International Contemporary Furniture Fair, National Stationery Show, New York International Gift Fair, New York Comic Con, The International Automobile Show, International Jewelry & Watch Show, The National Retail Federation’s Big Show, and the International Beauty Show.
Organize Master Classes, Workshops, Seminars, and Other Events in NYC
Hosting a seminar can direct your audience toward your products or services. This allows you to customize the presentation to reach your target market best. Seminars can be an effective way to generate buzz and publicity for your business.
By hosting workshops, seminars, or master classes, you can demonstrate your expertise and win your audience’s confidence. Moreover, these activities can help you generate leads, compile an email list, and even increase sales.
Online Marketing Tips for New York Businesses
With more and more people spending an average of 3 hours and 15 minutes per day on their phones shopping, Googling, and using social media, traditional marketing is insufficient to remain competitive. Leveraging online marketing tactics is essential to maintain a competitive edge.
We suggest incorporating these strategies into your marketing plan:
Engage in PPC for New York Companies
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) is beneficial for businesses because it’s cost-effective. Advertisers can target specific audiences and only pay when someone clicks on their ad. This ensures that they are getting the most out of their advertising budget, as they can reach the people who are most likely to be interested in their product or service.
Businesses can maximize their return on investment by including area words such as “New York,” “Brooklyn,” “Manhattan,” “The Bronx,” “Staten Island,” and “Downtown New York” in their keywords to ensure their ads reach users searching from those locations.
Pay Attention to NYC Local SEO
Businesses that don’t have a local search engine optimization (SEO) strategy miss out on valuable online traffic. Rankings and conversions are closely related, so having a local SEO strategy can be vital to gaining conversions. Your competition isn’t necessarily the businesses next door but those who appear first on Google search results!’
Local SEO is an essential tool for companies with physical locations or services in a particular geographic area. It can help them become more visible in local search results on Google, which is important because 50% of all Google searches seek local products and services.
Set Up a Google My Business Profile
Google My Business (GMB) is a free web tool designed to help local businesses appear higher in the search results of relevant local searches on Google. By optimizing your business listing and page, you can increase online visibility and stand out from your competition in your local area.
A strong presence in Google Search allows customers to discover and interact with the business. Many people begin their customer journeys on search engines. Therefore, a local Google presence is key to ensuring your business is found when nearby customers search for your products or services.
Register for Local NYC Directories
81% of shoppers search online before visiting a store, making local directory listings a valuable tool for increasing the chances of customers finding your business. These listings have an essential impact on rankings, revenue, customer engagement, and reputation, and they also help to bring more people to your business.
The choice of directories for your business depends on your needs. Popular guides include Yelp, Yellowpages, Superpages Citysearch, Angieslist, MerchantCircle 7, Thumbtack, Insider Pages, Manta, Kudzu, and even Facebook.
You can always hire a digital marketing agency if you are not confident in managing your business marketing. Such agencies have the appropriate tools, resources, and knowledge to help ensure your business is booming.
Be on Top of Your New York Marketing Game
Marketing aims to increase your business’s ROI by promoting its offerings. Utilizing well-planned marketing campaigns can help your small business reach its maximum potential and grow efficiently in New York.
At Comrade Digital Marketing Agency, we are committed to helping small business owners across all industries reach their goals. Our comprehensive marketing agency utilizes the newest techniques and technology to connect with your desired market and create more leads. If you are located in New York, our services can help your business thrive. Get in touch with us today for a free consultation!
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