Outdoor Advertising

Billboards and Bus Shelters

Outdoor advertising on billboards and bus shelters in Herne Bay is mainly managed by these two companies (depends on location):

• Clear Channel - http://www.clearchanneldirect.co.uk/locations/south-east/kent/
• JC Deaux - http://www.jcdecaux.co.uk

You may have seen large maps - or community borough maps with adverts on, displayed at various locations around the town. E.g. the one outside Co-op in Sea Street, or the one on the wall by Iceland.  

These maps of Herne Bay are produced by UK Town Maps in partnership with Canterbury Council. - http://uktownmaps.co.uk/map-of-canterbury.php

To advertise, contact UK Town Maps - http://uktownmaps.co.uk/contact.php

Roundabouts & Traffic Site Sponsorship

To have your sign/advert on a roundabout or local traffic site contact Marketing Force, who work in partnership Kent County Council's Commercial Services to manage and operate the delivery of its roundabout sponsorship programme.

https://www.marketingforce.co.uk/canterbury.html

Radio

Radio Cabin is Herne Bay’s community radio station and they accept ads for on-air broadcast - http://www.radiocabin.co.uk/
Ideal if your potential customers/target market are in Herne Bay.

Other local radio that accept ads...

• KMFM - http://www.kmfm.co.uk/
• Heart FM - http://www.heart.co.uk/kent/

Cinema

The Kavanagh Cinema is an independent cinema in Herne Bay.  http://kavanaghcinema.com

They run local advertisements before films start.  To advertise contact Pearl and Dean - http://business.pearlanddean.com

Community Organisations in Herne Bay

Herne Bay has a few local community organisations that help organise events and promote local businesses.

Over recent years Herne Bay Promo Team have organised some large scale events such as the Airshow, Sci-Fi by the Sea and the Zombie Crawl event.  These events attract thousands of visitors to the town. Sponsorship of these events could be the ideal way of promoting your business. http://baypromoteam.co.uk

Herne Bay Town Partners - http://www.hernebaytp.co.uk

Herne Bay Festival - http://www.hernebayfestival.com

Bay Guide - http://bayguide.co.uk

Herne Bay Coastal Community Team - https://hernebaycoastalcommunityteam.org/

Business Networking Groups in Herne Bay

Attending physical networking events can help you meet with other local business owners. This will help spread the word about you and your business within the local business community. These groups are local to Herne Bay.

• http://www.activebusinessgroup.co.uk
• http://hernebaywhitstable.co.uk
• https://www.bobclubs.com/Club/whitstable-herne-bay

Local Deals / Discounts

Bay Card and the Whit Card. 
Discount card scheme that was set up in 2009 by Herne Bay Town Centre Management. http://www.hernebaytp.co.uk
Bay Card scheme re-launched - http://www.baycard.co.uk/

Herne Bay Local Deals
Promote your special offer and deals on this website.  http://www.hernebaylocal.co.uk

Charities

Donating to a local charity is a great way to promote your business as socially aware and become part of the local community.  Some charities will include you and your business in their marketing materials if you support them. This can result in some great press coverage for your business.

There are lots of ways of donating to a charity and it doesn't always need to be with cold hard cash.  You could donate your time by volunteering at a local charity, or if you have staff, donate some of their time.  Alternatively you could select a charity as your business's nominated charity for the year and have your employees run fundraising activities for them.  Perhaps you could put one of the charity’s donation boxes in your premises.

If the local community has shown its support to you, by spending its hard-earned money on your products and services, then giving back to the community is a fantastic way of reinvesting and showing your community that you care.  This can win you some serious brownie points and karma.

Some suggested local Herne Bay charities who would really appreciate donations...

• Canterbury District Citizens Advice - Helps people with their problems - https://citizensadvicecanterbury.org.uk
• Strode Park - care services for children and adults with disabilities - https://www.strodepark.org.uk
• Herne Bay Umbrella - http://www.hernebayumbrella.btck.co.uk/
• Retreat into Wonderland - https://www.retreatintowonderland.com/

Shop Windows / Noticeboards / Screens

Obviously this form of advertising is not suitable for all businesses and is probably more suitable for advertising trades people or local events.

Some of the shops in Herne Bay allow you to put notices up in their shop windows - some for free.  Try speaking with your local newsagent or coffee shop owner.

Natwest Bank in Herne Bay has a noticeboard that has business cards and notices from local businesses.

Morrison’s and the new Sainsbury's in Herne Bay have a large noticeboard behind the tills for people to advertise events, local notices and fundraising.

Sponsorship

Sponsoring a sports team in Herne Bay could be great advertising for your business if your target market supports a particular team or sport.

Consider sponsoring:

• Herne Bay Football Club - www.hernebayfootballclub.co.uk
• Herne Bay Hockey Club - http://hernebayhockeyclub.clubbuzz.co.uk/

Online

You don’t need a website in order to get your business found online, but you do need to ensure it is listed in the right place.

Above all else, you should add your business to Google...

Take Ownership of Your “Google My Business” Page

Many local businesses already have a Google My Business page, but often these have been automatically generated by Google and are not managed by the business itself, so ensure you claim your page.

There are a number of advantages to claiming your Google business listing, including being able to link it to your website, add pictures and videos, update contact information and write a nice detailed description mentioning the products and services you offer.

If your unclaimed listing is already showing up in Google search results, click on the listing and you will notice a “Manage this page’ button towards the bottom. This will take you through the verification process, which usually involves requesting a postcard with PIN number or an automated phone call to your business phone line to make sure that you are the authorised business owner.

Should your listing not show up, or you’re not sure if Google has an automatically-generated listing for your business, you can try creating a new listing. If Google finds duplicate details in their system, they’ll ask if you’d like to manage the existing page rather than creating a new page.

When you’re managing your Google My Business page it’s best to include as much information as possible because Google tends to favour fully completed listings. So be sure to add pictures, videos, opening times, contact information and anything else you can possibly cram into that page to give Google exactly what it wants.

Local Search Results on Mobiles

Think about the number of people searching on the move. Mobile technology and mobile Internet have been a game changer. More people are searching when they’re out and about, providing you with a great opportunity to attract new custom on the move.  Ensure your business is listed on Google maps by claiming your business entry.

Add Your Business to these Websites

• ThomsonLocal.com
• 118Information.co.uk
• ThePhoneBook.BT.com
• Scoot.co.uk
• Yell.com
• Apple Maps

Make sure that when you add your details you are consistent across all sites. I.e. same telephone number, same format (Rd and Road).  Create a structure for your Business Name, Business Address and Business Phone Number (aka NAP - name, address, phone number) and use it exactly across the web. Do not change it.  Having your business listed on one of these websites/databases is called a citation.

Strong citations can help rank your website/business on the first page of Google etc.

Need help or want someone to do it for you? Call me… 07949 430339 or contact me via email.

Your Own Website - Getting Found in Herne Bay

A website can obviously be viewed from people around the world, but are local people able to find it?

You’re website needs to be found when people search for “[service/product/event] in Herne Bay”, or for the search engine to know where the physical location of the person searching and where your business is.

Hire a local web designer

How to promote your business on the web - locally

Have you ever searched for a local business or shop online? You are not alone, there are plenty of others out there looking closer to home for what they want. Appearing for these queries requires local search, and it’s vitally important to the success of your business.

Location, Location, Location.  It doesn’t matter where you’re based, you need to be found in the search engines if people are searching for products and services in your area. Even though the global village is getting bigger, people still want to source their goods and services locally. Buy local! Buy in Herne Bay! 🙂

Optimising your website so you’re found locally will help boost traffic and conversions hugely. It will also increase your footfall and encourage more people to get in touch personally.

Being Found on Local, Herne Bay, Google Searches

For most local searches, Google now shows map listings with up too, seven businesses listed. Obviously, placement in this list is highly coveted and there are a number of strategies available that will rank businesses well in local results.

What you can do...

Advice for Getting Your Website Ranked Locally

Use your 01227 telephone number

Use your local Herne Bay telephone number.  People will recognise it as a local number and might be more likely to call.  Not only that, but it helps with ranking in the search engines as Google etc can confirm your location by the area code.  Get a local Herne Bay number for your business and get calls diverted to your mobile.

Use "Herne Bay" In Your Headings 

Carry out some search engine optimisation (seo) on your website - format your text properly and divide it up with headings. Make sure to include "Herne Bay" in your text, particularly in headings.

To boost click throughs to your website or blog posts use the name of your town and local area. This really does have a significant effect on how many local clients will read your information. The more relevant the area is to your visitors, the greater the chance they will visit your website, open your email or read your blog content.

Embed a Map on Your Website

Most local businesses get asked where they are located if a potential client contacts them. Your website can do a perfect picture job of answering that question by embedding an actual map that shows your location. There are many free tools, including Google Maps and Bing Maps that can help you do this.

Create a GEO Sitemap for your website

Want to make absolutely sure Google knows where you are? Then create a geo sitemap and a KML file for your website. Geo Sitemap Generator makes it easy. Just fill in your company details, download the files and upload them to your website’s root folder.

Then go to Google Webmaster Tools, add your website (if you haven’t already), verify it using your Google Analytics code (other options available), and then add your geo sitemap’s URL under Site Configuration > Sitemaps. Instead of waiting for Google to find out where you are, tell Google where you are!

Woah there Haydon, this is too complicated!  Can you do this for me?
Sure! Call … 07949 430339 or contact via email.

Create Pages on Your Website to Target Each Location

One of the main challenges for local businesses that target a number of different local areas is including enough quality and relevant content to their websites to target each individual area.

For example, you might offer a wedding planning service to a number of different towns around Herne Bay.

To target organic SEO, you could set up pages on your website targeted at each local area. These pages will be optimised for the area and include plenty of locally relevant content.

So, for the wedding planning business for example, you could set up a page for each of your different target areas and write a guide to getting married in that particular area. You can use links to different local wedding venues and suppliers and write about the different styles of weddings popular in each area. The result would be a set of highly optimised pages targeting at a very wide area, but with focussed, locally relevant content.

Putting this content on distinct pages will give the web pages more chance of ranking well in each area, and also builds more affinity with your audience.

Bing Places

Claim your listing on Bing Places, Microsoft's alternative to Google My Business.  You should make sure your business is listed:

• https://www.bingplaces.com/

Customer Reviews

Reviews are a great way of advertising your business.  People like to buy from people they trust and good reviews helps build that trust.

Establish a Process for Obtaining Reviews from Customers

It should be the goal of every local business to try and get as many reviews from their customers as possible. Getting your customers to leave reviews on your Google or Facebook pages is a great way to boost your local visibility and attract more clicks to your site and customers.  

The main obstacle for most local businesses is actually creating a system for collecting the reviews. Early on they might ask a select few customers for a review on their page, then every so often they’ll do another spurt of requests, but in most cases they don’t have a fixed repeatable system in place, seriously limiting the number of reviews that they collect.

Automate the collection of customer reviews

Creating a system doesn’t have to be hard work to either build or implement. In fact, with a little creativity, it can even run automatically. For example, if you are already collecting customer information for your database, as part of your email marketing sequence, your early automated emails can include a simple request to leave a review along with a link to your Google+ page, Tripadvisor page, Trustpilot or any other review site that you are targeting.

When you’ve dealt with a customer who is particularly happy with your service, or you have gone out of your way to help a customer and want to make the most of the goodwill that you have generated, why not ask, “If you think we have done a good job for you, would you be willing to leave a short review on our Google page (include your link). It really helps us to grow our business and show potential customers what sort of service we offer.”

When you or your team follows up with customers or clients after the sale is made, ask for a review. If you sell or deliver a physical product, drop a “Will you review us?” postcard in with each purchase.

However you decide to ask for your reviews, focus on making it as easy as possible for your customers to leave them. Google My Business page URL’s are long and difficult to type correctly, so you might want to consider making a reviews page on your website which has links to the different review sites you want to direct your customers to.

Consequently, if you need to target lots of local areas for your business, work out which sort of targeted content you can create which will be genuinely useful to each of the local audiences.

Social Media

Social media can be a great way of advertising your business or event, however it is getting more difficult to be heard and seen above all the noise! There are numerous platforms and choosing the right one(s) is an important first step.  Which platform(s) are your ideal customers using? Whichever platform you use...

• Be consistent with your posting
• Post often
• Create content that is native to the platform
• Give value (don't just try and sell, sell, sell)
• Give even more value

Facebook

Local Marketing on Facebook

With 2.2 billion monthly active users, you’re bound to find some of your target audience on Facebook, including those who live in Herne Bay! Here are some ways to make sure your business gets found by Facebook users in Herne Bay.

Facebook Places for Herne Bay

Facebook Places is a directory of places with a physical geographical location where people can "check-in" and leave a review.  A place page is an automatic entry created when a new user checks in to review the location when there isn’t already a Facebook page set up, or when they can’t find one for your location. 

https://www.facebook.com/places/Things-to-do-in-Herne-Bay-Kent/107985632555067/

Facebook Pages

It's free and reasonably simple to set up a Facebook business page.  If you have been living under a rock for the past few years, a Facebook Page is a timeline of messages and notices for organisations, businesses, brands and public figures. Similar to profiles, Page owners can post stories, add a cover photo, host events and more. Those who have "liked" a Page will see the Page's updates in their News Feeds.

Optimizing Your Facebook Page for Local

The best way to optimise your Facebook page for a local, Herne Bay audience is to make sure it is set up as a Local Business. If you haven’t created your Facebook page, make sure to create your page as a Local Business.

Set Your Facebook Page As a Local Business for Mobile Check-ins

Many people check-in on Facebook location pages. Facebook users can check into restaurants, supermarkets, bars, coffee shops and virtually any business page listed on Facebook as local, using the Facebook app on their smartphones. Page owners should ensure that their Facebook business page type is set to ‘Local Business or Place’ at either the point of creating their page or when they edit their page settings.

Increase Engagement and Likes

Getting people to like your Facebook page and posts can be a challenge. Join a network of other local business owners and increase the engagement of your posts...

Whatsapp - Bay Surrounding Networker - https://chat.whatsapp.com/L8mQ0SrMQeCHn0WZcOsVVf

Facebook Groups for Herne Bay

Facebook Groups are a great way of connecting with people who have a common interest... in this case they either live in or have an interest in Herne Bay.  Facebook Groups allow people to share views, news and information. These groups may allow you to promote your business, product or event, but you should always check their rules for what is and isn’t allowed...

Herne Bay Community Group  - https://www.facebook.com/Herne-Bay-Community-Group-147787242037250/

Be aware that your business or event must be in Herne Bay and there are strict rules for advertising.  Some of these groups will only accept advert type posts on certain days.

• Herne Bay Chatter - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=226256831600350
• Herne Bay Residents Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheHerneBayResidentsGroup/
• Herne Bay Daily  - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1481563068568132/
• More groups - https://www.facebook.com/search/groups/?q=Herne%20Bay

LinkedIn

Maybe your product or service is more business orientated.  In which case, LinkedIn is great for building your brand and attracting the right buyers/clients. To target people in Herne Bay use the hashtag #hernebay - yes LinkedIn uses hashtags too.  https://www.linkedin.com

Instagram

Instagram continues to grow and it is very easy to identify Instagram users based on their local behaviors and quickly build audiences with high engagement.  Connect with local people on Instagram. Include your location in posts and use hashtags. #hernebay

Twitter

Use hashtags. If you want to target people in Herne Bay use #hernebay . Connect with and follow local people and businesses. e.g. ME! - https://twitter.com/haydonrouse

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is more of a messaging app but is great for networking. In Herne Bay there are a few WhatsApp groups of local business owners focussed on increasing engagement on other social media platforms.

• Networking Facebook - https://chat.whatsapp.com/invite/GOA5UJDul0jG1ZXDwFlocs
• Instagram Network Group - https://chat.whatsapp.com/KK4VthjMjpm8D3m8ByYnMD

Snapchat

Snapchat has a younger audience so if you want to target teens this could be the ideal platform. 

YouTube

Video is very important and audiences are consuming huge amounts of it. It's a fantastic way of creating brand awareness and getting your message out.  Go and create videos!  With the advent of smart phones anyone can create professional looking videos.  Again, use #hernebay hashtag and include "Herne Bay" in your video title and description.  Ensure you go into advanced settings and set the video location as Herne Bay.

Online Newspapers and local news websites

Kent Live - https://www.kentlive.news/all-about/herne-bay

Kent Online by Kent Messenger -

• http://www.kentonline.co.uk/herne-bay/
• Advertise - http://www.kentonline.co.uk/advertise/
• Create your own online ads - https://www.kmdigimagic.co.uk/adportal/

In Your Area - https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/feed/CT68JQ/Herne%20Bay
To submit a local news story to In Your Area: https://page.co/BxGm

Local Web Directories

It's a good idea to get your business and website listed on local web directories.  These act as additional citations.

• http://buyinthebay.co.uk
• http://mybiz-canterbury.co.uk
• http://bayguide.co.uk/wp/index.php/directory/
• http://hernebay.mytownmycity.co.uk/
• http://www.hernebaylocal.co.uk
• ?https://www.canterbury.co.uk/info/56/shopping?categoryIDs%5B%5D=23

National directory type web sites with local entries

• http://www.freeindex.co.uk/south_east/kent/herne_bay
• https://www.bigreddirectory.com/kent/herne_bay
• https://www.uksmallbusinessdirectory.co.uk/town/Herne%20Bay/
• https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g503907-Herne_Bay_Kent_England-Vacations.html

Free Ad websites

• https://www.gumtree.com/herne-bay
• http://www.friday-ad.co.uk/herne-bay/
• https://www.freeads.co.uk/herne-bay/

Online adverts - PPC

PPC or "Pay per click" is a way to advertise online and get charged each time someone clicks your advert.  Paying for ads online is generally a much quicker way of getting your message in front of your ideal customer.  As well as speed, it's also transparent.  You can easily see how many people are seeing your advert, how many are clicking, how much it's costing and work out how many of those visitors are converting into sales.

Google

Google AdWords is Google's online advertising program, the program allows you to create online ads to reach audiences that are interested in the products and services you offer.  You can target by geographic area, time of day, keyword, language, browser or device type and more. https://adwords.google.com/intl/en_uk/home/

Tip - Sync Local Search Ads With Local Landing Pages
If you use Pay Per Click Advertising on Google for example, look at your paid search keywords. Place those keywords in your ads, and then put them in your local landing page headlines. Your visitors need reassurance to feel at home on your website.

Bing

Don’t dismiss Bing as being a good place to advertise just because Google is dominating.  Bing Ads is great if your target market is perhaps a little older and less tech savvy.

https://secure.bingads.microsoft.com/

Facebook

Facebook ads are particularly effective because they allow you to target your audience very precisely...including just people in Herne Bay! You need to know exactly who your audience is. You set your budget, figure out a way to get those who click your ad to stick around, and then have a plan about what to do with those web site visitors. https://www.facebook.com/business/products/ads

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Ads will allow you to target the largest pool of career-minded people.  So if your product or service is more business orientated it might be ideal.  LinkedIn is a great place to promote “B2B” offers and items and allows you to target members based on where they are living or visiting, so you can target professionals in Herne Bay.  Advertise on LinkedIn.

General Online Advice

Bringing Local Herne Bay Customers to Your Website

As you can see, there are so many ways that you can advertise in Herne Bay and attract thousands of local people searching the Internet to visit your website or buy from you.

Look:

A lot of the suggestions above are easy to implement, but if you don’t have the time or you just want a real expert to help you, why not hire someone who knows how to do it properly. I have many more marketing ideas and have helped lots of local businesses like yours to profit from the Internet. I can help you too. 🙂

How I Can Help Drive Local Customers To Your WebSite

I understand how important it is for your customers to find you online and I can direct local customers to your website.

How Local Search Engine Optimisation Will Help Your Business:

• You'll get found by local customers online
• You'll gain more traffic from customers searching for your location
• You'll increase your conversions
• You'll raise your local profile
• You'll enhance your branding
• You'll get more people contacting you in person (phone/in store)

By choosing to use my services you’ll get more from your local marketing and advertising. Not only am I dedicated, highly experienced and knowledgeable, but I will take a personal interest in seeing you and your business succeed.

If you succeed, I succeed; and that’s the way I like it.

Whether you have an existing website, SEO campaigns, or are looking for an agency to help with a new strategy, I can help.

So, if you’re fed up with not getting found or noticed by your local customers contact me today.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Created by, designed by, presented and given to you free by…

Haydon Rouse

Internet Marketing Professional, Herne Bay resident, Dad’s taxi driver, Marshmallow Connoisseur.

Contact a local marketing / business consultant to help you and your business.