If you grew up with an older sibling, you probably mimicked a lot of their choices and behaviors.

How to dress. What music to listen to. What classes to take.

They were experienced and thriving, making them your ticket to teenage victory.

It’s the same thing with your marketing strategy.

(Stay with us on this one.)

There are local businesses out there that are winning the marketing game — big time. They’ve perfected their strategies and are reaping the rewards.

So, to see the same success, you need to study and imitate their marketing moves.

That’s why we surveyed 1,147 local businesses to identify what the best marketers do differently.

Here’s what the data revealed about the best B2C marketing strategies.

1. Use more marketing tactics

Do you ever think about how many tactics you should implement into your local marketing strategy?

The best local marketers do.

Their answer? The more the merrier.

The data shows that the savviest marketers use an average of 9.7 marketing tactics, while unsavvy marketers only use 4.4.

So, why does more equal better?

Skilled marketers know that more tactics lead to more visibility — because every channel is another place you can expose consumers to your business. By meeting customers where they are using a mix of traditional, digital, and event marketing tactics, you can drive greater awareness and, eventually, conversions.

Okay, so which tactics should you use in your B2B marketing strategy?

Let’s get into the channels savvy marketers rely on most.

2. Focus on paid media

Two of the most high-usage tactics for savvy marketers are paid search and paid social.

The takeaway?

Paid media is your friend.

With paid search and paid social used by 35% and 60% of the best marketers, respectively, it’s clear that paid tactics are the way to go.

Now, we know what you’re thinking: Tactics that don’t cut into your marketing budget probably sound a lot more appealing.

But the thing to consider here is the output of these tactics. Paid media offers a lot of advantages that other channels don’t. These ads are highly targeted, putting your business in front of customers who fit your intended audience — aka, customers who are most likely to buy your products.

Paid ads are also faster-working than other tactics, driving results almost immediately, while other tactics may take weeks to show any progress. Paid media is also highly measurable, so you can easily track your ads’ performance and make changes based on those insights.

Get the other tactics your local marketing strategy needs

While these tips are a great start, your B2C marketing strategy is not yet complete.

Want to know how else the best marketers promote their businesses?

Learn the 6 things you need to adopt into your local marketing strategy by reading the full 2024 State of Local Marketing report.