Los Angeles is perhaps one of the most unique cities in the United States. Actors, Instagram models, and vegan gurus are a dime a dozen in this Southern California city. The City of Angels is also home to a vibrant food scene, endless nightlife options, and outdoor activities, making it one of the most exciting cities to live in. Many of the people living here are actually not Angelenos, or natives to the city. People hail from around the country, from Houston, TX to Pittsburgh, PA. While many people do move here to break into entertainment, it would be unfair to assume every young adult you encounter is looking to become the next Brad Pitt or Saiorse Ronan. 

Los Angeles offers unlimited opportunities for businesses and start-ups. But this can be both a blessing and a curse. There are so many exciting and interesting companies in the city that it can be difficult to make yours stand out from the rest. That’s why the team at Responsival is here to provide the top five best practices to implement in your Los Angeles marketing strategy. 

Create a Strong Brand Identity

Strong Content Marketing Starts With Finding Your Voice

No matter what city your company is located in, you need to formulate a strong brand identity. Maybe you are a beauty store that specializes in cruelty-free products. Or you are a yoga studio dedicated to bringing students of all levels together. By creating a unique brand identity for yourself, you can cultivate a consistent message across all social media sites and online platforms.   

But what is a brand identity? We’re glad you asked. A brand identity encapsulates your company’s values, communication strategy, and the message it hopes to send across to customers. It’s essentially your business’s unique personality. Cultivating your brand identity involves using consistent design choices and carefully written copy in all of your social media accounts and digital advertising campaigns. 

As you develop your brand identity, you should track your company’s performance metrics. Doing so will allow you to monitor how customers perceive and respond to your company. Google Analytics and Sprout Social provide useful tools for monitoring your company’s performance online. 

Target Specific Regions Both Within and Around the County

Los Angeles is Home to a Variety of Unique, Distinct Communities

Culver City, DTLA, West Hollywood, and Koreatown are only a handful of cities located within Los Angeles County. Each location has its own personality. Depending on traffic, it can take around half an hour to a full hour to drive to and from these locations. 

So why is this information related to your digital marketing strategy? You need to learn how to focus your marketing strategy on specific regions. A medical student in Westwood may not be interested in making the hike to El Segundo for a cup of cold brew. Someone in Santa Monica may not be interested in heading all the way to East Hollywood for your home decor store. Here’s how you can tailor your digital campaigns toward different cities within Los Angeles County.

• Create a specific ad copy for each target region. People who live in Los Feliz are not close to the beach. So it wouldn’t make much sense to advertise your store as a stone’s throw away from the ocean when in reality it is at least 40 minutes away. Even a simple shout out to DTLA or Ktown in a social media post can be enough to catch people’s attention. Just make sure it is geared toward the correct city. 
• Adjust your target settings within specific city limits. If you are using a tool like Facebook Ad manager, try to narrow your reach within a specific city limit. This can include both people who recently marked themselves in the location and people who live in it. 
• Release ads and social media posts at the right time. Since most people drive cars rather than commute on the bus or the metro, you won’t be able to rely on them to scroll through their phones during their morning and evening rides to and from work. Luckily, social media management apps like Tweet Deck and Hootsuite take the guess work out for you and determine the best times to post for your specific area. 

Get to Know the Los Angeles Way of Life

Remember That There is More to Los Angeles Than Beachside Cafes and Bad Traffic

Sure you have your handful of yogis and wannabe actors roaming the streets of Hollywood, but there is so much more to Los Angeles than that. Designing your marketing campaigns based solely on Los Angeles stereotypes won’t help your business integrate itself into the community. In fact, it might turn away customers looking for a unique and genuine shopping experience. Getting to really know your target audience’s interests and passions will help you tailor content that is suited for them. 

Interact With the People in Your City

Connect With Your Audience Through Crafty #Hashtags and @Tags 

Are people in Los Angeles a little too obsessed with hashtags? Maybe. But hashtags and normal tags are a perfect way to reaching a wider audience while connecting with your current one. 

Here are just a few Instagram hashtags that people in Los Angeles can’t get enough of.

• #discoverLA - 1.2m posts
• #losangeleslakers - 597k posts
• #losangeleseats - 195k posts
• #losangelesgrammers - 442k posts
• #californialove - 2.4m posts
  

Creating your own hashtags for guests to use when visiting your business keeps them engaged. It also creates a free marketing opportunity for you. Don’t be afraid to share one of their posts once in a while too. 

Partner With Local Businesses and Influencers

There is No Shortage of Influencers in Los Angeles, So Take Advantage of it

It’s no secret that influencers, both new and established, have flocked to Los Angeles for years. Even if you are a new business with a lower budget, you can still reach out to smaller influencers to help grow your business. There is no shortage of areas where you can work with them. Platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat are growing and even have their own set of established influencers that cater to a unique audience. 

Influencers present a great advantage for your business. A survey conducted in 2018 by Mediax found that 89% of responders believed that their ROI from influencer marketing was equal or better than other marketing strategies. 65% of them even planned to increase their budgets for influencer marketing the following year. 

As you research potential influencers to work with, make sure you examine the values and brand they express through their social media and blog posts. Follower count and engagement rate will also be key in determining whether or not working with them will help increase your ROI. Once you start your influencer marketing campaign, you will want to measure the campaign’s progress from start to finish with the help of social media analytics tools. 

Building a business in Los Angeles is a challenging, but rewarding endeavor. A high-quality digital marketing plan can help your business grow and thrive. Are you ready to revamp your Los Angeles company’s marketing strategy? Contact the team at Responsival today to take your business’s digital and social media presence to the next level.