If you are reading this article, the chances are that you have already established a new office in Charleston. Well, several businesses have done so. Charleston provides appropriate government and infrastructure support to make it an excellent choice for business expansion.
Hence, many firms have already selected it for starting their new office branch in 2022. For instance, Camgian opened an office at the Charleston Tech Center in February 2022 as a part of its expansion plan. Camgian is a leading cognitive computing SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) provider with headquarters in Starkville, Mississippi. Similarly, companies like Bintelli LLC, MSC USA, and Blackbaud have also established their centers in Charleston.
You may select a location and hire new employees to establish and start operations in your new office. But that’s just the beginning of your work. Ensuring a successful expansion requires you to promote your products and increase sales. If you want to make your business expansion in Charleston a success through advertising and promotion, here are some tips you might want to consider.
Leverage SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the best ways to generate organic leads. Around 53% of the website traffic comes from organic searches. Using SEO will give you the best chances of engaging with these organic leads. When you use SEO, your website and the content will rank high on the search engines. According to studies, the first result on a search engine has a 28.5% click-through rate.
However, it is best to use local SEO for your new Charleston branch. Around 65% of consumers search for local businesses daily. Hence, you might need to look for and use the correct local keywords to promote your brand using SEO. For instance, if you are a restaurant firm and have established a new branch in Charleston, use keywords like “new restaurant in Charleston” or “best restaurant in Charleston.”
If you don’t have the right expertise, it is best to hire an agency providing services for SEO in Charleston. It is also advisable to create a separate website targeting local searches. When you use these practices, your new branch will indeed become successful.
Hire Influencers
While SEO in Charleston helps with organic traffic, collaborating with influencers is an excellent way for paid promotions. Influencers have an existing audience base. You can reach this audience base through collaboration. But you need to choose the influencers wisely based on your requirements and the audience they bring to the table.
Suppose you are a clothing retailer; you can connect with Hillary Conheady. She has done a major in clothing, textiles, and design. With over 26K followers, she can quickly put your brand and apparel on the shopping list of every fashionista in Charleston. Similarly, if you own a fitness brand, reaching out to Katie Faith can give you access to her 10K followers. Some other influencers to collaborate with include:
- Louella Reese (28.4K followers) – fashion, beauty, and travel
- Chassity’s Aull Evan (66.2K followers) – Lingerie
- Venessa Krom Dyer (176K followers) – fashion, fitness, and travel
- Carmel Phillips (26.6K followers) – house decoration and DIY projects
- Tanner Mann (311L followers) – family, lifestyle, and fitness
Promote in the Local Events
Although digital marketing has taken up the prominent promotion space, utilizing local events for offline promotions is always wise. Charleston is home to numerous annual events that can serve as an excellent platform for promoting your new branch.
You need to select the correct event that blends well with your product or services and prepare for the promotions. For instance, if you have opened a seafood restaurant in Charleston, you can leverage the Lowcountry Oyster Festival. It is the largest oyster festival globally, featuring new dishes, oyster contests, live music, etc. Similarly, if you are in real estate, you can promote your brand at the Fall Tour of Homes event.
You can promote your products and services at such events. Some other events suitable for promotions include:
- Charleston Fashion Week (for fashion and clothing)
- BB&T Charleston Wine Food Festival (for drinks and beverages)
- Family Circle Cup (for sports)
Seek Assistance From Business Incentives Programs
Promoting your business in a new location requires a lot of finance. Hence, it is best to use state-sponsored business incentive programs to avoid cash flow issues. Charleston offers many such programs to help new businesses and startups. The Charleston County Economic Development program focuses on luring and assisting new businesses. It aims to improve Charleston’s overall business climate through capital investment.
Next comes the South Carolina Department of Commerce, which helps select the location for new sites to investments to grants. There are many other development programs where you can get investments and grants for establishing your new branch in Charleston and promoting it for ensuring success.
Conclusion
Promoting a new business in a remote location can be challenging. However, if you have established a branch in Charleston, following this guide will help you make correct decisions and promote your products, brand, and services suitably.