•
Blog
As a small business owner, you pour your heart and soul into growing your company. Your dedication, creativity, and hard work make your business unique.
Let's take a moment to celebrate that!
Local businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and we want to help you get the success and appreciation you deserve.
So in this article, we’ll introduce you to an online community designed to showcase the best of small businesses across the United States. Unlike other directories featuring generic listings, this local business directory is all about celebrating the qualities that make your local brand stand out.
What is Local Business Spotlight?
Local Business Spotlight is a unique directory of small businesses located in cities and towns throughout the US. It helps local businesses showcase their products and connect with the right audiences inspiring them to visit their local stores.
The organization behind this directory is hyper-focused on promoting and supporting homegrown brands, making it an invaluable resource for local business owners across the country.
Local Business Spotlight engages in one-on-one interviews with the business owners it lists. This allows consumers to get to know much more about the small businesses in their area. They can also learn more about the people behind them, challenges they had to overcome and find out how these small businesses compare as places to work.
Marketing professionals Jeff and Terri Sneeringer are the individuals behind this innovative directory. It's part of their larger mission of “Saving Small Business America.”
Local Business Spotlight is a national business directory with state and local editions. It currently has state-level editions in Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania while the local editions are present in Baltimore and York.
Local Business Spotlight benefits for owners
Being featured in Local Business Spotlight can bring amazing benefits to small business owners.
The first and most obvious one is that it helps build brand awareness. Getting your business featured in Local Business Spotlight gives it more exposure to potential customers. The increased visibility can lead to more traffic to your website or storefront, translating to more sales and revenue.
Second, Local Business Spotlight can help foster customer loyalty. The platform showcases a business's unique features, products, and services. This allows customers to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of what the business offers. The interviews with business owners also help establish an emotional connection with both existing and potential customers.
According to a survey of over 19,000 customers in the US and UK, emotional attachment is responsible for about 43% of business value. So the emotional connection you make can boost your bottom line.
By showcasing a brand’s unique selling propositions (what makes you you), Local Business Spotlight generates positive buzz. It attracts new customers and keeps existing ones coming back for more. These benefits matter because they can help your small business grow, thrive, and remain competitive in its local markets.
Local Business Spotlight benefits for consumers
Local Business Spotlight is not only beneficial for business owners but consumers too.
It provides them with information about local businesses and their products and features. In this way, Local Business Spotlight can help consumers make informed decisions about where to shop, eat, or find services.
The directory introduces consumers to small businesses that they may not have known about otherwise. This is particularly useful for consumers who are new to a neighborhood or unfamiliar with the local businesses in the area. After comparing the USPs of several local businesses, consumers can decide which ones are worth checking out.
When customers support local businesses, they support the local economy. This is important because local businesses contribute to the community in ways that larger chains may not.
Take the example of a homegrown organic grocery store. It's more likely to sell locally-sourced products or sponsor town events. The small business keeps the money in the local economy, helping the community to grow.
How to get on Local Business Spotlight
To spotlight your business, there are a handful of steps that need to happen:
-
Complete this form to request an interview.
-
If your request is accepted, someone will contact you to fix a time and date for the interview.
-
Next, you’ll receive an email with the link to join the video conference at the scheduled time. You’ll also receive a list of questions to help you prepare for the interview.
-
The interview will take place via Zoom.
-
Once the interview is complete, the team will edit the video recording. Then your listing will be set up on Local Business Spotlight with all the relevant information.
-
You’ll receive a link to your business listing for approval.
In most cases, a live video conference interview via Zoom is the recommended way to go. However, the directory has alternatives as well. You can request to record the video yourself or share a previous video interview. If you’re camera shy, you still have the option to do a textual interviews to get your brand out there.
Put your business in the local spotlight!
Your small business story is what sets you apart from the crowd. By telling a compelling story, you can showcase your values, missions, and goals and give customers a reason to choose your small business over others. Your journey and experiences can help your audience understand why your business exists and why it's worth supporting.
Want to hear more small business stories? Check out our list of the top podcasts for small business owners and contractors. Tune in to discover fascinating and actionable insights on growing your small business further.
