How local ads can mitigate COVID-19’s impact on SMBs

In a survey of nearly six thousand small businesses (SMBs) conducted by the National Academy of Sciences earlier this year, 41% of respondents indicated that they’d temporarily closed their business due to the virus. Roughly 2% had closed permanently. Smaller businesses with less than 20 employees were more likely to close.

Regardless of size, SMBs everywhere are scrambling to mitigate COVID-19’s impact, getting creative about their approaches to everything from the way they sell products to the services they offer.

For example, one local jewelry business created bi-monthly livestreamed gem shows which they promoted on their website and on social media. They sell gems online during the show and highlight inventory in the store.

Coming up with creative ways to do business during the pandemic is essential for SMBs, but so is getting the word out (affordably) to local customers about what’s available to them, how they can access goods,  and what businesses are doing to keep their customers and employees safe.

That’s where Nextdoor comes in.

 Content published in partnership with Nextdoor.

What is Nextdoor?

Nextdoor is a social (Read more...) network for neighborhoods of verified users in 270,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries. Fully one in four U.S. households belong to Nextdoor and the platform boasts more than 50 million local business recommendations from neighbors.

People join their neighborhood website using a verified address—and this sets Nextdoor apart from other social networks. 100% of Nextdoor’s users are real people with verified home addresses.

There are two ways users verify their address on Nextdoor—with a mobile phone (the phone plan’s billing address must match the Nextdoor address) or through an invitation letter that Nextdoor mails to the address or is distributed by a neighbor that’s already joined. The letter contains a verification code that must be entered for the account to work.

Nextdoor is a good marketing option for SMBs because it’s hyper local and comprises an audience that’s eager to support their community’s businesses. Businesses can create a free profile on Nextdoor, but building up a follower base can take time.

Advertising enables businesses to instantly reach everyone in the communities they’re targeting. Another benefit—about a third of the conversations on Nextdoor are between neighbors asking for or sharing recommendations.

Example of the type of community-focused conversations that appear on Nextdoor

Two ways to advertise on Nextdoor

There are two affordable advertising options on Nextdoor specifically geared for SMBs, Local Deals and neighborhood sponsorship.

With Local Deals, businesses can target one or more neighborhoods with discounts and offers. Depending on the neighborhood and who else is advertising, Local Deals can start at just $1. Pricing is based on the number of Nextdoor members in the targeted neighborhoods and the number of days the deal runs.

Example of a Local Deal

Sign up here to check out more examples of a Local Deal by Nextdoor.

Nextdoor displays how much advertising the deal will cost based on the advertiser’s settings, so there are no surprises. By default, Local Deals are targeted to a two-mile radius from the business address, but this can be expanded for up to 10 miles. Businesses can also expand their targeting to additional neighborhoods to reach nearby ZIP codes.

With Nextdoor’s Neighborhood Sponsorship for SMBs program, businesses can buy automated ads for targeted ZIP codes.The number of ad slots per ZIP code are limited, so the neighborhood you want to sponsor may not be available. Also, your ad will rotate along with other advertisers, so users will see several sponsored ads as they refresh their screens/browse.

Neighborhood Sponsorship ads appear in Nextdoor’s digest email, rotate in a user’s newsfeed, and, for a select few verticals, appear in the real estate section (more on that in a minute). A bonus: advertisers can post up to twice a month for the ZIP codes they sponsor.

To run Neighborhood Sponsorship ads, you’ll need to create a Nextdoor Business Page (this is free) and complete your business profile. Nextdoor charges businesses on a monthly, recurring basis for this type of sponsorship.

Example of a Neighborhood Sponsorship ad

Click here to learn more about Nextdoor’s Neighborhood Sponsorship for SMBs program.

For Real Estate professionals only

Real Estate ads are a component of the Neighborhood Sponsorship program. In addition to appearing in the news feed and digest email, they appear in the Real Estate section of Nextdoor.

Nextdoor’s Real Estate Section

Your business needs to be in one of nine qualifying verticals to appear in this section, as follows:

• Real Estate Broker
• Real Estate Agent
• Rental Agent
• Property Manager
• Vacation Rental Agent
• Insurance
• Mortgage Broker
• Home Builder
• General Contractor

Real Estate ads also appear in Your Home, a subsection of Nextdoor. Ads in this section include forms/questions that encourage members to reach out for more information about their home (best times to sell, home value, etc.).

Example of a sponsored ad in the Your Home section

Curious about Nextdoor’s Real Estate section? Click here to find out more.

Innovating to survive, advertising to thrive

Since the start of the pandemic, 32% of SMBs have found a new way to deliver existing services and 43% have started rethinking the way they do business entirely. For hyperlocal businesses—pizza places, dog walkers, hair salons, contractors, and many more—getting the word out about your products, services, and brand is more crucial than ever.

Nextdoor is a great way to do that—a social media alternative to cluttered platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Advertising locally on Nextdoor can help you build your network too, which means you’ll be more prepared to weather the next pandemic-related shutdown while being poised to thrive once things are back to normal again.