Digital Marketing Tips When Relocating Your Business

4 minute read

In this review, we’re taking a look at the digital marketing from one of our favorite breweries, Orange County Brewers. Their brewery recently moved locations, which got us thinking about the challenges local retail businesses face when relocating. Whether you’re a brewery, a restaurant, or a retailer that relies on the customers within your community, keep these objectives in mind to grow your business during the transition with a strengthened digital marketing strategy.

Orange County Brewers Relocates

On our first visit to Orange County Brewers’ original downtown location, we were struck by their attention to detail. Both in the décor and in the flavor of their delicious beers. Like many, we were surprised to hear about their move to Seminole County. From Downtown Orlando’s only craft brewery to Lake Mary’s first brewery. Again, they cemented themselves in a market of one in a community where a new clientele can appreciate their flights, food, and new cocktail menu.

Many breweries draw from their sense of locale within their brand identity. A factor that coincides with the community-driven clientele. Regional brand identities present challenges of scale, but the great brews and good vibes remain paramount. To be fair, most beer lovers probably don’t know, and more than likely don’t care, that Lagunitas has never been in Lagunitas, California and Goose Island isn’t on Goose Island in Chicago.

Brand Background

Business: Orange County Brewers
Industry: Brewery, Bar/Restaurant, Retail, Manufacturing
Audience: Adults 21+ in the general Lake Mary area and their families
Brand Position: Downtown Orlando’s only brewery becomes Lake Mary’s first brewery
Website: TheOCBrewers.com
Social Handle: @OrangeCountyBrewers

Spread The Word Like Wildfire

Orange County Brewers amassed a solid following with social media marketing efforts that began in the lead up to opening their doors to Downtown Orlando. Consistent posting of batched lifestyle photography populated the timelines of more and more people as the buzz around the brewery grew. With the launch of their new location, they can tap into a whole new market of Lake Mary locals. Although prior to the opening of their Lake Mary location, the digital marketing effort wasn’t emphasized in the same way. Their social media halted a couple of weeks prior to the closure of their downtown location without any mention of their move or new location on either Facebook or Instagram. Whether you’re relocating, rebranding, or somewhere in between, maintain the momentum of your digital presence with consistent social posting to successfully tap into a brand new audience.

So, how does a business maintain its digital presence while growing your audience and spreading brand affinity? If you ask yourself “should I post this news about my business?” The answer more often than not is yes.

For starters, announce to your followers that you’re moving locations on every social media profile your business has. Post the details about the upcoming move on your website, in addition to distributing a press release to your local media outlets the way Orange County Brewers did. If you want to successfully make a big announcement to your audience, you need to communicate your message on every platform your business has because your audience is segmented.

Need content ideas for how to make the big announcement on social? For starters, you can post a letter from management or your team thanking patrons and the community for their support and look forward to the next chapter/new location. Another option is a countdown content strategy that builds brand awareness, anticipation, and scarcity around the closure of the old location and the opening of the new location. “Two weeks left…” “One week left…” “One week ‘til the new location opens” etc. Regularly posting on social media is the baseline for establishing a social media strategy and driving the growth of your audience and brand awareness forward.

New Social Who Dis?

Stick with your business’s existing social page during the transition and build off of your existing successes. Don’t create a new social page, just because you’re moving to a new location. Instead, change your name and submit it to Facebook for review, or simply merge the pages. Otherwise, the years of work put into the original accounts will be all for nothing.

Keep in mind that a change in your business’s physical address definitely doesn’t mean that you need to change your web address. The same thing applies if you plan to rebrand. Changing your domain is no small feat, and it can end up hurting your bottom line if your business relies on website traffic. Consider keeping the same URL and simply update your existing site accordingly to prevent confusion among your existing customer base let alone plummeting your business’s standings in Google’s SERP.

Ride the momentum from your existing digital marketing efforts. For example, you can create content that addresses your recent FAQs. Are the same questions coming up again and again from your customers? Are people messaging you the same questions on social? Compile the answers to these inquiries together and use them to inform your content, whether it’s in a video, a social carousel, or a blog post.

Finishing Touches For Your Big Move

Update your Google My Business info, and your “About” info across social accordingly
Add your new geographic area in your search ads
Run paid ads on social and search to spread the word and boost your traffic
Promote your new location on social media. If you don’t make a big deal over your new location, neither will your audience.

Don’t go silently into your new digs. If your business is undergoing a transition, consider getting help from brand communications experts to get better results by building upon the momentum of your existing digital marketing efforts.

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