Outsourcing local marketing for multiple locations

In brief: a marketing agency for multiple locations

• Local marketing for multiple locations calls for standardisation where possible and customisation where necessary.
• We take over profiles, reviews, local campaigns and location pages for franchise brands, branch-based businesses and chains.
• Every location gets its own local identity, so locations do not compete with each other in Google Maps.
• We automate repetitive work such as opening hours, review requests and reporting; responses and local content remain human work.
• You compare all locations in one monthly report with fixed KPIs.
• You start with a free scan of three locations: a strong one, an average one and a weak one.

Why is local marketing so difficult with multiple locations?

Because the work multiplies with every location, while the team stays the same size. One more location means one more profile, more reviews, more questions and more chances of mistakes. On top of that, locations of the same brand sometimes compete with each other in Google Maps.

How does a marketing agency for multiple locations approach it?

With standardisation where possible and customisation where necessary. We set one standard for profiles, pages and review responses, and add local content for each location. That way the approach scales without the locations all becoming identical.

How do you stop locations competing with each other?

By giving every location its own local identity: the neighbourhood or street name on the location page, its own photos, its own reviews and campaigns with a defined radius. In Google Ads we exclude overlapping areas. That way the nearest location appears, not a random one.

This approach works within the hybrid marketing model: head office directs, and the location gets room for local touches.

What can you automate with many locations?

A lot. Holiday opening hours, review requests, reports and local variants of campaigns can largely be automated. What you should not automate: responses to negative reviews and local content. More on this in automating hyperlocal marketing.

How do you start outsourcing?

We start with the baseline scan of three locations: a strong one, an average one and a weak one. That is followed by a pilot with ten to fifteen locations. Only when the figures add up do we roll out. The full trade-off is set out in why outsourcing pays off; the packages are on the package prices.

How do you compare the local performance of all locations?

With one report in which every location has the same KPIs. That way you can see at a glance which locations score well and which lag behind, and why. Franchisees get their own figures, compared with the chain average. That motivates, and it makes the conversation about marketing concrete.

Who does the work for all those locations?

A permanent team with ten trained freelancers, so capacity grows with the number of locations. Everyone works to the same protocols, with weekly training on changes at Google. Gijs Bodenstaff is your fixed point of contact; there are no changing account managers between you and the delivery.

What does the first month look like for a chain with thirty locations?

In the first week we gather access to the organisation account, the advertising accounts and the website. In week two we carry out the baseline measurement per location: profiles, reviews, rankings across a grid around each location and the location page. In weeks three and four we fix the biggest errors, such as incorrect opening hours, wrong categories and unanswered reviews. After the first month you receive a report with the starting position of each location and the improvements already made. From month two, the fixed monthly cycle runs.

Who is behind this approach as a marketing agency for multiple locations?

Behind this page is a permanent team without changing account managers. Founder Gijs Bodenstaff (local SEO specialist since 2010, Google Product Expert, author of three books on the local visibility of chains) handles contact with head office. Angela analyses visibility and leads per location, Elisabeth manages local advertising, Peter builds local authority and ten regular freelancers take care of profiles and reviews. Every figure on this page has a source; where we speak from our own experience, we say so.

You can read more about the team on who is behind this agency; the author's background is on Gijs Bodenstaff.