“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came…”

While those are the lyrics to the popular 80s TV show Cheers, they could easily be singing the praises of Nextdoor.

As one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world, Nextdoor presents marketing opportunities for businesses. Unlike Facebook and LinkedIn, which connect people globally, it focuses on connecting you with your neighbors and building a greater sense of local community.

What is Nextdoor?

Think of Nextdoor as a virtual town hall or coffee shop where people meet to talk about everything from coyote alerts to block parties. It’s also an easy way for people to recommend and share personal experiences with local businesses. From a marketing standpoint, Nextdoor’s local targeting is already organically built into the experience.

There Are Several Ways to Market Your Business on Nextdoor.

Different business types have access to different advertising options on Nextdoor. Brick-and-mortar stores, like gift shops and restaurants, and even ‘neighbors for hire’ or housekeepers and handymen, can share discounts and promotions by purchasing an ad on Local Deals.

Home service businesses, including roofers, pest control, lawn services, and home renovation companies, can advertise by purchasing a Neighborhood Sponsorship. In addition to the paid ads, there are a few free ways to let your neighbors know about your services.

8 Ways to Market Your Business on Nextdoor

Want to explore marketing on Nextdoor? Here are eight awesome ways to promote your business.

1. Ask for one recommendation.
2. Engage with people who recommend you. 
3. Run an event that benefits the local community.
4. Ask your team to share your posts with their network.
5. Make it a point to tell people where you work.
6. Be active in your neighborhood.
7. Be mindful of recommending your own business.
8. Take advantage of the new offers feature.

Ask for one recommendation.

You need at least one recommendation for your business to be visible to your neighbors, so don’t be afraid to ask. Nextdoor makes this easy by giving you a custom link to request reviews from customers. Although you only need one shout-out to be visible, don’t stop there. The more people who recommend you, the better your chances are of becoming the most recommended business in your industry.

Engage with people who recommend you. 

Thank them for taking the time, and let them know how much their recommendation means to you. You might want to send them a handwritten note or a small token of appreciation, like a box of fresh-baked cookies. This may be not only the neighborly thing to do, but it’s also a great way to highlight your brand personality.

Run an event that benefits the local community.

If you’re sponsoring a charity run or offering a free trivia night, use your personal account to add the event to the neighborhood calendar. Less community-minded events, like a corporate networking party, can also be added but make sure you uncheck the box marked ‘announce to neighbors’ so you don’t end up spamming the newsfeed and violating Nextdoor’s event policies.

Ask your team to share your posts with their network.

This works well if your staff lives in different neighborhoods. It allows you to expand your reach if you have a special offer available or if you’re promoting a particular event. But be careful here not to violate Nextdoor’s policy guidelines on promoting businesses. Make sure your offer or event is not only highly relevant but also valuable.

Make it a point to tell people where you work.

It seems obvious if you’re a freelancer or a solopreneur, but people often forget to do it. Since Nextdoor is limited in what you can do as a business, this is a simple way to increase visibility.

Be active in your neighborhood.

Don’t just ask for recommendations, give them, too. Get your name out there as a reliable and friendly source. And respond to customers quickly. On Nextdoor, a fast or slow response rate can be the difference between good recommendations and negative comments.

Be mindful of recommending your own business.

There’s no easier way to put people off than by overdoing self-promotion. If you’ve been on Reddit, you’ve seen this in action. Go with the small-business-helping-local-people angle. This will be a helpful recommendation, especially if you offer a freebie.

Take advantage of the new offers feature.

This allows businesses to post discounts and promotions to their local customers. There are several rules about what can and can’t be posted, so please take a look at community guidelines before you start posting.

In Closing: What to Know About Marketing on Nextdoor

The Nextdoor platform is still in the growth phase. Start marketing on Nextdoor now, and you’ll get an edge over your competition. Create your business profile and line up customers to ask for reviews. Being early sets you up to be the #1 business in your field.

If you’re looking for a social media platform on the move, don’t ignore Nextdoor. It’s where digital media and your neighborhood meet and where word-of-mouth recommendations and reviews can spread like wildfire. There’s no better way to build local awareness and trust in your community.