Are you more likely to buy from a local company than a national chain?

Businesses that feel like they are local can have a competitive advantage over cookie-cutter generic national or global brands.

Ice cream shop Dairy Queen has branded itself as Texan. Their catchy little jingle on commercials sings “DQ … that’s what I like about Texas!”

They even go so far as to say their white on red logo is a “Texas Stop Sign.”

By the sounds of it, Dairy Queen may very well be a Texas business. However, they didn’t start here. They started in Joliet, Illinois in 1940.

Despite their non-native status, Dairy Queen has created a powerful Texas brand that sticks in customers’ minds.

Obviously, Texas is a huge market and merits the custom marketing campaign. However, the principles here are sound. Targeting your local population by helping them feel you are a part of their community will influence buying behavior.

Your local small businesses recognize the power of their “locally owned and operated” tag lines. Large corporations see the benefits too.

Remember, customers may not be local to you but they are “local” to where they live. How are you targeting your local customers?