It’s no secret that it can be tough to be a local business.

Competing in the age of e-commerce and digital marketing is hard and sometimes confusing. While we can’t tell you what hashtags will best help you market yourself as Arlington’s go-to electronic-scooter-riding real estate agent on Instagram (as an example) we can, however, offer some advice for publishing promoted posts on ARLnow.

Promoted posts are sponsored articles that help give local businesses a boost by getting the word out about openings, new offerings, upcoming events and more. Here are some recent examples.

To make the most of your time in the ARLnow spotlight, here are some quick tips for best reaching our quarter-million monthly readers:

1. Keep it concise — The shorter the post, the more likely it will be read.
2. Keep it informative — People want to learn about local businesses but they generally don’t want to be “sold” to, so keep exclamation points and sales-y writing to a minimum. Instead, give people useful information about you and what you have to offer.
3. Keep it local — You’re a local business, so emphasize your local-ness. Go ahead, tell everyone the owner of the business went to Wakefield High School or your cafe is within easy biking distance of the W&OD Trail.
4. Keep it actionable — If you’re promoting an event, include a prominent link or two to the page where you can RSVP. If you just opened a new store, say where you are, link to a map and note what your hours are.
5. Be authentic — Staying on-brand is usually a good idea, but being your authentic self in your writing is even better. Write like a human and not a machine and you may be surprised to find how positive the reaction is.

Promoted posts are a popular option for advertisers because they’re affordable and they work. To learn more, see our 2019 media kit or drop our business team a line: 703-348-0583 or [email protected].

For more local advertising best practices, see our Guide to Effective Advertising.