What Is Local Lead Generation And How To Do It In 2025

Honestly, I’m not surprised. Without leads, it’s tough to keep any business running, let alone grow it.

Especially for local businesses, it’s not just about finding people, but finding the right people in your service area who are ready to buy.

That’s exactly what I’ll help you with.

This guide will break down what local lead generation is, why it matters, and how you can do it step-by-step in 2025.

I’ll cover:

1. What is local lead generation?
2. Is local lead generation still worth it?
3. How to do local lead generation?

Let’s get started!

What is local lead generation?

Unlike general lead generation, it focuses on attracting customers who are physically close to your service area and more likely to make a purchase or visit your location.

Depending on who your ideal customers are, local lead generation falls into two main types:

1. B2B (business-to-business) local lead generation
2. B2C (business-to-consumer) local lead generation

B2B local lead generation

In B2B local lead generation, you target other local businesses in your area. The goal is to show them how your product/service can help their business succeed.

For example, let’s say you run a printing company. In B2B local lead generation, you can find local restaurants, reach out to them, and offer to print their menus or flyers.

B2C local lead generation

B2C local lead generation focuses on reaching individual consumers in your area who might be interested in your products or services.

The approach is typically more about creating awareness and driving immediate action.

For example, you run a local lobster shack. You can use Facebook ads to target seafood lovers within 10 miles and get leads about people who love lobsters.

But is local lead generation really worth it?

Why is local lead generation important?

If your business relies on local customers, local lead generation is a no-brainer. It helps you find people nearby who are ready to buy what you’re selling.

Why is it important? Here are some statistics to give you a perspective.

1. 53% of marketers spend most of their budget on lead gen
2. It can drive up to 50% of a business’s revenue
3. 98% of consumers go online for local business info
4. 4 out of 5 searches have local intent
5. 50% of local searches lead to a store visit within 24 hours
6. For B2B, 27% of local leads are already sales-ready

But who should do lead generation?

Who needs local lead generation?

Any business that operates in a specific locality requires lead generation. Also It doesn’t matter if you’re selling products, services, or even running a fully online operation.

But some types of businesses need it more than others.

Let me list 4 types of businesses that can really get the most out of local lead generation.

1. Service-based businesses
2. B2B businesses targeting local clients
3. Professionals and consultants
4. Brick-and-mortar businesses

Plumbers, electricians, landscapers—anyone offering a service needs local leads. Local lead generation puts you in front of the people who need your services now.

If you run a business that serves other local businesses, local lead generation is key.’

For example, an office supplies store would need local business leads to target offices that might need their services/products.

Similarly people offering professional services like lawyers, accountants, and therapists also need leads.

Even brick-and-mortar businesses need it. If you own a shop, restaurant, salon, or gym, local lead generation helps you bring in people who live or work nearby.

Without it, you’re leaving your business’s success to chance.

But when is the right time to do local lead generation?

When to do local lead generation?

The short answer? Always. You’ll always need leads to grow your business.

But let me list some scenarios where you need it the most:

1. When you’re starting a new business
2. When sales are slow
3. When you want to grow your customer base

If you’ve just opened your doors, local lead generation should be your top priority. You need to get your name out there fast, so people in your area know you exist.

If you’re not seeing enough foot traffic or new customers, it’s time to double down on local lead generation.

Maybe your competitors are getting all the attention, or your marketing isn’t hitting the right audience.

A focused local strategy can bring in fresh leads and help you turn things around.

Even if business is good, there’s always room to grow. Local lead generation keeps the momentum going by attracting new customers.

This raises the question, when not to do local lead generation?

When to avoid local lead generation?

You don’t always need local lead generation. In fact, it’s better to avoid it if you want to expand beyond a certain locality.

There are 3 most common scenarios when local lead generation is a waste of time.

1. Your business is 100% online
2. Your audience isn’t tied to one place
3. Your niche is too small

If you’re running an online-only business, like selling digital products or offering virtual services, local leads don’t make sense.

Your customers can come from anywhere, so don’t limit yourself.

Some industries don’t rely on location. If your product or service works for people everywhere (like SaaS or e-commerce), targeting local leads is a waste of time.

If what you sell is super niche and there’s barely any demand locally, it’s better to focus on finding your audience nationwide or even globally.

OK enough of what, why, and when stuff, where and how do I actually do it?

Where to do local lead generation?

Knowing where to focus your efforts is the first step to successful local lead generation. That’s

why it’s important to know where to do local lead generation.

Here are the top 3 places to find and connect with local leads:

1. Google search
2. Google Maps and business directories
3. Social media

Google search

Google search is the first place to target.

In B2C, customers are actively searching for products or services like yours.

For example, if you’re a travel agency, someone might look for “Paris to Baku tour packages” and find you through your SEO efforts.

In B2B, you’re the one searching.

Let’s say you’re a hotel manager looking to partner with local travel agencies to bring in more business.

You’d use Google to search for travel agencies in your area, find their contact details, and reach out with your offer.

Google Maps and business directories

Directories are the go-to platforms to look for local businesses.

In B2C, customers use directories like Google Maps, Yelp, or Yellow Pages to find businesses that meet their needs.

For example, if you’re a restaurant, someone searching for “seafood restaurants near me” can find you on Google Maps, read reviews, and decide to visit your place.

You can use business directories for B2B local lead generation too.

Let’s say you run a catering service and want to connect with local event planners.

You can use Google Maps or Yelp to find event planning companies in your area, check their reviews and contact details, and reach out to pitch your services.

Social media

Social media is where businesses and customers meet and interact.

In B2C, platforms like Facebook and Instagram are perfect for reaching local customers.

For example, if you’re a bakery, you can post mouthwatering photos of your desserts, promote special deals, and target your ads to people in your area.

Social media can help you in B2B local lead generation as well.

For example, if you're running a Meta ads expert, you can find local businesses from Facebook search and visit their pages for contact info and other important data.

Now let’s move to the “How to do it” part.

How to do local lead generation?

In this section, I’ll cover some working strategies of local lead generation for both B2B and B2C use cases.

I have selected these 5 local lead generation strategies based on my personal experience and expert recommendations.

1. Focus on local SEO
2. Create location specific content
3. Run local targeted ads
4. Showcase social proof
5. Do cold outreach

1. Focus on local SEO

People search for specific solutions, and Google matches them with the most relevant results.

If your website is optimized for local keywords, you’re more likely to show up when someone nearby searches for your services.

How to do it?

The key is local keyword search. The better your local keywords are, the more you’re visible on Google search.

But how to optimize?

Well you can find AI's help for this.

Upload the results CSV file to ChatGPT for review and suggestions.

This strategy works like magic in both B2B and B2C local lead generation.

But local SEO isn’t only about your website. It’s about your overall online presence. You need to list yourself in local business directories too.

You should create a Google Business Profile, if you don’t have one.

But even if you have a Google Business Profile, there’s a high chance you’re struggling from one of these 2 issues.

1. Your business is not visible on Google
2. Your business is visible but not getting visitors

2. Create location specific content

By optimizing, I don’t mean shoving the keyword only in your meta description and title of web pages. You should create valuable content too.

Google loves content that’s relevant to searchers. If you create pages or blogs targeting local topics, you’re more likely to rank for those searches.

Plus, it helps customers or businesses see that you’re connected to their community.

How to do it?

Well it’s easy. Develop a local content marketing strategy and create content that speaks directly to your local audience.

This could be blog posts about local events, case studies featuring local clients, or service pages tailored to specific areas.

This works for B2B too. You can publish case studies and event coverages to gain attention of local businesses.

For example, an IT firm could create a case study about “How We Helped an Austin-Based Company Improve Cybersecurity.”

But is it enough? Definitely not.

Not all your potential customers will read your blogs. For maximum benefit, repurpose this content on social media too.

You can use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, and Reddit to connect with local audiences

Find local communities and groups on social media and share your content and highlight your expertise in your niche.

This will not only help you build a solid social media presence but also attract local leads.

3. Run ads with local targeting

Claiming #1 spot in organic search results takes time and a lot of effort. You know what’s easier? Running paid ads.

Search and social media PPC ads allow you to target customers or businesses in specific locations.

This means your ads are shown only to people in your area, increasing the chances of attracting leads who are more likely to convert.

Though it’s expensive as you’ll be paying for the ads, it’s a quick way and easier if you need instant results.

How to do it?

You can create targeted ad campaigns for Google, Google Maps, and social media.

If you want to focus on a search-specific target audience, create a Google search ads campaign and target a specific location or city.

For example, a gym could run ads targeting a 10-mile radius, offering a free trial or a special discount for new members.

Also, if you’re doing B2B lead generation, you can use Ads Transparency Center data to know what type of ads your targeted businesses are running.

You can run local Ads on Google Maps too.

If you want to reach out to your potential customers' social media feed instead of waiting for them to search, you can use social media ads.

For example, if you’re running a catering business, you can run locally targeted ads on Facebook to promote your business to your potential customers.

The best format in my opinion is video ads. Why?

4. Showcase social proof

People trust what others say about you more than what you say about yourself. That’s why reviews, social mentions, and testimonials are so important for local businesses.

But how do I use reviews and brand mentions for local lead generation?

It’s quite simple.

1. Encourage reviews
2. Showcase testimonials
3. Track social mentions

Encourage people to leave reviews. Positive reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, or Facebook can significantly impact local customers’ decisions.

Politely ask happy customers to leave a review after their visit. Make it easy for them by sharing a direct link to your Google Business Profile.

Testimonials show real stories of how you’ve helped others. Add them to your website, share them on social media, or even include them in ads.

For example, if you’re a personal trainer, share a client’s story about how they hit their fitness goals with your help.

It feels real, relatable, and builds trust with potential customers.

Keep an eye on what people are saying about you on social media.

When someone tags you or posts about your product, jump in and engage! Thank them, reshare their post, or reply to their comment.

This makes them feel appreciated and shows others that you’re an active part of the community.

You can use Google search to find posts mentioning your brand or product on social media platforms.

5. Do cold outreach

Cold outreach puts you in control. Instead of waiting for leads to find you, you’re actively connecting with the businesses you want to work with.

But in my opinion, it’s not effective in B2C lead generation. It works only if you’re targeting businesses.

How to use it for local lead generation?

The process is straightforward – you find prospects (e.g. local business owners), do cold calling, messaging, or send them personalized emails, and follow-up.

Since we’re specifically targeting local businesses, platforms like LinkedIn are out of scope. You won’t find your potential leads there.

I personally use Google Maps, Yelp, and Facebook to find potential clients in the local market.

These platforms usually have all the details I need about a business including reviews and contact information like phone numbers.

For emails and social media profiles, I simply use Lobstr.io’s Google Maps Search Export. It collects all the data from listings and gives me emails too.

I simply do a Facebook search, go to pages, filter and specify a location and category. Now I have access to all local business pages in a certain area.

That’s it. These were the top 5 local lead generation that are equally effective for B2C and B2B and they still work like magic.

Now before wrapping up, let me answer some FAQs.

FAQs

How to start a local lead generation business?

Start by choosing a niche and creating a website for lead capturing. Then, use online marketing strategies I shared in the article to drive high-quality leads.

What strategies can you use to reach local businesses and start selling them leads?

You can use all the strategies I shared in this article to reach local businesses. Selling them leads depends on your own local lead generation efforts though.

How can local business owners generate leads offline?

Local business owners can generate leads offline through networking events and partnerships with complementary small businesses.

They can also leverage community involvement, such as sponsoring local events, building relationships, or offering free workshops.

Can social media platforms be effective in generating leads for your business?

Yes, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram can be super effective in generating leads, especially when using targeted ads and engaging content.

Conclusion

That’s a wrap on what is local lead generation and how to do it in 2025. This was a breadth-first guide to give you a general overview of the topic.