Let’s be honest: most location-based promotions are lazy.
You’ve seen them, and if you’re like most business owners I chat with from Chermside to the Gold Coast, you’ve probably run them. It’s the classic '10% off for locals' or the 'Check-in on Facebook for a free coffee' play.
I’m going to be blunt—this stuff is digital noise. It’s the marketing equivalent of those faded real estate flyers sticking out of a soggy letterbox after a Brisbane summer storm. Nobody cares. Even worse, these generic promotions often train your best customers to never pay full price, effectively cannibalising your margins while doing zero to build actual brand loyalty.
At Local Marketing Group, we’ve spent years watching businesses pour money into geo-fenced ads and local 'specials' only to see a pathetic return on ad spend (ROAS). The reason? They’re following myths that were debunked back in 2019 but are still being peddled by 'experts' who haven't stepped foot in a retail store or a local workshop in a decade.
It’s time to bust these myths and look at what actually drives feet through the door in 2026.
Myth #1: Proximity is the Only Thing That Matters
The industry will tell you that if someone is within 500 metres of your shop, you should hit them with an ad. This is the 'creepy ex-boyfriend' approach to marketing. Just because I’m walking past your storefront in New Farm doesn't mean I want a push notification for a discount on a service I don't need.
The Reality: Proximity without intent is a waste of your daily budget.
If I’m searching for 'best mechanic near me' while standing in a Woolworths car park, my intent is high. If I’m just walking my dog, I’m not in 'buying mode'. Most agencies focus on the 'where' but completely ignore the 'why'.
Instead of blanket geo-fencing, you need to align your promotions with the specific problems your local audience is solving at that exact moment. For example, a physiotherapist in Milton shouldn't just target everyone in a 2km radius. They should target people searching for 'lower back pain' who happen to be in that radius. It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many national brands get this wrong by applying a national strategy failing to a local market that requires surgical precision.
Myth #2: Discounts are the Best Incentive
This is perhaps the most damaging myth in small business marketing. We’ve been conditioned to think that 'Price' is the only lever we can pull.
Here’s the truth: If the only reason someone comes to your business is because you’re the cheapest today, they will leave the second your competitor in the next suburb over drops their price by another dollar. You aren't building a business; you're winning a race to the bottom.
The Reality: Local customers value convenience, community, and exclusivity over a 10% discount.
I’ve seen a boutique gym in Fortitude Valley drive more sign-ups by offering a 'Local Founders' breakfast' (networking + community) than they ever did with 'First Month Half Price' offers. Why? Because it appealed to the specific demographic of that area—busy professionals looking for a tribe.
Instead of slashing your prices, try 'Value-Adds' that cost you little but mean a lot to the customer: The 'Skip the Line' Pass: Exclusive for locals during peak Saturday morning rushes. The 'After Hours' Access: For service-based businesses like mechanics or dry cleaners. The Local Collaboration: Partnering with the bakery next door to offer a 'Local’s Lunch Bundle'.
When you stop competing on price, you stop renting clicks and start building a sustainable asset. You want customers who value your expertise, not your ability to use a calculator.
Myth #3: You Need a Massive Radius to Scale
I recently spoke with a business owner in Logan who was frustrated that his ads weren't working. When I looked at his setup, he was targeting a 25km radius.
Look, I love South East Queensland, but nobody is driving from Ipswich to Logan for a standard hair appointment or a standard burger. You’re paying to show ads to people who have zero intention of visiting you. You’re literally donating your marketing budget to Google and Meta.
The Reality: Tighten your radius, increase your frequency.
It is infinitely more effective to be 'famous' in three specific postcodes than to be 'vaguely known' across the entire Greater Brisbane area. In 2026, the algorithm rewards relevance. If your ad says 'Hey Paddington residents,' and you only show it to people in Paddington, your engagement rates will skyrocket, and your costs will plummet.
The 'Hyper-Local' Strategy That Actually Works
So, if the old way is dead, what’s the new way? It’s about Contextual Relevance.
1. The Weather Trigger
This is one of my favourites because it’s so underutilised. If you’re a roof plumber in Coorparoo and a massive storm cell is heading towards the city, your location-based promotion shouldn't be a generic 'call us for a quote.' It should be: 'Storm coming? We’re in Coorparoo right now doing inspections. We can be at your place in 2 hours.'That isn't a discount; it's a solution to an immediate, localized problem.
2. The 'While You Wait' Play
If you run a service business near a major shopping centre like Westfield Chermside or Garden City, your promotion should target the 'dead time' of your customers. "Getting your groceries done at Chermside? Drop your car off for a quick detail and we'll have it ready before you finish your coffee." This leverages the customer's existing location to provide a convenience they didn't even know they needed.3. Engineering the 'Digital Echo'
Most people think a promotion ends when the transaction is over. Wrong. A successful local promotion should be designed to trigger more local visibility.Instead of a discount, offer a small 'surprise and delight' item in exchange for a specific action that boosts your local SEO. But please, for the love of all things holy, stop posting photos of your lunch and call it a strategy. You need to encourage customers to leave reviews that mention specific services and locations.
Example: "Mention you live in West End and get a free locally-roasted coffee bean sample with your service. We'd love to hear what you think of our new workshop on Google!"
Why Most Agencies Get This Wrong
If you hire a big agency in Sydney or Melbourne to run your Brisbane marketing, they’re going to use a template. They don't know that people in the Redlands have a different commuting pattern than people in the CBD. They don't understand the 'vibe' of different suburbs.
They rely on 'Set and Forget' automation. They set a 10km radius, put in some generic copy, and send you a report at the end of the month showing 'impressions'.
Impressions don't pay the rent.
I’ve seen this backfire more times than I can count. A client came to us last year after spending $5k a month on 'location-based' ads that were being shown to people on the train passing through their suburb. They had thousands of 'views' but zero increase in foot traffic. We cut their radius, changed the offer from a discount to a 'Local's VIP Priority' service, and their lead quality tripled overnight.
Stop Praying, Start Planning
Many QLD business owners fall into the trap of 'Hope Marketing'. They put a sandwich board out, run a basic Facebook ad, and pray that the right people see it. This is exactly why so many people feel like they’re just praying for referrals instead of actually controlling their growth.
A real location-based promotion is a system. It requires: 1. Specific Audience Segmentation: Who exactly are we talking to? 2. A Non-Price Incentive: What can we offer that isn't just a margin-killing discount? 3. Frictionless Redemption: How easy is it for them to actually use the promo? 4. Data Capture: How are we going to talk to this person again without paying Mark Zuckerberg for the privilege?
Actionable Steps You Can Take Today
If you want to fix your local promotions, start with these three things tomorrow morning:
1. Audit Your Radius: Look at your Google or Meta ads. If you’re targeting more than 5-7km from your front door, ask yourself why. Unless you’re a highly specialised destination business, you’re likely wasting money. 2. Change One 'Discount' to an 'Experience': Instead of 20% off, try 'Free Local Delivery' or 'Priority Saturday Booking for 4000 Postcode Residents'. See how the quality of the customer changes. 3. Check Your Landing Pages: If someone clicks a 'Local' ad, does the page they land on mention their suburb? If it doesn't, you've lost the 'local' feel immediately. Personalise the experience.
The Bottom Line
The Australian market is getting smarter. Brisbane consumers, in particular, are increasingly wary of generic, 'big brand' marketing. They want to support local, but they also want value and convenience.
Stop treated 'location-based' as just a setting in your ad manager. Treat it as a strategy to become the most relevant solution in your immediate neighbourhood. When you win the street, you win the suburb. When you win the suburb, you win the city.
If you're tired of running promotions that feel like shouting into a void, maybe it's time to change the script. At Local Marketing Group, we don't do 'generic'. We do Brisbane. We do results. And we definitely don't believe in '10% off' as a long-term strategy.
Ready to actually own your local market? Let’s have a real conversation about a strategy that actually pays.