Nextdoor describes itself as “The neighborhood hub for trusted connections and the exchange of helpful information, goods, and services.”
What is Nextdoor?
Nextdoor is a “hyperlocal social networking service for neighborhoods.” Nextdoor allows neighbors to connect based on their location. Neighbors within the same geographical location can share information and communicate with one another.
Nextdoor has a news feed, much like other social platforms, and users can view and interact with posts from other users in their area and purchase products and services from local businesses. It is a hyper-localized version of Facebook, instead of seeing updates from your friends and family across the state/country/world, you can see posts from other people living in your area.
Nextdoor Topics of Discussion
Nextdoor is a discussion-style platform, this is where users post updates from their area, polls, local events, sell items and request recommendations for local business (HVAC, plumbers, snowplow, landscaping, etc.).
Per Nextdoor, the site “connects neighbors to each other — and to everything nearby: local businesses, service providers, news updates, recommendations, and stuff for sale from the people down the block.”
Reach Customers in Your Neighborhood
Nextdoor provides the ability for small business owners to advertise “hyper-locally”, at the zip code and also neighborhood (subdivision) levels.
100% of neighbors on Nextdoor are registered with their address.
67% of members recommend local businesses on Nextdoor.
76% of members have been influenced by a recommendation on Nextdoor.
Is it Worth the Time and Budget?
Claiming your business listing on Nextdoor is free and easy to do. Participating in discussions, sharing information, and posting relevant and interesting updates is free and takes some time. Getting involved in discussions, running group discussions, interacting with others may take a bit more time, but it is still free.
Paid advertising is available, called “Sponsorship.” “Neighborhood Sponsorship is an advertising program where businesses get automated ad placements on Nextdoor (with customizable options) and the ability to post to the newsfeed in targeted ZIP codes in addition and the option to create Local Deals*.”
Pricing for Sponsorship is based on the population of users in that area, the median home price in the area and the potential ad views per month. Additionally the zip codes will list out specific subdivisions (if applicable) and will tell you how many users in the zip code are on Nextdoor.com. Locations have a limited number of Sponsorships, so if the spots are filled you are not able to use this feature. Sponsorship ads are charged monthly. Your business is not limited to just your specific area, if you wish to have Sponsorship in other locations across the country you are able to set up Sponsorship for these areas as well.
If you are a business servicing a national area, Sponsorship can get pricey. However, if you are a local home services company (HVAC, plumber, etc.), a local retailer or other local business (laundromat, lawyer, accountant, real estate agent, etc.) and your customer demographics area specific area Sponsorship may be worth the investment.
Word-of-Mouth Matters
The best way to generate interest in your business on Nextdoor is to have a presence on the site, provide useful information and get your loyal customers to refer and recommend your business to their neighbors. A referral from a neighbor is more valuable and less expensive than running ads.
What Do We Think?
We are all for free social sites, taking the time to interact, update and showcase your business and knowledge is always worth the time. If you are a local business providing an in-demand service, i.e. HVAC, plumbing, car repair, etc., Sponsorship may be worth the money. The monthly fees in most areas are not that high and you won’t know if it works until you give it a try.
If you are interested in Nextdoor marketing or advertising or you need help with your current Digital Marketing Strategy, give us a call, we can help!