New York is five markets, not one.
Borough behavior differs more than most national brands assume. Small businesses feel it first.
· 6 min read
Search radius in Manhattan is measured in blocks. In Queens and on Staten Island it is measured in minutes of driving, and Census commuting data will tell you exactly how many. That one difference rewrites your keywords, your delivery zone and your ad geo-targeting.
Neighborhood names also beat borough names in search. People type Astoria, Park Slope or Bay Ridge Nobody types "Brooklyn restaurant" while standing in Brooklyn.
Write the neighborhood into the profile, the page title and the captions, and give each location its own voice. A three-location group that runs one shared account sounds like a chain, which is the one thing none of its customers picked it for.
More on this market: Small business marketing in Brooklyn
The short version
- Target neighborhoods, not boroughs.
- Set radius by travel time, not by miles.
- One profile, and one voice, per location.
Sources and further reading
- Neighborhood business support and commercial district data, NYC Department of Small Business Services
- Commuting and travel time data by borough, U.S. Census Bureau
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