As hyperlocal advertising continues to heat up, publishers and merchants are working together to figure out what makes online ads most effective. Here are five tips from top hyperlocal publishers that can help merchants stay ahead of the curve. 

1) Have a clear “call to action.” Often local merchants are new to online advertising, so we have to teach the basics. Online is not just about branding, but also can be transactional. Therefore, the message should be actionable. (Ben Ilfeld, The Sacramento Press)

2) Relationships. When you are advertising on a hyper-local level, your opportunity is literally to meet people where they are. Don’t shout at them. Look for opportunities to build or deepen relationships. (Nicole Hollway, St. Louis Beacon)

3) Less is more. One of the great advantages of a digital ad is that you want to interest and intrigue with your message. Save the details for the click through. Make the ad clean and appealing. (Wendy Cohen, BerkeleySide)

4) Think mobile. About 18% of our pageviews are on mobile platforms — double what it was a year ago. Ask the hyper-local site publisher if there are opportunities to advertise on their mobile site or in an app. Most small merchants aren’t asking for that yet and merchants that jump on early will get a better deal and/or placement. (Ben Ilfeld, The Sacramento Press)

5) The world is not digital. Well, it is, but the best and most useful digital supports offline life. Think outside the website. Don’t rule out opportunities to use the hyperlocal site’s audience to go direct-to-consumer in some offline way. (Nicole Hollway, St. Louis Beacon)

Isa Jones is an intern at Street Fight.