Running a business in Glenelg means marketing to two very different groups at once. There are the locals from Glenelg, Brighton, Somerton Park and the rest of the bayside who keep you going all year. And there are the visitors who come down on the tram from the city, fill Jetty Road and Moseley Square on summer weekends, and may only ever visit once.
The same marketing rarely works for both. This guide shows how to reach each group, and how to keep business steady when the weather turns.
Know your two audiences
Locals
Visitors
Who
Residents of Glenelg and nearby bayside suburbs
Day-trippers from across Adelaide, interstate and overseas tourists
How they find you
Google Maps, word of mouth, Instagram, local Facebook groups
“Near me” searches on their phone, Google Maps, reviews
What they want
Reliability, friendly service, a reason to come back
Something good, close by, right now
When
All year
Mostly warmer months, weekends and holidays
What wins them
Loyalty, consistency, being part of the community
Great reviews, photos and clear opening hours
Most Glenelg businesses need both, but in different proportions. A cafe on Jetty Road may lean towards visitors; a physio or electrician in Glenelg North relies almost entirely on locals.
Win visitors with a Google profile that answers every question
Visitors don’t know your street, your hours or your reputation. They decide in seconds from your Google Business Profile, so make it do the selling.
- Keep your hours exact. Add special hours for public holidays and long weekends. Nothing loses a visitor faster than walking to a closed door that Google said was open.
- Add plenty of recent photos. Your food, your space, the view if you have one, your team. Visitors judge with their eyes.
- Fill in attributes. Outdoor seating, accessibility, family friendly, dog friendly: these help you appear for more specific searches.
- Ask for reviews while people are happy. A small card or QR code at the counter makes it easy for visitors to leave a review before they head home.
- Reply to every review. Future visitors read your replies as much as the reviews.
Win locals by being part of the bayside
Locals choose businesses they know and trust. The best marketing for them feels local and personal.
- Show your faces. Short videos of you and your team build familiarity faster than any ad.
- Celebrate the area. A morning walk to work along the beach, a shout-out to the business next door, your take on a local event. Local content gets shared locally.
- Reward return visits. A simple loyalty offer or a “locals’ night” in the quiet months gives regulars a reason to keep coming.
- Use Google posts for news. New menu, new service, winter hours: post it to your profile and your socials at the same time.
Get a free audit of your Google profile, reviews and photos, with a clear list of what to fix before summer.
Use reels to show what Glenelg feels like
Few places in Adelaide film as well as Glenelg. Use it. Short vertical videos for Instagram, TikTok and Facebook can show the experience of visiting you in a way photos can’t.
Ideas that work well for bayside businesses:
- Opening up in the morning, with the beach in the background
- A behind-the-scenes look at preparing your best seller
- “What you can get for under $20 on Jetty Road” (if that’s true for you)
- Answering a question customers often ask
- A quick before-and-after of a job in a bayside home
Tag your location in every post. Then add the same videos to your Google profile so it stays fresh too. For more, see our 30 reels ideas for Adelaide businesses.
Use ads differently for locals and visitors
Paid ads can reach both groups, but the settings should be different.
For locals: target Glenelg and the surrounding bayside suburbs, and show ads to people who are in or regularly in those areas. Focus on services people need regularly.
For visitors: in Google Ads, the location option that includes people who have shown interest in your area can help reach people planning a trip to Glenelg. On Facebook and Instagram, a short video ad shown to people in Adelaide during warmer months can put you on the plan for their next beach day.
Whichever you choose, track calls, bookings and messages, so you know which group is actually bringing you business. Our Google Ads guide covers the settings in more detail.
Plan for the seasons
The businesses that do best in Glenelg plan for the quiet months while it’s busy.
Season
Focus
Spring
Refresh your Google photos, collect reviews, start building your reels library
Summer
Visitor marketing: exact hours, lots of photos, ads to people heading to the beach
Autumn
Capture the last of the visitors; turn summer customers into followers
Winter
Local marketing: loyalty offers, events, ads focused on bayside residents
Frequently asked questions
Should a Glenelg business target tourists or locals?
Usually both, in different proportions. Look at your own customers: if most are regulars, invest in local marketing; if most are visitors, invest in your Google profile and reviews.
How do I show up when visitors search “near me” in Glenelg?
A complete, active Google Business Profile with accurate hours, recent photos and good reviews is the biggest factor you control.
Are reels worth it for a small bayside business?
Yes. They’re one of the cheapest ways to show what makes you worth visiting, and the same videos help keep your Google profile active.
