Concord has something most Charlotte-area cities do not — a built-in tourism engine. Between Concord Mills Mall drawing over twenty million visitors per year and Charlotte Motor Speedway bringing massive seasonal crowds, Concord businesses have access to two completely different customer bases. Your digital marketing strategy needs to capture both local residents and the visitors passing through.
Key Takeaways
Digital marketing ROI averages 5:1. For every dollar Concord businesses invest in digital marketing, they see $5 back on average.
Local businesses need a multi-channel approach. SEO, social media, email, and paid ads work together — no single channel wins alone.
Google Business Profile is free and essential. Your GBP listing is often the first thing Concord customers see — optimize it fully.
Content marketing compounds over time. Blog posts and local content keep driving traffic months and years after publishing.
Track everything or waste everything. Without analytics and conversion tracking, you're guessing — data drives real growth.
The Dual Strategy — Locals Plus Tourists
Most Concord businesses market to one audience or the other. The smart ones market to both. A restaurant near Concord Mills needs to rank for "best restaurants Concord NC" to capture locals and "restaurants near Concord Mills" to capture visitors. These are different searches with different intent, and they require different content on your website.
Local customers search for recurring services — their regular dentist, a trusted mechanic, a reliable landscaper. Tourists search for immediate needs — food, entertainment, lodging, shopping. Your website should have pages targeting both. A Concord restaurant might have one page optimized for "family restaurant Concord NC" and another for "where to eat near Charlotte Motor Speedway." Same business, two audiences, two ranking opportunities.
💡 Seasonal Traffic Spikes
Charlotte Motor Speedway events — the Coca-Cola 600, the ROVAL, Bank of America 400 — bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Concord each year. Businesses that ramp up their Google Ads spend during race weeks and optimize content for event-related searches capture revenue that most competitors miss entirely.
Local SEO — Own Your Concord Keywords
Concord is the largest city in Cabarrus County with a population pushing over a hundred thousand. That means decent search volume for Concord-specific keywords, but competition is still moderate compared to Charlotte. Searches like "Concord NC plumber," "auto repair Concord," and "best pizza Concord NC" all have enough volume to drive meaningful business and enough room to rank within months.
Your Google Business Profile is essential. Concord residents rely heavily on the Map Pack for local services. Complete your profile, collect reviews consistently, and post updates regularly. Businesses that treat their Google Business Profile as a living marketing channel — not a one-time setup — consistently outrank those that do not. For the full SEO breakdown: Do I Need SEO for My Concord Small Business?
Google Ads — Capitalize on Seasonal Surges
If you are a Concord business near Concord Mills or the Speedway, Google Ads should be a core part of your strategy — especially during peak seasons. Run always-on campaigns targeting local service keywords at a moderate budget, then increase spend significantly during Speedway race weekends, holiday shopping seasons at Concord Mills, and summer tourist months.
Create separate ad campaigns for tourist traffic and local traffic. Your tourist ads should focus on proximity — "five minutes from Concord Mills," "walking distance from Charlotte Motor Speedway." Your local ads should focus on trust and quality — reviews, years in business, community involvement. Different audiences respond to different messages.
Your Website — Built for Two Audiences
A Concord business website needs to serve both audiences without confusing either one. Your homepage should establish you as a Concord local business. Interior pages should target specific search intents — some for residents, some for visitors. A hotel might have a page about "things to do near Charlotte Motor Speedway" that ranks and drives bookings during race season.
Fast load times and mobile optimization matter even more in Concord because tourist searches are almost entirely mobile. Someone standing in the Concord Mills parking lot searching for nearby lunch options will bounce from a slow site in two seconds. Digitalwiz builds sites that load fast and convert on every device. See what that costs: How Much Does a Website Cost in Concord, NC?
Social Media — Ride the Event Waves
Social media in Concord should be tied to the event calendar. When a NASCAR race is coming up, post about it. When Concord Mills has seasonal traffic, create content that connects your business to that energy. Use location tags on Instagram and Facebook to show up in local discovery feeds. Share behind-the-scenes content that makes your business feel like part of the Concord community.
For the local audience, be consistent year-round. Highlight your team, share customer stories, post about downtown Concord events and the growing food scene on Union Street. The businesses that show up consistently in their community's social feeds are the ones that come to mind first when someone needs their service.
FAQ — Digital Marketing in Concord
How do I capture tourist traffic without losing focus on local customers?
Create separate website pages and ad campaigns for each audience. Your local content targets Concord residents with trust-building messaging. Your tourist content targets visitors with proximity and convenience messaging. Both live on the same website but serve different search intents. You do not have to choose — you can rank for both.
Should I increase my ad budget during Speedway events?
Absolutely. Race weekends bring a massive spike in local searches. Restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, and even service businesses see increased demand. Increasing your Google Ads budget by fifty to a hundred percent during major Speedway events can produce outsized returns if your ads and landing pages are prepared.
Is Concord competitive for local SEO?
Moderately. It is more competitive than smaller towns like Stallings or Weddington but significantly less competitive than Charlotte. Most Concord businesses have basic websites with minimal SEO. A well-optimized site with targeted content and a strong Google Business Profile can break into the top results within four to six months for most industries.
What is the most cost-effective marketing channel for Concord businesses?
Local SEO combined with a strong Google Business Profile. The upfront investment in a good website and ongoing SEO produces leads for years at a declining cost per lead. Google Ads supplements this with immediate traffic and seasonal flexibility. Together they cover both long-term growth and short-term results.
Bottom Line
Concord businesses sit at a unique intersection of local demand and tourism traffic. The businesses that build digital marketing strategies addressing both audiences — locals who need ongoing services and visitors searching in the moment — will dramatically outperform those targeting only one. The Speedway and Concord Mills are not just local landmarks. They are marketing opportunities waiting to be captured.
Digitalwiz helps Concord small businesses build marketing strategies that capture both audiences without doubling the budget. Reach out and let us show you how.
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