How to Build a List of 200 Local Businesses in 3 Minutes

Griffin Morris·January 14, 2025

Creating a list of local businesses doesn’t have to take hours.

You can rely on a sales platform to pull data from sources like Google Maps, public records, and web directories while also offering features such as AI-powered email and outreach analytics.

With Resquared, you get all this plus a database of over 12 million local businesses, social media outreach, automated follow-ups, and much more!

Outline:

• Guide: How to Create a List of Local Businesses
• 3 tips to get the most out of your list of leads
• Additional Local Lead Generation Strategies
• Conclusion

Guide: How to Create a List of Local Businesses

To demonstrate how Resquared can transform how you reach out to your leads, I prospected first using Google, and then using Resquared.

Here’s how it went:

I set aside 15 minutes to look for marketing agencies in downtown Tampa. First, I Googled “marketing agency downtown Tampa” and then used Google Maps.

Since marketing agencies typically have websites, finding them was straightforward. However, the challenging part was collecting their emails and phone numbers. Many websites only had a contact form, without a direct way to reach out.

The result of my 15 minutes of Googling:

I aimed to collect as many leads as possible, including their email addresses, phone numbers, and any information I could use to personalize my cold emails.

Here’s what I managed to gather:

• 11 leads in total
• All 11 had websites
• Only 6 had email addresses
• 9 had phone numbers

If my strategy focused solely on cold emailing, I was left with just 6 usable leads after 15 minutes of work—and I still hadn’t verified if the emails were valid.

And my browsing history looks like this:

Now, it was time to test Resquared.

I already had a Tampa location saved, but it included the whole city. To be more specific, I added an address in the middle of downtown Tampa and set a 5-mile range.

My goal was to make my cold emails more personalized, saying something like, “Service available for marketing agencies in downtown Tampa.”

I applied filters such as “non-chain,” “has email,” and “has phone number” because I wanted to prospect with an 8-touchpoint follow-up strategy that includes calling as well.

The result with Resquared:

In my first search, I gathered 226 local businesses—all within 3 minutes!

Resquared pulls data not only from Google but also from diverse public sources, giving a much wider reach.

To improve my list, I excluded some categories that were still showing, such as fitness and financial, resulting in a final count of 221 leads.

Next, I composed my email. I made a few adjustments to personalize it further, added AI Snippets to generate short paragraphs with unique information about each business, and hit send!

With Resquared, I was able to reach out to 221 marketing agencies in downtown Tampa in less than 5 minutes.

Check out my video to see how you can do the same!

3 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your List of Leads

Turn your list into meaningful communication by focusing on three key areas:

• Industry-Specific: Craft messages that address the unique challenges businesses face, such as improving online ordering systems or boosting customer retention, based on their industry.
• Segmented Messaging: Customize your outreach by considering factors like business size, and location. “Space available for a pizza owner in LA” is much more generic than “Space available for a pizza owner in Chinatown”.
• Highlight Your Value Proposition: Go beyond listing the benefits of your product—focus on the biggest value you can offer your customers. Ask yourself: Why does this matter to a local business owner? How does this feature directly impact their bottom line? Can I quantify the success other clients have had with this?

Track key metrics such as response rates and lead-to-sale conversions to refine your strategy over time.

Keep your messages concise and focused on delivering clear, tangible value to each business segment.

Additional Local Lead Generation Strategies

Using Local SEO for Visibility

Optimizing your Google Business Profile can help you stand out in "near me" searches and on Google Maps. Incorporate geo-targeted keywords, like "Chicago small business consulting", to improve your ranking in less competitive local searches.

You can also create content tailored to specific locations - think local case studies, blogs on regional trends, or neighborhood-focused resources. This approach draws attention from businesses in your target area.

While local SEO boosts your online visibility, social media offers a chance to connect directly with local businesses.

Engaging Locally on Social Media

SEO helps businesses discover you, but social media lets you actively engage with them.

Partner with local influencers and run geo-targeted ads to connect with decision-makers in your community.

Participating in local business forums and discussions can also help establish your authority.

"When you add or claim your Yelp Business Page, you can start attracting potential leads by updating your business information, including your business hours, contact information, website, and location or service area."‍

- Yelp for Business

Conclusion

Creating a strong list of local businesses doesn't have to take forever if you have the right tools and strategies.

Resquared simplifies this process by offering a mix of a large database and outreach tools to help you find and connect with local business leads.

Schedule your demo to see how we can support your prospecting goals.