How do I get more customers for brick-and-mortar business?
As someone who has a physical location for your business, whether it is a restaurant or a barbershop, you may wondered more than once, “How do I promote My Brick and Mortar Store?”. In the past, you might have immediately thought about advertising through TV ads or billboards. However, advertising methods are changing—and what was once the most effective methods really are not working because they are not cost-effective. Instead, you should shift your focus to digital marketing.
What Kind of Marketing is Effective?
Let’s compare digital marketing and more traditional methods of marketing and how much they cost.
Facebook
You can reach thousands of people with a Facebook ad. On average, appearing in front of these 1,000 people will cost you about $2.50.
Mini Commercial on Television
It will cost you $28 per 1,000 people who see your commercial on television. Keep in mind that this figure does not include the cost to produce the commercial.
Brick-and-mortar marketing refers to marketing strategies used by a physical store to attract more foot traffic. These strategies can be digital marketing and off-line marketing. In this blog, we will be focusing merely on digital marketing strategies that businesses with physical stores can implement to drag the attention of their target audience, generate sales, and as said before, attract foot traffic.
Because of digital marketing options, small business owners can have just as much exposure online as they would have via television—and it costs a small fraction of the price. This is a huge growth opportunity for small business owners!
Review our quick tips for effective digital marketing, and put your small business on the map.
1. Take a few pictures of your building or create a small video introducing yourself.
Creating an introduction video to put on Facebook is a great way to get your name out there in your local community. Run it as a brand awareness campaign in your target location and put it on your Facebook page. This quick video or photo does not have to be anything too elaborate—and you can do it right from your smartphone.
2. Keep your brand awareness ad fresh by updating it periodically.
Change out the photos or use another video from time to time to refresh your brand awareness advertising. You could even get professional photos and videos done as well. Be creative, think about what your target audience would find attractive and stick with that. It’ll increase the chances of dragging their attention.
3. Use a radius of 5 to 10 miles as part of your campaign.
By using a small radius around your business, you are sure to hit people who might drive by your business on a regular basis. In the days of COVID-19, you can bring people to you rather than relying on them to drive by and see your business. With this method, you target virtually everyone in your area for just a few hundred dollars per month.
4. Use PPC campaigns to attract customers
Many businesses will use PPC campaigns that target people on the internet to gain exposure for their brand. This type of marketing makes it easy to get your advertisement seen across the web. With Google Ads, there’s no need to buy pricey ad space as you would with print media – all you have to do is set up an advertisement with keywords related to what you sell, and Google will automatically place it on their search page when someone searches for those words.
5. Create a Mailing List
It is a great way to build your mailing list, which is essential to any retail business. Having a mailing list allows you to communicate directly with current and lapsed customers and have them sign up for special offers or promotions. Make sure you have a clear call-to-action that’s easy for people to see to make it engaging. Another way you can use mailings is by using them as a marketing tool. You can create brochures or flyers that explain your unique offerings, deals, discounts, and even events at your store to get the word out about what’s happening inside your store and draw new attention. Mailings are also necessary when conducting in-store promotions. Including coupons in mailings helps increase foot traffic and encourages impulse buys during the promotion period.
6. Keep your Social Media Channels active
New customers usually look for your business on social media before contacting you. You want to make sure that you have your business’s information updated and that you are creating valuable content. Engage with your users so that you can create a community. Once you have done this, research what type of content they like to see the most. Based on that, you can optimize your content marketing strategy to make sure you are providing value.
7. Formulate a Video Marketing Strategy
B&M stores are an excellent venue for video marketing. Visible cameras and phones can capture the process of shopping, service, and interaction with your staff at different times throughout the day. This data can then be used to create marketing videos that will help increase foot traffic in your store. It’s not just about making videos; they’re also a great way to promote your business on social media. Using video marketing in B&M stores gives potential customers more insight into who you are as a brand. You also make it easier for customers to get information about how and where to shop from you if they enjoy your videos enough!
8. Optimize for Local SEO
If your business is part of the local businesses around your area, you should optimize your website for local SEO as part of your retail marketing efforts. This will allow you to compete with other retail stores or make sure yours is at the top of search results. Making sure your Google My Business profile is optimized will help you increase your chances of ranking higher than your competition. If you still haven’t created one, we recommend you do it as soon as possible. You can create a GMB profile here
9. Invest in a Customer Loyalty Program
You should nurture relationships with your existing customers and ensure they don’t leave you. Investing in loyalty programs will make them feel valued and ensure that they don’t change to the competition. Offer discounts, benefits, coupons, or anything else that makes them think they made the right choice when hiring your services. It will also help encourage word of mouth marketing and help drive new customers to your business.
Shockingly, you might be the only brick and mortar business taking advantage of these strategies in your area—which definitely puts you ahead of the curve!
Find out more marketing strategies and work with our team at REALTOP to create a comprehensive marketing strategy, no matter how big or small your business may be. Contact us today and get a Free Marketing Plan!
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Best regards, Nik Tsoukales, CEO
Direct Line: 617-315-1138
Main Line: 617.741.9972
Skype: nikitastsoukales
Email: nik@realtop.com
