Businesses who operate out of a physical store often look for ways to increase traffic at their locations. Differentiate yourself by offering an exceptional customer service experience and creating a memorable in-store environment. Here are various ways to get started.
Foot Traffic = People Walking Into Your Store
People refer to foot traffic when they talk about the total number of people who visit your business during an average day. Foot traffic measurement helps you understand many things about your business, from how effective your marketing campaigns are to whether or not you’re properly staffed for peak hours.
Nail Down Your Google Business Profile Listing
According to Google, “near me” queries containing variations of “can I buy” or “to buy” saw an increase of 500 percent between 2014 and 2015. Additionally, 88 percent of people who ran a local search on their smartphones visited a nearby business within one week.
Luckily, increasing your Google presence isn’t difficult at all. Consider setting up a Google Business Profile for yourself if you haven’t already done so. Include as many relevant details about your company as possible, such as your:
- address
- hours of operation
- phone number
- unique features
- and more
Add photos too! If you want to get noticed by potential customers/clients, then making sure your business profile looks good is important.
Integrate Your Online and Offline Marketing
Before COVID-19 hit, most local businesses kept some distance between their online and offline marketing efforts. They’d use advertising and discounts to attract people into their stores. They’d then use social media and emails to keep their audience updated and increase foot traffic further.
Local business owners today are using an integrated approach to create a coherent plan for their brick-and-mortar locations that include both online and offline methods to attract new visitors.
Stay Consistent
Make sure you decide how and when you’re going to interact with your audience and keep up with it. It doesn’t help if you change every time someone asks for something different; this will only cause confusion. If you’re going to post multiple times a day on any given social network, then don’t just stop doing so when you want to “go dark.” You cannot send emails during the holiday season but not any other time.
Your overall message needs to remain consistent but its appearance may vary from time to time.
Re-engage Old Customers Using New Approaches
When a place where you go often changes its menu or decor, it’s usually nice to see them trying out different things. Social media has made sharing things quickly easy. Doing something different or unusual and doing it really well can now be shared instantly online.
Consider ways you can draw the attention of your already existing customers. You don’t need to go too crazy here; just offer some kind of special deal or let people know about an exciting addition to your business.
A sale is a no-fail way to re-engage existing customers. Send an email or e-newsletter to your subscribers and share that message across social media feeds. If you want to get people talking about your store, then you may consider hosting an exclusive pre-sale event for a select few.
If you are in the service industry, consider giving a referral bonus if someone refers a client to you.
Have Visible Signage
Signage can be highly effective at increasing foot traffic. Look at your storefront signage from an outsider’s perspective. Can people see it from 10, 20, and/or 30 feet away? Can they recognize it from across the street? Will they be able to see it at night?
If you answer no to any of these questions, then you might need to beef up your signage. There are no specific guidelines, as the type, size, and material of your signage will depend on the type of store you run, the plaza or shopping center you’re located in, and local zoning laws.
Whatever type of sign you use, be sure to choose high-quality ones that look good and don’t get lost in the crowd.
Host an Event
Special events can help increase foot traffic at your business. If you’re selling workout clothing, consider offering a free yoga class at your store? Lululemon often does this as a way to incentivize customers to visit one of their locations.
Partnering with other local businesses for joint promotions is another way to get people involved. The idea here is to create an environment where people want to come back again and again.
Offer “Small Business Customer Service”
Consumers choose smaller local stores because they prefer their own personal relationship with them. Great customer service, good products, knowledgeable staff, and an enthusiastic attitude will help you attract new customers and retain existing ones. As you plan for upcoming events, sales, or workshops, leverage your small business advantages to their fullest potential.
In Conclusion
There are many ways to drive more foot traffic to your store. It all starts with having a clear vision for what you want to accomplish. Then, you’ll have to decide how best to achieve that goal. Ideally, some of the suggestion listed above will do just that!