By Henry Brown
If you own a small retail business, you already understand how tough it can be to survive in today’s shopping arena. Not only are you facing competition from bigger rivals with many locations, but there are also those online giants (Amazon, eBay, WalMart) who are stealing customers away from main street. The best way to counter the threat of other businesses is to improve your level of marketing; finding new ways to push your business into the minds of customers. Take a look at the marketing ideas below, and consider implementing some of them into your business strategy.
– Put up more signage. Promote your business with signs outside and inside your store. Grab a few ceiling grid clips and have them overhanging, and screw them onto walls where nobody can miss them. Your signs should be bright and colorful, with promotional words to push your product and service. This is a surefire way to attract customers on the outside, and you can further secure their interest in what you do through your signs on the inside.
– Produce a brochure. Don’t just wait for your customers to come into your store to see what you have on offer. It’s wise to push your products into the minds of your customers to let them know exactly what you are selling. This can be through a paper brochure, created with the services of a printing company, as well as online, creating a website for your business, and having good-looking, high-resolution pictures to promote your products.
– Focus on digital marketing. People are doing most of their shopping online because of their extended use of the internet. Take advantage of this by attracting future customers in the places where they most frequent, such as on social media. We have some excellent internet marketing tips here, so take a look and pick and choose the methods that suit you and your business.
You should also consider talking to a professional marketing agency to ensure that you are getting the best possible help. We understand that this can sometimes be out of the budget, but we can assure you that it’s worth fitting in. Getting professional help here will make all the difference, helping you to generate high quality leads, bringing in more customers than ever before.
– Leverage your brand. As a retail store owner, you already have a brand through the name and tagline that your store promotes. However, you can do more with this. For example, you could put your logo on staff t-shirts, store bags, merchandise, and car decals, taking word of your business out into the world. Again, eye-catching colors are a must, attracting the attention of others, wherever your brand is shown.
– Advertise online. You have probably already placed an advertisement for your business in local newspapers and publications. However, there are plenty of places where you can advertise online. Consider these popular online directories for one, and then encourage your customers to promote you on sites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp to extend your reach and prove your worth to future customers.
Finally
You can avoid the pitfalls that many other business owners have fallen into if you continue to make marketing your priority. Take note of our ideas, read these tips from retail experts, and continue to research new areas of marketing to keep up with your customers. We wish you every success with your business.
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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.
