Motherload Series: Best Ways to Your Promote Brick & Mortar Business

Would you believe the best way to promote your physical store is by using your online presence? It may seem a bit biased coming from a team of experts in digital marketing, but it’s true. 

Don’t believe us? Allow us to explain in this installment of our Motherload Series. 

Harness Your Google Business Profile and Yelp Listing 

In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for any business that wants to succeed. A majority of shoppers claim that reviews play a part in discovering local businesses. One of the most important ways to establish that presence is through your Google Business Profile and Yelp listing. These two tools can help your business reach more customers, attract more positive reviews, and respond effectively to feedback and criticism.

First and foremost, a Google Business Profile is an important part of any digital marketing strategy. When someone searches for your business on Google, the profile appears in a boxed-out section of search results pages. This gives shoppers a quick snapshot of your business, including your rating and reviews, trading hours, address, description, and photos. By ensuring that your Google Business Profile is up-to-date and accurate, you can make a strong impression on potential customers and increase your chances of being found in local search results.

In addition to your Google Business Profile, a Yelp listing is another key tool for promoting your business online. Yelp is a platform that allows customers to review and rate businesses across a range of industries, from hospitality and retail to tradespeople and entertainment. By claiming your business listing and regularly updating it with helpful information, you can attract new customers and build credibility among your target audience. Positive reviews and high ratings can help your business stand out from competitors, while negative reviews can provide valuable feedback that you can use to improve your products or services.

Of course, managing your online reputation also means responding effectively to feedback and criticism. Both channels provide a platform for businesses to respond to customer reviews, whether positive or negative. By taking the time to respond thoughtfully to feedback and address any issues that arise, you can demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction and build trust with potential customers.

Harnessing your Google Business Profile and Yelp listings is an important part of any digital marketing strategy. By ensuring that your profiles are up-to-date and accurate, responding to feedback effectively, and regularly updating your listings with helpful information, you can attract more customers, build credibility, and ultimately grow your business.

Turn on Local Ads at Google, Yelp, and Next Door

In today's world, when someone is searching for a local business, they are likely to use search terms like "businesses near me." This is where local ads come in handy. By enabling local ad services on Google, Yelp, and Nextdoor, you can target potential customers who are searching for businesses like yours in their local area.

Local ads are especially important for small businesses because they help them to be more visible to their target audience. When someone is searching for a restaurant or electrician, they’ll want to find one that's nearby. By enabling local ad services, you can increase your chances of appearing in search results for local businesses.

Enabling local ads on Google, Yelp, and Nextdoor is relatively easy. Google, for example, offers a simple process to create an effective search ad on their website. You can specify your target audience, budget, ad format, and Google will help you create an ad that is tailored to your needs.

If you're looking to reach your target audience more effectively and increase your business's visibility, local ads is the best route for you. By enabling local ad services, you can reach potential customers who are searching for businesses like yours in their local area. To learn how to do so on Google, check out their website. They make it as simple as possible to create an effective search ad, but if you're not sure how to enable local ads on Google or any other platform, you can always seek the help of a digital marketing agency like Integrate Agency. They can provide you with the expertise you need to create effective local ads that reach your target audience.

Remarket and Entice Previous Customers to Come Back

Remarketing is a powerful tool for businesses to bring back customers who have previously shown an interest in their products or services. This could be in the form of a previous purchase, website visit, email subscription, or membership in a loyalty program. By targeting these previous customers, businesses can increase foot traffic to their brick and mortar stores and boost sales.

One effective way to entice previous customers to come back is by offering exclusive in-store deals. Personalized emails that target customers based on their previous preferences are a great way to make them feel valued and appreciated. These emails can include special offers, discounts, or promotions that are only available in-store. By reminding customers of the value they received during their previous interactions with your business, you increase the likelihood of them returning.

Another strategy for remarketing is by leveraging social media. You can ask customers to sign up using their social media accounts, which will allow you to send them a friendly direct message with personalized discounts if they return to your store. An expiration date on these promotions is essential, as it creates a sense of urgency and encourages customers to take action before the offer expires.

Remarketing to previous customers is an effective method to increase foot traffic to your store and boost sales. Offering exclusive in-store deals and leveraging social media to personalize your offers will entice customers to return to your business. By making them feel valued and appreciated, you can create a loyal customer base that will continue to support your business in the future.

Update Social Media Regularly

Social media has become a global hub of FOMO – the Fear Of Missing Out, for those not up with the lingo. In a digital marketing sense, what we mean by this is customers are more likely to take part if they see others doing the same. 

Regularly posting updates to social media is an essential strategy for businesses to keep their followers engaged and involved in their brand. With the fear of missing out being a prevalent factor in social media now, customers are more likely to participate if they see others doing the same. By regularly posting about your in-store events, achievements, and overall journey, your followers will feel like they are missing out on something if they don't visit your store.

Using social media to promote your store is an effective way to highlight new displays, exclusive in-store products, and favorite customers. Posting updates about your store creates a sense of excitement and anticipation for customers, which can motivate them to visit in person. In-store competitions that are promoted on social media can also encourage people to visit your store and participate in the event. These promotions can increase the chances of people seeing themselves in one of your posts and increase customer loyalty.

Another way to use social media to entice customers to visit your store is to offer exclusive discounts or promotions for those who follow your page. By making customers feel like they are part of an exclusive group, you can create a loyal customer base that will continue to support your business in the future.

In conclusion, regular social media updates are crucial for businesses to keep their followers engaged and motivated to visit their store. By promoting in-store events, exclusive products, and favorite customers, businesses can create a sense of excitement and anticipation for people to turn up in person. These people then see themselves in one of your posts (with permission, of course) and the cycle of customer loyalty grows. 

Encourage In-Store Pickup

Curbside and in-store pickup is a popular delivery method that has seen steady growth in recent years. According to Insider Intelligence, these sales grew by over 100% in the United States in 2020, and this trend is expected to continue, with sales almost doubling by 2026. Pickup offers businesses an easy way to increase brick-and-mortar traffic while providing customers with greater flexibility.

By offering these services, businesses can encourage customers to visit their stores and take advantage of exclusive in-store discounts. This strategy can be complemented by digital marketing efforts, such as targeted email campaigns and social media promotions. If exclusive discounts are offered as well, businesses can entice customers to visit their stores and take advantage of both the convenience and savings.

Another advantage of the pickup service is that it allows businesses to better manage their inventory and avoid overstocking. This is because customers can place their orders online and pick them up in-store, reducing the risk of products being left unsold. Additionally, businesses can offer a more personalized shopping experience by allowing customers to try on or inspect products in-store before making their purchase.

To successfully implement curbside or in-store pickup, businesses need to invest in their digital marketing strategies. This could include creating a dedicated section on their website, optimizing their online checkout process, and promoting the services on social media and other digital channels. By making it a seamless and convenient process for customers, businesses can increase their in-store traffic and sales while providing a better shopping experience for their customers.

Contact Integrate Agency

Our team has proudly taken the B&M stores of many local businesses from zero to hero. One client even grew their in-store sales from 0 to 14% thanks to our strategy. If you need help achieving the same kind of growth, get in touch with Integrate Agency today.