Physical retail shops are still skeptical about the power of e-commerce. Brick and motor businesses, without doubt, are hesitant to venturing online, thinking that they will dilute their prevailing business model and confuse customers. However, it is virtually evident that the internet surges in growth, making it an effective marketing and advertising platform for retailers who want to survive.
The internet makes products easily accessible, offer comparably low prices and allow shoppers to shop from the convenience of their homes. It is due to this that most flexible large companies have focused on online marketing as brick and motor stores suffer some low period.
Well, this doesn’t mean that physical stores with traditional marketing methods are defeated. Whereas online marketing brings forth much convenience, most people prefer going out physically to the stores themselves. That said, below are some of the best marketing techniques brick and motor shops can leverage.
Prioritize Web Design
How you design your website is a direct reflection of your brand. You should specifically pay attention to how the website is mobile responsive. The importance of a mobile responsive website comes in as most internet users prefer Google searching from their mobile devices. So to say, the research found out that 57 percent of internet users will not recommend to their friends business with a poorly designed mobile website.
When it comes to mobile-friendly websites, everything from the site’s loading time to placement of items on the phone screen heavily affects whether or not a prospect will make a purchase. That said, hire an expert in this area to develop something strong that will help you transition to the online marketing arena.
Build an Online Community
Perhaps the best way to introduce your brick and motor retail store to internet marketing is by building an online community. For instance, if you have primarily been dealing with brick and motor stuff and venturing into the online world, begin with content marketing.
Your goal should be to publish materials on a regular basis highlighting your expertise in the niche. A good example is a company offering tax preparation services. It should run a blog featuring stories about tax tips on exemptions. Similarly, you can try this even if you are new to the venture.
By building such an active online community, you will be simultaneously creating your own media outlet that can be of help when promoting your retail experience. The goal is to make people know where to turn to when they need certain products and trust your opinion in the subject area.
Add Value with Your Social Profile
Creating social media profiles isn’t enough in the current marketing sphere. If you want to drive more value from these social networks, you should prioritize engagement. Be it Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, implement measures that will drive high engagement in your profile. According to Outbound.net, you could also use them to generate excitement for new products, and use Facebook stories for marketing to people interested in your store.
A good example is the “Place Tips” feature from Facebook. This option displays custom messages such as greetings, welcome messages, and alerts to special events to users who have activated it once they visit your store.
Leverage Google AdWords
To get your message to today’s customers, you should think like them. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, think of how you would have discovered a business. For traditionalists, they would drive by and see a store. However, millennials will most likely Google it.
That said, if you want to reach this group, which is in thousands, you should invest in paid advertising. Google AdWords is a good option that gives brands a bang for their buck.
Coupons
All marketers like it when they think they have a bargain on products or services they need. It enables them to save money or get something they couldn’t afford. As such, offering brick and motor customers discount vouchers printed on magazines, fliers, and special online offers is the best way to draw people your way. Producing coupons is overly cheap, as you only need to print several for a few hundred dollars.
Nonetheless, one major problem of using coupons is that they have a low return value. For every hundred coupons distributed, you can only get a quarterback. Most times, customers may either lose them, throw them away or forget them completely. They are, however, good for offering a discount on moving stock.
Polished Customer Service
One thing that brick and motor shops enjoy that online stores can’t is good customer service. There is an aspect of the human element that makes it enjoyable visiting the store rather than checking their website. Human staff at the store can help attract customers.
Traditionally, excellent customer service could spread by word of mouth and people would readily recommend the store to their friends. That said, any retail store should coach its staff on fundamental customer relation skills. It doesn’t require much, with a large percentage being courtesy. Encourage your staff to remember to welcome customers warmly, smile and make polite conversations.
Banners and Signs
Banners and signs are the most honored traditional marketing method for brick and motor businesses. They are usually placed outside or close the shop. The main idea is for them to draw attention to passers-by and give an idea of what the store stocks.
Banners are also used to give details of new events and special offers taking place in the store. These methods are quick, easy to use and cheap. However, they will only market your store to those passing by the street and paying attention to what’s around them. The best thing, however, is that they can easily be personalized.
Conclusion
A brick and motor business should appreciate the paradigm shift in marketing strategies to survive the current sphere. They should invest in various ways of optimizing their online experience. How your website looks, how your business handles customers is of much importance.
Traditional marketers shouldn’t view the internet as an enemy. Instead, they should join the bandwagon and get their share of profits as an e-commerce store. Current customers spend a significant amount of time online, thus developing an online marketing strategy is essential. However, this doesn’t mean that traditional marketing techniques such as coupons and banners will not work.
