5 Creative Ways to Increase Foot Traffic to Your Place of Business

Over 70% of companies claim converting leads into paying customers is their absolute top priority. If you’re struggling to generate foot traffic to your store, you’ll never generate sales in the first place! An effective marketing strategy could make all the difference.

Here are five easy, creative ways to drive traffic to your store. With these tips, you can start attracting and wowing customers.

Then, you can leave a lasting impression on your target audience to continue drawing them to your store in the future.

Read on to discover the tips you need for generating retail store traffic today.

1. Leverage Digital Engagement

First, take the time to develop an online presence. An online presence can help you generate brand awareness. It also gives consumers a chance to learn more about your products.

You can spark their interest online, then invite them to your store to see your products up close and personal.

When developing your online presence, make sure to consider:

• Brand consistency
• Web design and development
• Blogging and search engine optimization (SEO)
• Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
• Social media marketing
• Email marketing

Use blogging to educate consumers or answer the questions they’re asking that are relevant to your products. Then, use SEO to rank higher on search engines like Google. Higher rankings will ensure your store appears first when they search for your offerings.

Update your Google Business listing as well to make sure consumers can find your:

• Business name
• Address/directions
• Hours
• Website
• Customer reviews
• Products
• Star rating

Your Google Business listing can help you increase foot traffic.

2. Create Entertaining Experiences

Stand apart from the competition and bring customers to your store by offering entertaining in-store experiences. For example, consumers can visit beauty and cosmetics stores to virtually “try on” makeup before making a purchase. Since consumers can’t enjoy these experiences online, they’ll feel inclined to visit your store.

Start creating experiences that show consumers the benefits of choosing your products. Encourage consumers to interact with these experiences, too. You can entertain and delight consumers before encouraging them to make a purchase.

To get started, consider using technology to inform, entertain, and educate customers. Create opportunities they can’t find anywhere else.

3. Introduce Text Message Promotions

An omnichannel marketing strategy can help you reach and appeal to consumers at different touchpoints. You’ll have an easier time generating brand awareness and recognition as a result. As part of this strategy, consider using text message marketing to increase foot traffic to your business.

About 6.65 billion people use smartphones. Meanwhile, 75% of consumers want to receive offers through SMS. The clickthrough rate for offer messages is higher by 9.18% compared to other channels.

Meanwhile, 80% of coupon redemption in the US occurs through text message marketing.

First, make sure consumers know they can subscribe via text to receive exclusive deals and promotions. Then, send a promotional code for in-store deals. Leverage the fear of missing out by sending last-minute events and deals, too.

Consumers will rush to your store to avoid missing out on a limited-time offer.

Make sure you develop a strategy for capturing customer phone details into your CRM. Give consumers the chance to opt in and out, too.

4. Engage With Your Community

Don’t lose sight of your target audience. Instead, learn how to engage your local community to drive traffic to your store.

First, consider the problems your customers face daily. Determine how you can help solve those problems. For example, perhaps there’s not an ATM in the area.

Learning how to get ATM machine products in your store could help you generate more foot traffic.

Otherwise, look into local events and community activities. For example, you can host a locally-inspired event or sponsor a local sports team.

Consider your signage, too. Market any locally produced items you sell to encourage customers to support your community.

5. Invest in Employee Training

A stunning store and the best marketing strategies won’t help if your staff offers a poor customer experience. Once you begin to drive traffic to your store, you need a plan to impress customers. Otherwise, they’ll leave feeling disgruntled and disappointed.

They might tell friends and family members about their negative experience, leading to negative word-of-mouth marketing. If you develop a negative brand reputation, people won’t visit your store in the future. Instead, they’ll avoid your business based on what they heard.

Instead, take the time to invest in your team and customer service strategy.

Providing a better customer experience than your competitors can help you drive traffic to your store in the future.

First, take the time to train your employees. Consider hiring an experienced expert to spend a day training your staff if needed. Remind employees that leaving a positive lasting impression can have a lasting impact.

Next, prepare your employees by having them develop a mental suit of armor. They might experience occasional customer abuse. Warn them in advance and train them on how to handle these situations with politeness and respect.

Your employees also need to care—both about your store and your customers. Talk to them individually to make sure everyone is on the same page.

You can spend thousands of dollars on marketing, only to waste that money if customer contact isn’t handled correctly in your store. Poor service can stop purchases and ruin your brand.

Instead, make the best first impression possible.

Set for Success: Start Generating More Foot Traffic Today

Learning how to generate more foot traffic to your brick-and-mortar store could set your business up for lasting success. Give these five creative tips a try this year. Then, review the outcome of each strategy to determine which is most effective.

Keep trying new tips and tricks to develop the best marketing strategy possible to ensure your company’s lasting growth.

Searching for more tips? You’re on the right blog.

Check out our latest guides today for more useful advice.