How can Digital Marketing Help Improve In-Store Traffic?

Marketers often wrongly assume that digital marketing only serves the purpose of generating leads and boosting revenues for online stores and businesses. That’s not true. At Tenfold Growth Ltd – London Marketing Agency we believe that a digital marketing strategy will serve any purpose that you intend to achieve.

As long as the purpose is well-defined, realistic and result-oriented. You can shape a digital marketing strategy to pursue any given goal, even improving in-store traffic and acquiring new customers. So, how can you go about getting new customers to come to your store by running a digital marketing campaign?

Keep reading to find out more.

Social Media Marketing

Social media plays an instrumental role in any given digital marketing campaign, whether you want to generate more leads or boost in-store traffic. Your content has to be optimized to fulfill your goals. First and foremost, it is vital to identify the social media platforms used by your target audience.

Are you targeting millennials? If yes, then Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat are viable platforms. If you’re targeting mid-aged adults or the elderly, Facebook is a viable option. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram generally work well in targeting a diverse array of consumer segments so it is wise to include them in your overall social media marketing strategy.

You can use social media to show your retail store or restaurant to your audience. You can give them live tours, and use the Facebook or Instagram Live tools to show off your merchandise and new products. You can promote your seasonal décor and your product offerings to attract more customers to visit your store.

Promotions & Discounts

Consumers adore discounts, especially millennials, and offering discounts and promotions is the best way to win over new customers. You can use your website and social media platforms to introduce a discount that is applicable only on in-store purchases. Such discounts will definitely encourage existing customers to return to your store, alongside roping in some new customers.

You can also offer your customers privilege cards and special offers to encourage them to visit your store. For instance, you can distribute free gift cards, or add in some promotional gifts to each purchase to keep them coming.

Local SEO Marketing

Whether you run a restaurant, a fashion boutique or a hair salon, local SEO marketing is instrumental and highly beneficial at boosting in-store traffic. You see, users rely on local searches to find out businesses and services near them so they can make buying decisions. Users who use local searches do not need convincing as they are already looking for a product or service.

It is typical for users to use “near me” keywords to find restaurants, hair salons and other businesses. Incorporating these keywords to your content marketing strategy will work wonders at improving your SEO rankings.

At Tenfold Growth we emphasize the significance of keyword research, and incorporating local search keywords to make your website and digital presence more relevant. Local SEO marketing will help you acquire new customers and boost in-store traffic significantly.

Consider adding the name of your city/town or area in your blogs and content. It is also wise to add the names of the nearest landmarks and top attractions to generate more traffic and tailor your website experience in accordance with search queries.

Online Directories

Yelp, Google My Business, Trip Advisors and other online directories play an instrumental role in generating in-store traffic. These platforms help businesses create a strong online presence, and win over credibility and trust. Consumers are more likely to trust businesses that have a strong presence on online directories and dozens of positive reviews from their customers.

You see, consumers browse these online directories when looking for hair salons, restaurants and even handymen and plumbers. They go through reviews and testimonials to see whether a business is worth their hard-earned money or not. Creating elaborate profiles on these online directories will help you acquire new customers and boost in-store traffic splendidly.

Google My Business (GMB) is the most significant of all because users typically rely on Google search to find businesses or restaurants near them. If you have a GMB profile, it will appear at the top of the search results to facilitate users with relevant options.

Most businesses create their GMB profiles in horrible haste and without paying attention to the aesthetics. Aesthetics play a vital role in digital marketing, and it is important for all businesses to appeal to the tastes of their consumer audience. Set up an appealing and engaging GMB profile with high-resolution images of your store and offerings, and be sure to add links to all your social media platforms and website.

Reach out to your customers, family and friends for some positive reviews to uplift your profile and create a solid first impression!

Word of Mouth Marketing

Word of mouth marketing is one of the oldest, traditional marketing strategies and even in this day and age of technological evolution, this strategy is highly relevant and viable. The idea is to encourage your existing customers to bring in more customers to win discounts, special offers or loyalty cards.

It is wise to create an elaborate scheme, such as loyalty programs, to encourage your customers to rope in new customers and spread the word about your products. This strategy is an absolute winner when it comes to boosting in-store traffic and gaining new customers.

 We have had the pleasure to work with numerous in-store businesses, retailers, and restaurants. We have helped salon owners, service-oriented businesses, book shops and even hoteliers in using digital marketing to boost revenues and acquire new customers. Our team can help you put together a solid marketing strategy to boost in-store traffic.

With the advent of online commerce and the convenience it has to offer, businesses with physical stores have suffered a great deal. But we firmly believe that the right marketing mix can help businesses achieve greater success by tapping into their target audience effectively.