A steady flow of local walk in foot traffic is one of the most crucial components of running a brick and mortar storefront. Having a storefront in your local community puts your presence in the forefront of options for your local customers.   The more people that visit your store in person and online, the more opportunities you create to engage and re-engage with your customers and grow your customer sales base. Our 5 Top Tips to Stimulate Local Business Traffic will help your planning and executing of your marketing process.

Fortunately there are multiple ways to attract your target audience and become an established and trusted business expert in your community.

Creating more foot traffic to your local business is key in a hyper-localized shopping world.  Remember, your competition is down the street & online. Wow, that’s not too much pressure! Read on…

Scenario – So, you have a local business, your store is in an ok to amazing location, your hours are very competitive and word of mouth says you have great window marketing.   

All of this is important and we take our hats off to you for your drive and creativity.  This will prove to be beneficial in the overall picture, short and longterm.  But, how are you attracting your customers to your business if they are not exactly standing in front of your storefront and experiencing  something which speaks to them emotionally?

With regular foot traffic, the advantages are it:

• allows businesses to see and interact with customers personally
• can generate word-of-mouth advertising and, in turn, repeat customers through recommendations
• enables face-to-face sales, which many consumers are more comfortable with
• allows customers to ask questions directly and get immediate answers

We offer you 5 Top Tips to Stimulate Local Business Traffic, to help promote your local business in your local community.   Because, without the foot traffic, over the phone purchases and online purchases your sales will flag.   

Here are some great suggestions that you can employ today!

Your customers are on on their digital platforms, be it phones, desktops, tablets or word of mouth.  Your customers are key to your business retention and growth so your relationship with them is paramount to your growth.  The first key point is to reach them on their devices.  They are searching for answers to their questions on the internet and Google will be the #1 go to search for their answers.  If, you are not listed on Google, they will not find you in their searches…mind you they do not have all day to search page after page on Google. They are looking at the top 5 listings, be one of the top 5!

Tip #1 

Make Sure You Can Be Found on the Internet

Take the time to get represented on the internet.  Start with Google Business Profile (formerly known as Google My Business)  This is a free listing where you can submit your business information, photos, links to content, products (new and upcoming) ask and answer questions and follow with statistics to see the behaviors of your audience (customers).  The key here is to be optimized.  Google rewards businesses & listings  who offer the best optimization such as local SEO keywords, reviews, photos and correct NAP (Name, Address, Phone) contact information.  This will place your business on Google Maps with a verified address location. 

Listing on Google Business Profile & Google Maps is a high ranking method for local searches. This does take time and commitment to keep your information relevant, Read more here about Atlas Virtual Media’s GBP affordable management services & reputation management.  Take advantage of the FREE service from Google, but there is no point in creating your online local presence if you cannot maintain it.  In fact, three out of four consumers are more likely to visit physical stores if they find local information in search results helpful. Let us help your business with management of your Profile.

Tip #2

Excellent Instore Customer Experience 

Create an excellent experience for your customers.  Retarget past customers to return with an incentive special or savings coupon.  There is no doubt that online shopping has grown exponentially and still continues to explode the statistics.  But that is not the only shopping experience that consumers are seeking.  Consumers have three top painpoints when online shopping that brick and mortar stores can capitalize on:

• Paying for shipping
• Not being able to touch, feel, smell adn try on a product
• Laborious return policies

With this in mind, creating an excellent customer experience with all three of the “dislikes” is all the more reason for your customers to return and bring a friend.  The in-store shopping experience is incomparable to browsing items on a desktop or mobile screen. The ability to see, touch and try products before purchase remains the biggest motivator for consumers to shop offline.

Finding qualified employees and help is a real growing  issue in the 2022 climate.  But this is an area where you need to spend time training your staff to interface with the customers.  Your employees are the first and sometimes last impression of your customers experience. Customers tend to relate to the experience before the Brand, keep your employees up to date with the most current techniques for speed and customer experience.  Your customers will show loyalty online and with purchases based on an excellent customer experience.  Contact Atlas Virtual Media for more information on how they are offering digital signage “help wanted solutions” that reach 1000’s of views per day.

Tip #3 

Schedule and Instore event & workshop

The advantages of a physical store over an ecommerce store is the personalization that you can offer your customer.  This is a huge benefit for your target audience and local community.  This is an area where you can bring together several like minded customers.  Drive more foot traffic with instore specials, new product launches, give aways, closed shopping experiences, product experience and classes.  Consumers view physical shopping as entertainment experiences and socializaton events.  Bring a friend and enter a chance to win our gift basket at a $250 value.   Consider organizing an “instore only shopping night with deep discounts, cocktails & appetizers with music.  This is exciting for all customers!

Tip #4

Local Digital Advertising

Traditional advertising which employees the “spray & pray” method, posting an advertisement and hoping the right target audience sees or hears it, and actually acts upon it can be challenging when you consider the individualized digital ads currently deployed on phones and computers.  Localized Digital Advertising has the incredible advantage of reaching your hyper localized community with your promotions and brand awareness, specifically localized for your business. 

Not only does it reach the right audience, it can be updated quickly for a minimal cost, unlike traditional advertising.  Digital advertising is part of an omni channel approach of reaching your desired audience and creating a demand to respond.  More importantly, digital ads can be tracked and measured to see how effective your ads are at reaching your target audience. 

This can be accomplished through

1. GeoFencing Ads
2. Past Customer retargeting ads
3. Social Media Ads & Google Business Profile 
4. Indoor Digital Signage advertising

A steady stream of foot traffic is one of the most crucial parts of running a brick and mortar store. The more people that walk into a physical location, the more opportunities to engage with your customers and grow your sales are afforded.

Indoor Digital Signage Advertising, is an affordable and quick way to be seen and remembered in front of your customers. This is accomplished through the powerful platform of video ads.  Displayed on a  screen which is available to view in a central location at a high traffic venue like a restaurant, gym or medical office.   It is bright, colorful and leaves an excellent first impression, coupled with a QR Code, the viewer can visit your location immediately. 

61% of viewers agree digital billboard are a good way to learn about SALES and EVENTS

Indoor Digital Signage advertising has the direct benefit of reaching the right people at the right time in the right place as the ads are in multiple locations all day every day.  Spend time discovering the multiple benefits of digital signage. Atlas Virtual Media offers a large TV network of screens where ads are played to that particular local community.

Tip #5

Create an Excellent Landing Page

Create an informational goldmine landing page with rich content and solutions, driving your customers to create an “engagement” which is an action of movement, form filling or best outcome a purchase.  Informative landing pages educate and provide the experience to drive the customer to the next action and become a loyal customer. 

Customers are the very highest compliment in the commerce world as they provide, feedback, results, repeate purchases, and become loyal ambassadors, growing your business with word of mouth.  Your customers are your red carpet to growing your business.  Atlas Virtual Media creates, designs and manages landing pages connected to QR codes used on their clients advertisements. 

QR Codes are a powerful tool for yoru customer experience. Your customer does not need both hands to type or write a message or number, they do not require any notes or deep thinking..they simply turn on the photo app on the phone, let the camera focus on the Code displayed and the user is re-directed to the landing page where the businesses products, sales and promotions are listed on the landing page.

The sky is the limit for the creativity of a landing page with UX (customer experience ) as the most relevant focus and conversion as the ultimate goal. Conversions can be an email, contact, education, download, coupon, or a purchase.  The purchase is the final destination of the customer, there is a journey that needs to take place prior…digital signage advertising is the middleman between the business and the customer. 

Contact Us for more information regarding affordable digital signage to display your ad on the Local TV Network in your community.  Let’s start a conversation about your advertising and customer goals. We create colorful, motivating ads that speak directly to your target audience with extremely affordable packages.

Atlas Virtual Media Team

July 2022