Brands can reach consumers at the press of a button, sales can be completed in mere seconds and a single message can be shared globally in a flash. The power of digital is undeniable, but what does this mean if your business is ‘offline’?
If your business primarily functions as a bricks and mortar store, you can still drive a great amount of footfall into your physical premises from your online presence.
Here’s 6 key ways to translate your online audience into real life customers:
Start developing your local Search Engine Optimisation
Start building your local profile online. If potential customers are searching for your products or services within your specific area then you’ll want to rank as highly as possible in the search engine results. Provide as much information as possible to help the search engine understand your business. Ensure that your online touchpoints offer clear information about your location, opening times and contact details. Another great way to build your local profile is to register with Google My Business. This will give your business more credibility both on and offline and help to generate greater awareness in your locality.
Use online reviews
Online reviews and customer feedback are a fantastic way to drive potential customers to your store by providing a form of ‘social proof’. Displaying reviews online offers validation to interested consumers that you are a genuine, trusted business. Reviews are a great virtual word of mouth tool that can help potential visitors decide to visit your premises and even choose your business over local competition.
Share your business on social media
Just because your business has physical premises doesn’t mean you should shy away from building an online community. Growing your own social media profiles is a great way to build awareness and develop long-term engagement with your customers. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram enable you to share a variety of content that can not only interest potential customers but ensure existing customers keep coming back. Use your platforms to share updates about your shop, post photos, share customer feedback and respond to customer service enquiries. Let your customers know the reasons why they should visit you in store by highlighting the positive experience of visiting the store and the value customers can gain over online shopping.
Engage shoppers with email marketing
An email newsletter provides a great communication tool to drive customers to your premise with specific in-store offers and deals. A regular e-newsletter can help to keep your brand in the customer’s mind and ensure they stay up to date with your new products/services, sales, events or campaigns. Send your subscribers updates about the savings they can make in store or a time-sensitive voucher to give them a reason to journey in-store.
Run campaigns on and offline
If you’re running a particular in-store campaign then don’t miss out on the online opportunity! Share details of the campaign across all of your online touchpoints to create awareness and drum up greater interest. Rather than relying solely on passing trade in response to window displays and posters, you can reach a greater target audience by taking your campaign online. Send emails, share posts on social media and even consider running an online advertising campaign. A timely, engaging campaign could give potential customers a clear reason to visit your store.
Use your greatest asset!
Get your customers involved online and offline! Encourage your customers to share photos, reviews, blogs, videos or referrals of your company on their own social media profiles. Put information about your social media profiles, your hashtags or blog in your physical shop to encourage customers to interact with and talk about your business online. If your business is focused on a local area, one customer Facebook update could bring in 5 of their connections. Don’t forget the power of your online advocates – even if your business is offline!