{"id":4277,"date":"2022-01-19T13:38:55","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T20:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/?p=4277"},"modified":"2024-01-18T16:25:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T23:25:06","slug":"how-to-drive-traffic-to-your-store","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/how-to-drive-traffic-to-your-store\/","title":{"rendered":"Foot Traffic and Your SEO Campaign: Why Marketing Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"
From the earliest beginnings of a business, figuring out how to attract a steady stream of traffic has been one of the primary challenges faced by every retailer. And now that modern consumers have more options than ever, figuring out how to drive traffic to your store has never been more important.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Foot traffic is directly tied to sales, and by extension, the profitability and success of your business. For many businesses, it\u2019s become increasingly difficult to bypass the competition in our age of digital consumerism. But even though it might feel like the digital landscape presents more than its fair share of challenges, it can also be a major asset in your pursuit of increased traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n What does that mean for your business goals? Ultimately, a combination of digital and on-site strategies is the best way to attract more customer traffic to your store.<\/span><\/p>\n In many cases, business owners assume that online advertising tactics are only used for digital purposes. For example, a small brick-and-mortar barbershop owner might mistakenly believe that their business won\u2019t benefit from digital marketing strategies because all of their business is conducted in person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But actually, there is a direct connection between your online marketing plan and foot traffic in-store \u2013 and <\/span>Google has the statistics<\/span><\/a> to prove it. More than 75% of people who use their smartphones to search for products or services in their area will visit a nearby business within 24 hours, and nearly 30% of those individuals will end up making a purchase at that business. That, combined with the fact that <\/span>1 in 3<\/span><\/a> of all mobile searches is specifically related to location (i.e., \u201cfurniture stores near me\u201d), highlights the importance of your business\u2019s digital presence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If potential customers can\u2019t find your business online, how will they be able to visit your store? And if customers aren\u2019t locating your business via an online search, you can be sure that they\u2019re coming across your competitors instead.<\/span><\/p>\n As you can see, digital marketing is just as valuable as in-store tactics when it comes to figuring out how to attract customers to your store. That\u2019s why you\u2019ll find a wide variety of both types of strategies in this guide, assembled by your trusted team of marketing experts at V Digital Services.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s get started!<\/span><\/p>\n We don\u2019t have to tell you that social media is a dominant presence in our society, affecting virtually every aspect of our lives. So, it makes sense that <\/span>social media for businesses<\/span><\/a> has evolved into a marketing necessity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019re probably wondering how to use social media to increase foot traffic \u2013 and the answer is that there are many ways to tap into the power of social platforms to achieve that goal. Here are a few suggestions:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Capitalize on social media and SEO by using your social networks to bring people to your website, and in turn, your store. <\/b>The relationship <\/span>between SEO and social media<\/span><\/a> is somewhat complex and often debatable. However, it\u2019s clear that a business\u2019s social media profile can be an invaluable gateway of sorts, bringing relevant users to their website and thus strengthening search rankings in the long run. In other words, a successful social media plan can translate into a higher ranking in search results, driving a better rate of traffic, conversion, and even sales.<\/span><\/p>\n Google Business Profile (GBP) is a free online tool that every business should be using to its fullest potential, especially because it provides a myriad of benefits. If you\u2019ve ever searched for specific products or services in your area, then you\u2019ve most likely made use of Google Business Profile: it\u2019s that short segment of business listings that appear at the top of locally-oriented search results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you own a sports memorabilia shop. When people in your area conduct a Google search for something like \u201cbaseball cards for sale near me,\u201d a handful of GBP listings will be the first thing they see on the results page. So, you\u2019ll want to make sure you claim a spot in those listings and earn the click that will turn into in-person traffic at your store.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This means creating your GBP and tapping into smart strategies to optimize it for local search (and we teach you exactly how to do that <\/span>here, in this handy resource<\/span><\/a>). Then, you can be confident that the right people are finding your listing at the right time \u2013 and that they have the information they need to come to your store\u2019s physical location.<\/span><\/p>\n Remember those impressive statistics we mentioned earlier, illustrating the value of local search? Here\u2019s another: 88% of people that use their smartphone to run a local search will go to a related store within the week (<\/span>Google<\/span><\/a>). If that doesn\u2019t convince you to tackle this easy task, we don\u2019t know what will.<\/span><\/p>\n Events aren\u2019t only for venues; nearly every type of business can hold events tailored to their customer base. And not only will the event itself bring foot traffic into your store, but it can also spur a future increase in customers overall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The key is planning a store event that is relevant to the customers you want to attract. For example, if you operate a high-end wine retail shop, craft beer might not be the right fit. Instead, you could host an evening seminar that teaches guests how to pair various wines with complementary foods. Events are a great opportunity to get creative and even reach out to nearby businesses to collaborate.<\/span><\/p>\n Any campaign to increase store traffic is only as effective as the analytics used to measure its performance. If you don\u2019t have a means for assessing success, how can you pinpoint how and what to improve?<\/span><\/p>\n Before you implement any new ideas, create a plan for collecting retail analytics and measuring traffic. Then, establish a baseline for your foot traffic <\/span>before <\/span><\/i>launching a new campaign. That way, you\u2019ll be able to see the lift or decline that resulted. This concept applies to both on-site efforts and digital campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n Another way you can use retail analytics involves building a better understanding of your store\u2019s traffic patterns. Tracking customer behaviors \u2013 for example, what periods of the day you see the highest rate of traffic \u2013 will empower you to take a more informed approach to develop your marketing campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n While it\u2019s true that \u201cselfie culture\u201d has been the subject of more than a few jokes, our society\u2019s love for documenting everyday experiences is actually a major plus for businesses. We\u2019ve all scrolled through social media and seen photos taken at local trending spots, like restaurants, coffee shops, or stylish boutiques. And when a business manages to set up an irresistible photo-op (think creative photo backdrops, quirky signs, and the like), they have the potential to go viral.<\/span><\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to invest a ton of time or money into becoming an Instagram-worthy setting. In fact, something as simple as a customized neon sign, unusual art, or even a thoughtfully styled shelf can inspire a slew of snapshots.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As your photo opportunity gains traction online, your business will benefit from the basically free form of advertising customers are providing on your behalf. More people will want to come in to take a photo, <\/span>and <\/span><\/i>your social visibility will get a welcome lift.<\/span><\/p>\n Customer satisfaction reigns supreme, especially when you\u2019re trying to ramp up foot traffic. Even in our modern world, word of mouth is one of the most impactful marketing tools out there \u2013 but now, people are talking about you in person and online for the entire world to see.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ll reap a wealth of benefits when you establish your business as one that consistently provides excellent customer service. Both the increased customer loyalty and positive reputation will contribute to a growth in foot traffic, not to mention sustainable success.<\/span><\/p>\n Remember that customer service doesn\u2019t end at your on-site business. Customers (existing and potential) expect a high quality of service online as well, which means staying on top of various channels of communication. Social media pages, emails, and other digital connection points should all be <\/span>managed with professionalism and good branding<\/span><\/a> in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n At first glance, it might not seem like e-commerce would be helpful to a store\u2019s foot traffic. But actually, providing online shopping opportunities \u2013 specifically those that neatly segues into in-person visits \u2013 are a savvy strategy more and more retailers are using. Let your customers purchase items online, then come to your store for free pick-up. Also, make it easy for customers to return online purchases in-store.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First, there\u2019s the convenience factor: a happy, appreciative customer is one that will likely continue to return to your business. Then, there\u2019s the possibility that a customer arrives at your store for a pick up or return and then ends up buying additional items. And actually, it\u2019s a very good possibility: the <\/span>ICSC<\/span><\/a> found that nearly 70% of customers who pick-up their online orders in-store will make an additional purchase while they\u2019re there.<\/span><\/p>\n So, you\u2019re getting more customers to come into the store while simultaneously creating an opening for another purchase, which is effective marketing at its finest.<\/span><\/p>\n In order to see your foot traffic maintain a steady climb upwards, it\u2019s not enough to simply draw new people to your store. You\u2019ll also need to keep current customers coming back so you don\u2019t lose them to a competitor.<\/span><\/p>\n Keep your business at the top of their minds using email marketing, focusing on offering relevant content and customer-exclusive discounts. Remember, spamming customer inboxes with useless content is one of the fastest ways to end up in their digital trash can. So, invest in high-quality content such as a monthly newsletter, new product information, and the like.<\/span><\/p>\n This might sound like an overly obvious tip, but <\/span>online paid advertising<\/span><\/a> is nevertheless one of the most reliable ways to improve foot traffic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Google and Facebook are two of the most widely-used platforms for paid advertising, primarily because they provide ease of use and outstanding access to a diverse range of users. You\u2019ll also be able to utilize audience targeting capabilities to make sure your ads appear in front of online users within your area, specifically those that will be interested in what you have to offer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For example, if a small bakery began selling custom wedding cakes, paid advertising could be enormously beneficial. The bakery could use targeting to put ads in front of users within specific age brackets, with certain interests, and even with particularly online behaviors (like searching for wedding-related content). Essentially, a well-developed paid ad can be a direct route to your \u201cperfect\u201d customer.<\/span><\/p>\n An attractive, skillfully-designed website serves a multitude of purposes, from solidifying your brand identity to generating leads. There are also many ways to motivate users to make an actual visit to your physical location rather than keep their experience solely online.<\/span><\/p>\n Achieving this can be as simple as creating an eye-catching banner that promotes new product arrivals that are available for in-store purchases. Or, you can develop a regularly updated banner that features the latest sale or promotional special that can be taken advantage of by in-store shoppers only.<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, you\u2019ll need to have a website capable of attracting users in the first place. That means <\/span>partnering with a professional for web development<\/span><\/a>, SEO, and other best practices and strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n Feeling unsure about how to use digital marketing to attract foot traffic? For many business owners, figuring out the online world feels like a far more challenging task than utilizing in-store ideas \u2013 but that\u2019s where V Digital Services comes in.<\/span><\/p>\n V Digital Services is a full-service digital marketing agency for businesses of all types and sizes, providing <\/span>a diverse range of services<\/span><\/a> that include social media management, organic and local SEO, paid media, website design and development, and more. Consider us your go-to team for a smart digital strategy tailored to your goals, whether you want to bolster foot traffic, venture into e-commerce, or improve your online reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n Contact Us<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Image Source: BigMouse<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, Sentavio<\/span><\/a> , William Potter<\/span><\/a> , antstang<\/span><\/a> , ajfi<\/span><\/a> , ART PAL<\/span><\/a> , Zapp2Photo<\/span><\/a> \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From the earliest beginnings of a business, figuring out how to attract a steady stream of traffic has been one of the primary challenges faced by every retailer. And now that modern consumers have more options than ever, figuring out how to drive traffic to your store has never been more important.\u00a0 Foot traffic is […] KEEP READING<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":25717,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,12],"tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4277"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why Digital Marketing Matters for Foot Traffic?<\/h2>\n
<\/h2>\n
10 Practical Ideas to Increase Foot Traffic to Your Store<\/h2>\n
1. Get active on social media.<\/h3>\n
\n
2. Set up (and optimize) your Google Business Profile listing.<\/h3>\n
3. Host events that will garner interest from your target customers.<\/h3>\n
4. Make sure you\u2019re utilizing analytics to learn what\u2019s working \u2013 and what\u2019s not.<\/h3>\n
5. Create interesting photo opportunities in your store.<\/h3>\n
6. Hone in on your formula for quality customer service.<\/h3>\n
<\/h3>\n
7. Give customers the option of buying online and picking up (and returning) in-store.<\/h3>\n
8. Use email marketing to nurture your existing customer relationships.<\/h3>\n
9. Advertise online.<\/h3>\n
10. Build a high-quality website and use it to encourage in-store visits.<\/h3>\n
<\/h2>\n
Master Digital Strategies for More Foot Traffic with Help from V Digital Services<\/h2>\n