Top Marketing Tips for Shop Owners

If you’ve been running your shop for several years, or even if you’re starting a new business, you might want to reconsider your marketing efforts to boost your sales. A good marketing campaign can bring a breath of fresh air to any small business, even if you have a great premise and quality products.

As you’re a small business, you’ll probably be working on a budget, so here are some top tips to help you cost-effectively market your shop.

Work out how you provide value to your customers

Every purchase somebody makes is because they think the purchase has value to them. This is the crux of all businesses.

You need to work out how you provide value to your customers and how this value is different from your competitors’ value. This is marketing 101, but it’s surprising how few small businesses actually find their value niche. This is what the rest of your marketing is based on – so identify what unique values you bring to your customer and then figure out how to make them aware of it.

Go Digital

Moving to the digital sphere is essential if you wish to reach your customers, or find new ones. Nowadays everything (and everyone) is online, so having a website and ensuring you connect with your clientele should be number one on your to-do list.

Firstly, you need a website that is easy to navigate. Be sure to hire a professional website designer that can encompass your brand while also keeping your customers happy. Your website also has to be mobile device friendly, as many people browse the internet on their phones or tablets more than a desktop now.

You should also ensure to have a blog and social media presence if you want to connect with your customers and also improve your customer service. Social media is crucial to speaking with and listening to your customers – people like to tweet about companies, for example.

Partner with Suppliers

Co-operative marketing can be powerful, as it involves pooling money together to increase the marketing campaign’s power.

A great way to do this is with a new supplier. You can even use this to support any new equipment you need to get with the classic example being a commercial display fridge used for promoting a product but increasing your inventory space. This partnership is a classic move that rose to fame when Coke pioneered it when fridges started to be more accessible. It is called a ‘symbiotic relationship’ where the supplier supplements the fridge’s cost in exchange for featuring advertising on it.  For more information on commercial display fridges and prices, so you can think about the budget you might need to work with if you want to do this stratagem.

Make the most of what you already have

You should use advertising to make the most of what you already have and should make your existing customers feel special and try to build a good relationship with them. Go out of your way to help regulars and even offer perks like the occasional complimentary item. This evokes the norm of reciprocity – if they feel like they owe you, they will keep shopping with you.

Advertising comes in handy if you are faced with a customer who bought something from a local shop and wanted a similar item after several months – they would only remember the shop they got it from if you kept your name in people’s minds. You should combine this advertising by looking for new customers in moderate doses to create a lasting impact that can boost your long-term sales.