Every modern business should lean heavily into digital marketing and building an online presence. It’s the ultimate way to broadcast your small company to a wider audience and get your name out there. As a general rule, the more clicks you can get to your web pages or the more followers you reel in on social media, the better your business will do.
Having said that, some small businesses still rely on foot traffic for sales conversions. You can do a lot of online marketing to spread the word, though your end goal is to drive people to a physical location. The good news is that this is still wholly possible – read on to see how you can influence an uptake in foot traffic for your small business!
Work On Your Local SEO
You might not sell things through a website, but you need a website to establish an online presence. Backlinko explains why with these key statistics:
- 80% of consumers search with local intent on search engines
- 76% of consumers visit a business after conducting a “near me” search
In simpler terms, your customers may start their journey on a search engine before learning you exist. People are always searching for things “near them” or using their geographical location as a search point. If you want people to see your business and figure out that you exist, you need to hop on the local SEO hype train.
Effectively, this means creating a Google Business page for your company so it can be listed on Google Maps. Update your profile with things like opening hours, contact details and photos of your premises. You also need a website to look more professional and should work with a local marketing agency to optimise your site (and business) for the most relevant local searches.
The overall goal is to make users see your business when they search for what you’re offering in your local area.
Pay For Location-Based Advertising
Google Ads has an option to target ads to geographic locations. Doing so will ensure that your online ads appear to people in your specific location. For example, if your business is in North London, then people browsing their phones or computers within this general area will see adverts for your company.
You get to set the geographical radius, but it means the right people see your ads. This helps you build a formidable local presence and encourages more people to click on your ads and find their way to your business.
That’s the key with location-based advertising; you need to develop good landing pages for people to end up on after clicking your ads. If foot traffic is your primary goal, then ensure they land on a page with clear directions to your business. It’s always worth creating a specific web page for this – it can include your key USPs with a Google Maps link to where you’re based.
Pay For Old School Advertising
What’s arguably better than online location-based advertising? Offline location-based advertising!
That’s not technically a term, but we’re talking about old-school ways of promoting your business. For a local company intent on driving more people to a location, you’re mainly interested in:
- Billboard advertising
- Bus and train station advertising
- High street advertising
All are examples of print advertising, and the goal is to create eye-catching posters that promote your business and direct people to its location. The most effective way of doing this is through backlit poster printing, which helps your adverts stand out. You get a poster printed and installed in a backlit box on the high street so it shines and is visible both day and night. It also makes loads of sense to utilise high street ads because they’re seen by more people.
The other types of print advertising will still be effective – especially if your business is close to public transport stations or near a billboard.
Make Your Business Look Attractive
A lot of people visit local businesses without seeing any advertising. Why do they do this? Because the store or restaurant has caught their eye in some way or another. Having a good-looking storefront helps you draw people’s attention and encourage them to step inside. The same is true for restaurants or cafes; you need your front windows to be enticing and attractive.
This is something that beginners forget when trying to start a small business, yet it’s super valuable. Design your business to jump out from the crowd and encourage people to walk in. You’ll need amazing and clear signage to do this, as well as “reasons” for consumers to pop in.
For example, display some of your hottest products in your shop window – along with some key discounts. If people see things that look cool and notice a special discount, they’re more likely to come in. The same goes for any other type of business; use signs in your front windows to advertise unique offers. With a local business, it’s often about getting someone to visit you for the first time. Once they’re in, they’re more likely to keep coming back because they know you exist.
Consider Working With Local Influencers
Are there any social media influencers in your local area that could help promote your business? You’ll be surprised how often the answer to this question is “yes.” Look for influencers and partner with them to advertise your business to their followers. You’ll have to either pay them to do this or give them a freebie – but it’s worth it.
A short appearance on a micro-influencers Instagram story can be enough to encourage hundreds of new people to visit your business. This is a particularly effective strategy for more food-based companies – like local bakeries, cafes and restaurants. It’s a lot easier to find food influencers in local places, and they tend to have a more long-lasting, beneficial effect on your company.
When foot traffic is the aim of the game, you have to take a slightly unorthodox approach to marketing your small business. Ironically, you drift back to more traditional tactics and methods rather than putting all your eggs in the digital marketing basket.
