What You Need to Know to Promote Your Brick and Mortar Store
So you want to open a brick and mortar store. You can picture the day that you finally flip your “closed” sign to “open” and let your doors swing wide, letting in your first customers and watching your dream begin.
But, what happens if no one shows up that day? Or the next? Or the next?
It’s not enough for a brick and mortar shop to exist, it must be promoted, and remain front of mind for potential shoppers at any given moment. Because shopping at a brick and mortar location takes some planning and pre-emptive thought, you’ll need to be just as proactive in your promotion strategy in order to draw customers into your business.
If the words promotion strategy sparked a feeling of worry or “I’m not doing enough”, don’t fret. We’ve been there, and it’s really not as difficult as you’d think. It just takes a shift in perspective and a consistent approach.
Why Brick and Mortar Businesses Need to Be Promoted Differently
If you’ve ever bought or sold anything online, you know that the process is pretty seamless. Maybe you’re served an ad that shows you a product that you might like based on your demographic and interests, or perhaps your customers find you through a quick Google search. Then, you simply read a product description, click to buy, enter your payment information, and your item is put in a queue to be shipped directly to you.
Online shopping is all about the transaction. A brick and mortar shop is about the experience.
Let’s face it, getting in your car to head to a shop to *maybe* buy something that you’ll love doesn’t always sound appealing. It’s an ask that brick and mortar shop owners make of their customers, and an ask that they make more enticing by offering a specific experience, a distinct atmosphere that the customer is eager to be a part of. For Dune, this experience is both aesthetic and intangible. It’s in our beautiful displays, our curated products, and the gorgeous smell of clean fragrance, but it’s also in our friendliness and familiarity. Our customers feel comfortable here. We know many of our shoppers by name, and we’re able to develop a rapport and understanding of their preferences over time. It’s the benefit of being based in a small town, but also the benefit of having a physical shop instead of existing entirely online.
We know that Dune is special, and that belief is reiterated to us by many of the people who walk through our door. But it’s up to us to get them there in the first place.
We face a few more obstacles than an online shop, namely creating the desire that our customers need to feel in order to get in their car and drive to Main Street. Because our business is so much more about experience than a quick transaction, we need to approach the way that we promote our shop a bit differently, with that personal touch in mind.
But First, Your Branding + Your Message
Before you can start to promote your brick and mortar shop, you need to have a guiding light, a message that conveys your mission and can be the connecting thread between each of your promotions. Spend some time reflecting on the purpose of your shop, the story behind why you decided to follow this dream, and the general positioning statement of your offering. You'll need this information as you craft your promotion plan.
We recommend having your branding in place as well before you start promoting your shop. You want everything that you create to have a cohesive feel. An inconsistent look or approach to messaging will only make your promotion more confusing for your desired shoppers. Repetition builds familiarity and appreciation, and, if you don’t hit people with the same message or aesthetic over and over, there is very little chance that they will retain the information you’re trying to get across.
Great! Now that you have your main message and your general brand aesthetic locked down, you can work on creating your promotion plan.
How to Promote Your Brick and Mortar Store
The key to promoting a brick and mortar store is connection. Where an online shop can subsist solely on advertising and SEO, your brick and mortar store needs to go the extra mile, tell a story, make a name for itself in your community, and create a connection with your shoppers. We have a few ideas for how you can do just that.
Host an event in your shop
The easiest way to get people through your doors? Invite them right in! We’ve hosted quite a few events here at Dune (and originally envisioned the back space of our shop as a spot for hosted events and workshops!), and have found that they’re a great way to give people the experience of your shop, with the excuse of a fun night out. Get creative with the type of event you host, but keep it true to your brand message and aesthetic. For example, if you have a more bohemian shop, consider hosting a floral arranging class, or, if you are a bit more sophisticated, perhaps a cocktail party and gallery show would be the right choice for you. If you choose the right event, and tie your shop’s name to the right community gathering, you’ll build a dedicated and committed customer base from the start.
Collaborate with local makers and other shop owners
Community is at the heart of any brick and mortar shop, so play up your relationships within your area. Get to know local shop owners and seek out opportunities to collaborate with them, either by hosting a sidewalk sale (like the one we’re hosting with our neighbors on Main Street July 24-25!) or a scavenger hunt-style shopping event. To take collaboration a step further, you can engage with the local makers in your area, perhaps you even already stock a few of their products, for a pop up event. Or, to keep things simple, dream up ways that you can collaborate on content together - maybe you have a joint expertise that could translate into an ebook or podcast? - and test the waters. All of these ideas are great starting points for promoting your store, but only the best ideas, you know, the ones that actually generate interest, will make it into your strategic promotion plan.
You don’t need an agency for public relations
The phrase “public relations” can feel so proper, so corporate, that it may not have even crossed your mind to make this concept a focus of your promotion strategy. However, as a new brick and mortar shop on the block, you need to tap into already trusted resources to shine a light on your business. By tapping into local publications and influencers, you’ll be getting your shop in front of the right people in a place that they’re already accustomed to going to for recommendations and information.
Get used to pitching yourself to journalists and influencers. Have a great story to tell around your shop, your journey to where you are today, your place in the community, and hone in on the pieces of your message that resonate with others. Most of all, don’t be afraid to share your thoughts with people in a position to write about your shop. A well placed mention could mean the world of difference for your business.
Don’t forget about social media and content creation
Social media is probably the place that you started when you decided that you needed to promote your shop. Hopefully you’ve locked down the handles you want and have put your stake in the ground for your brand. Use this platform as a way to personify your shop, and show the world the face behind the business. Share your day to day life in Instagram Stories, or go live on Facebook to share your journey or showcase new items in the shop.
In addition to social media, leverage content creation to your shop’s advantage. Start a blog, pitch yourself as a podcast guest, write guest posts for others’ blogs, write ebooks and create checklists - the world is your oyster when it comes to content, as long as you follow that connecting message that we talked about in the beginning. Everything you do to promote your store needs to feel true to that purpose, that guiding light.
As you prepare to open the doors of your shop for the first time, keep promotion in mind. Store these ideas in your back pocket, and try them out to see what sticks with your audience. Testing and tweaking will be a key component of your overall business strategy, but particularly when it comes to promotion.
Know that it will take time to build up a consistent customer base, but, once you do, that’s when the magic really happens. Your store becomes the epicenter for your own community, a gathering of people who share your interests and support your dreams.