12 Ways Brick & Mortar Stores Have Increased Local Traffic Using Social Media
From tagging store locations to jumping on the TikTok bandwagon, here are 12 answers to the question, “Can you share the best ways brick-and-mortar stores have increased local traffic using social media?”
12 Ways Brick & Mortar Stores Have Increased Local Traffic Using Social Media
We have brick-and-mortar buildings in several locations throughout the country. On our social media accounts, we post pictures at each of our different locations, and we tag the location in these posts. This allows people to find our posts if they search for them by location, which helps increase traffic and engagement.
One of the most effective ways brick-and-mortar stores have increased local traffic is by offering a rewards program where customers are rewarded for bringing in new customers. We can do this in several ways.
For example, you could offer customers a discount on their next purchase for sharing your name with a friend. Another option is to create a loyalty program where customers can earn points for each purchase they make. Once they reach a certain threshold, we can reward them with a gift or other form of recognition.
Optimizing your Local SEO is a powerful strategy for driving more traffic to your brick-and-mortar store. As many consumers turn to social media to search for local businesses, it is vital to have a powerful presence online.
One way to do this is by optimizing your social media profiles to make it easy for potential customers to find you. This includes making sure your business’s name, address, phone number, and other contact information are accurate and up-to-date across all your profiles. This will make it simpler for local customers to get in touch and visit your store.
Another key step is using location tags on your social media posts; it will make it easier for people to find your store and tag it on their own posts, increasing your store’s visibility. This can help promote more business for your company and drive more traffic to your store.
By combining local SEO with your social media presence, you can increase your local visibility and attract more customers to your store.
As a company dedicated to the love of coffee, we work alongside many brick-and-mortar restaurants that use social media to connect with their audience, and something that we have seen them do brilliantly is quite similar to how we use our own social media channels. Instead of it being a sales pitch, it is used to build a community of people who share a common love.
In our case, working digitally is obviously focused on coffee lovers in general, but brick-and-mortar cafes and coffee shops also connect through the shared passion for the local community, highlighting events and opportunities that their visitors can connect with and discuss on their social channels
This is something really magical that stores in actual localities can really harness the power of if they are smart because being brick-and-mortar means being part of that community, and the more you lean into that, the better it is for business.
I believe you will be able to successfully advertise your business to target local clients if you use lookalike audiences and interest-based targeting within a fair distance from your shop locations. Almost all other forms of advertising are ineffective because they target the wrong demographic. In its place, you may use Facebook to send hyper-targeted ads that save money.
Ensure you include critical details about your business’ operations on your social media pages. Followers should be able to click on your Facebook or Instagram profile and instantly see clearly marked store hours, addresses, and other crucial information.
If visitors have to wonder whether you’re open, they’re less likely to bother traveling to you in case they’re wasting their time. Fill out your social profiles clearly and, with platforms that have little space to fill in your information, add a short URL they can click to access it. If that information is over two clicks away for your followers, you’ll see fewer of them in person!
Local businesses can announce, promote, and run scavenger hunts using social media to get consumers to shop locally. The best time to use these scavenger hunts is during local events, holidays, and special promotions.
For example, in Massachusetts, there is a large antique flea market that happens only three times a year. Running a social media marketing campaign for a local scavenger hunt can attract local shoppers to visit your brick-and-mortar store.
Using apps like LetsRoam or Scavify can help, but they are unnecessary. Partnering with as many local businesses as possible will only help grow the campaign and increase your foot traffic.
Tip 8
Offer Check-In Discounts And In-Store Redeemable Coupons
Janie Doyle, Marketing Director, SC Vehicle Hire
Something that should be kept in mind is that digital is here to stay. This makes more sense to use digital platforms to boost sales. The increasing popularity of online shopping doesn’t mean people don’t prefer store shopping at all.
In-store shopping still makes more sense, where you can inspect the product and purchase it accordingly. However, to beat the increasing digital competition, stores can provide discounts and codes that can be used only when they come to the stores physically and share their reviews on social media by tagging them.
Encourage people to participate in giveaways on social media pages and provide them with coupons that can be redeemed only upon checking in at the stores. This strategy lures people to step inside the stores, which can be recorded and shared with the social media family.
Tip 9
Orchestrate Demonstrations And Events
Timothy Allen, Sr. Corporate Investigator, Corporate Investigation Consulting
Demos are a great way to impress some of your social media followers with how well-versed you are in your product’s niche. You may host a makeup tutorial or invite a stylist from the area to speak. You can organize the demonstration on your own or join forces with a local organization that shares your goals.
Promote the upcoming demonstration by posting online, informing clients at the register, and hanging in-store posters. You may guarantee attendance by having clients RSVP “yes” on a Facebook event. Doing so will give them an incentive to seek you out online, making them easy to get in touch with again. In addition, it will entice your devoted internet following to pay you a physical store visit.
Use Facebook Live to your advantage. Post a live video from your brick-and-mortar store to your Facebook feed. Customers are more likely to respond to actual pictures, videos, and testimonials, rather than glossy advertisements.
Give your followers a first-hand look at your store, your employees, and your products. Make them want to come in by showing them a behind-the-scenes view of what’s going on at your store.
One way brick-and-mortar stores have increased local traffic using social media is by using targeted advertisements to reach potential customers in the area. They can create ads that are specifically tailored to the local demographic, ensuring that their target audience is seeing them.
They can also use their social media accounts to share special offers, discounts, and promotions that are only available to those who visit the store. Additionally, they can engage with their followers by responding to comments and messages, creating relationships with their customers, and encouraging them to visit the store.
Big box retailers have taken advantage of social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube—but most recently, TikTok is paving the way for a whole new look at how social media marketing will look in 2023.
Today, TikTok content creators have over 200K followers and highly engaged fans watching video content that often coincides with the latest trending music, trends, and news. What makes TikTok interesting is that fans want to see their content creator’s videos “go viral,” encouraging more views for sponsored brands and retailers.
Although smaller brands have yet to use the paid advertising capabilities of TikTok, we have seen big box retailers moving their advertising dollars over to content creators, with “sponsored” tags from Walmart, Target, Costco, and Lowes. These big box stores will continue to take advantage of TikTok and the geo-targeting abilities of the social platform in 2023.
Your Favorite ways Mortar Stores Have Increased Local Traffic Using Social Media?
Now that you know what the experts think, it’s your turn. Drop a comment below about your favorite tips shared by these experts.
