Sometimes, even the most vibrant businesses face a lull. When this happens, you get fewer customers in your store, which means reduced sales and profitability.
This is never an easy time for entrepreneurs because this could significantly affect the business and even place it at risk of closure. Finding ways to get back the numbers then becomes a top priority. If your business suffers from dwindling numbers, here are a few ways to increase your store’s traffic.
1. Increase Your Visibility
At times new players in the market and marketing gaps can cost you previously loyal customers.
When this happens, look into strategies that reestablish or increase your visibility. Think about taking up interview opportunities on local media, turning to a distributed marketing solution, sponsoring a local event, attending trade fairs, and so on. Every little bit counts.
These actions raise your profile, which can help attract new clients and retain current ones.
2. Discounts and Promotions
Consumers are always on the lookout for deals, value, and discounts. One way to lure customers to your stores is through introductory promotions and discounts.
Think about ‘buy one, get one free deals’, free gift wrapping, slashed prices, and so on. This strategy is great for getting customers that have been considering engaging your business but still on the line.
However, it does not end there; ensure to provide excellent customer experiences to try and get regular patronage.
3. Boost Your Online Presence
Evaluate your online activity and find avenues that might need to be brushed up on.
Look at your SEO, optimizing your business for a local search, how current your social media content is, and so on. Note that this does not mean being ‘salesy’ on your platform. This can have the opposite effect.
What you are looking to do is to connect with would-be customers. The goal is to create actionable, usable information, so they look at you as an authority in your field.
4. Hold a Class
What are some fun skills you can teach that align to your business? For example, a cosmetic shop can teach make-up lessons; home appliances can teach a few recipes, and so on.
What this does is give people an opportunity to interact with your business more intimately. After such an experience, you can expect a few delighted customers to come back in for a few purchases.
5. Start a Referral Program
Referrals are effective because they take the guesswork out of a purchase. People will often trust their peers, parents, relatives, workmates, and friends much more than they do online reviews.
You can leverage this to create a referral system that gets people through the door and rewards the referees. This need not be anything grand. A redeemable loyalty point system can be all you need to incentivize referrals.
One Last Thing
Don’t stop at getting your numbers up. While this is a great stride, it should not end there. Look into ways to keep the interest and keep your numbers up.