If you own a retail business, now is the time to learn how to market your business on the Internet.  Just because you own a brick and mortar store does not mean that the Internet will not become a valuable tool in your marketing initiative.  In fact, because online marketing is so powerful, your business may suffer if you do not incorporate the Internet into your marketing campaigns.

97 Percent of Customers Search for Local Businesses on the Internet.

More than 40% of consumers won’t shop at a business or brand if they can’t research it or find your business online. Marketing online doesn’t just give you greater exposure, but it also increases credibility and keeps you in front of your customers, so they will buy from YOU (and not your competitors) when they are ready.

Here are 3 tips on how to effectively use the Internet to market your local retail business, so you can beat out the competition both locally and online.

A Social Networking Presence Can Be Free Marketing

Social Networking has become extremely popular.  With more and more people creating profiles on a daily basis, you can reach out for free and let your presence be known.  The most used and known Social Networking sites include Facebook and Twitter, so you’ll want to set up profiles with both and make them a simple point of contact for your customers.  As you start to generate followers and fans, more and more people will try out your store just because their friends did.  You can also advertise sales and new product releases to generate even more interest without paying a dime. It’s important; however, that you know that simply throwing out ads without engaging with your prospects and customers isn’t enough to use Social Networking as an effective marketing strategy. To learn more about Social Media Marketing and how to use it as part of your retail business’s marketing strategy, click here.

Ask Your Current Shoppers to Subscribe

Your loyal customers want to know when you are having sales and promotions.  The best way to get your customers to subscribe online is to ask them at the register.  Make it a routine to ask for email addresses when you are scanning all of the products the customers are buying.  Customers want to save money and you want to stay in contact with the customers so they continue to think of you and continue to come buy from you. You can also use Mobile Marketing strategies, such as SMS (Text) Marketing (i.e having your customers text your short code to receive coupons or notifications of special events).

Make Sure Your Website is Professional and Updated

If you do not have a website, it’s definitely a good idea to get one built for your retail business.  Make sure you do not go for the cookie cutter templates that everyone uses.  You want to stand out from your competitors! If you are not good at website design, hire a professional team to design the site for you and it will pay off.  Once you have a website, you can use it combined with additional online marketing strategies, such as article marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to increase your website traffic and gain great visibility on the web.

If you think that marketing retail business on the Internet is difficult, just know there are many ways to be creative on how you do this. There are plenty of tools on the world wide web that you can use to your advantage. Some of these tools are free and others will cost money.  Many smart retail business owners and managers choose to consult with local online marketing agencies when it comes to building a marketing plan that is appropriate for their particular type of business, that will deliver great returns on their marketing investment.

Not sure where to get started with marketing your retail business online? We can get you “off to the races” with a 90-Day Marketing Plan. We welcome you to contact us today to learn just how simple and quickly your business can begin seeing results from your online marketing efforts.

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