As a small business owner, it is important to know how to create a marketing plan to drive foot traffic to your store. But in today’s crowded market and ease of online ordering, it can be challenging to stand out and get people excited about what you have to offer.
One way to attract attention and generate buzz about your products or services is to get your customers involved by creating a marketing campaign that captures people’s attention and motivates them to share your message with their families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and their peeps. By doing this you can reach a wider audience and get more people through your doors. We call this a Viral Marketing Campaign, which means you create marketing and get others to share so that it goes viral, here are a few ways to do this:
Identify your target audience
1. I know you hear this all the time, but if you do not niche down and get specific about who you are talking to it will not work. Standing with a megaphone and shouting to the world does not get you the attention to your products and services that you need. The first step in any marketing campaign is to identify your target audience. Who are the people that you want to attract to your business?
Get creative
2. The next step is to develop a creative concept that will get people talking. What can you offer that will be unique and exciting? This could be a special offer, a unique product or service, or a fun event. The key is to create something that will capture your ideal customer’s attention and something they might want to share. When I owned my retail bakery I can remember creating a viral marketing campaign around my customer’s pets. Who doesn’t love sharing about their pets? This campaign was widely successful and got many people sharing and ultimately coming in to get themselves and their pets a cookie or two. 
Create something they can share
3. Once you have your offer in mind, it’s time to develop shareable content. This could be a video, a photo, a catchy slogan, Eventbrite, or an email. The goal is to create content that is engaging and easy to share. When people share your content with their people, it helps to amplify your message and increase your reach. Pro tip: Make sure to ask them to share, don’t assume they will naturally do it. Ask them to forward your email, share your event, and invite others. Create a call to action that makes sense for your campaign.
Maximize the use of social media
4. As we know, social media is a powerful tool for promoting your campaign. Utilize your customer’s favorite platform to share, post, and generate excitement, and just like in tip #3 above, ask them to share with their people, not only will this get more eyes on your content and attract new customers, but it also gets the algorithm police all excited. Be sure to use hashtags and ask them to tag your business and also any friends that might be interested in the promotion you have created.
Encourage your customers to create content for you
5. What do I mean by this? Encourage your customers to create and share their own content related to your campaign. For instance, with my pet campaign example above I ran a photo contest and asked my customers to post a picture of themselves and their pet with a cookie or cupcake. We received so many great photos and this action increased engagement with their friends and family. When people see their friends and family members sharing content about your business, it helps to build trust and increase your reach.
Track your results
6. Finally, it’s important to track your results to see how your campaign is performing. The first step is to create the objective of this campaign, is it more foot traffic, improved customer retention, or another goal you are trying to reach? Here is a KPI blog that may help you decide the best ones to track. Depending on that goal will determine how you analyze and track your results. What is most important is that you do. This will help you tweak and improve the next time you create a Viral Marketing Campaign.
A viral marketing campaign is a powerful tool for brick-and-mortar local small businesses to attract attention and generate buzz about their products or services. By following these steps, you can create a campaign that drives foot traffic to your business and helps you stand out in your industry. Now you know how to create a marketing plan to drive foot traffic to your store!
I want to know, please email me or share with me what campaign you can create to increase foot traffic and drive in-store sales for your business.
