4 Marketing Ideas to Attract More Shoppers to Your Small Business

Supporting small businesses is a vital part of thriving communities, and it’s something that should be celebrated and practiced year-round.

In a post-COVID economy, consumers are eager to support small businesses. One Consumer Pulse study showed that 93% of Americans believe supporting small businesses they value is important, and 9 out of 10 shoppers said this is even more essential after the pandemic.

As further proof, Small Business Saturday has emerged as a significant retail event during the busiest shopping season for small businesses. In 2022, projected spending reached an estimated $17.9 billion, as the 2022 SBS Consumer Insights Survey reported.

4 Fun Ideas for Getting More Shoppers in the Door of Your Small Business

Consumers’ goodwill and awareness of the importance of small businesses create a massive opportunity. Here are four ideas to kickstart your creativity.

1. Capitalize on Curb Appeal

Part of the charm of shopping at small businesses is the experience, so make it fun for people to step through your doors!

Try sidewalk A-frame banners or a freebies table with magnets, custom notepads, or samples. Advertise in advance and reward people who participate in your highlighted theme (like a 15% discount to anyone wearing plaid or area sports team merchandise). Or collaborate with area merchants on a “Deals Near-BUY” flyer to build momentum in your neighborhood.

2. Reward Referrals

While your brand may serve customers beyond your region, an enormous 85% of business owners depend on word-of-mouth referrals, so actively influencing friends and neighbors is vital!

Bump up referrals by mailing a Buy One/Get One coupon. Or pump up a “Bring a Buddy” event with food tasting, demonstrations, free drawings, or a fun in-store activity.

3. Personalize Advertisements

When promoting your small business, highlight testimonies or quotes from real local customers.

Try before and after pictures, photos of your customers in well-loved parks, or advertisements featuring your content in front of an area mascot. If your city has special events during the season, tie these into your promos.

4. Offer Bonus Merchandise

When balancing price reduction and profit margin gets tricky, consider adding rewards instead.

Could you ask suppliers for samples to be used as “gift with purchase” items? Or pair your own smaller freebies with the full-price items—like s’more sticks with a tent purchase, socks with a pair of shoes, or a free dessert or spice packet with a cookbook purchase.

Print Local

Local purchasing has tangible benefits for shoppers and merchants: for every dollar spent shopping small, estimates show an average of 68 cents stays in that business’s local community.

So, choose to shop and print locally and contact us for all your printing needs, including posters, mailers, business cards, and more. 

Direct Mail for Local Businesses: Unique Advantages and Strategies

Don’t leave attracting customers up to chance; be proactive with direct mail!

Employing the ability to reach scores of potential customers in specific regions, direct mail is an excellent vehicle for growing your customer base and publicizing your business creatively and methodically.

Direct mail marketing is the method of sending out print materials to potential customers. Materials mailed could include postcards, flyers, or catalogs.

Scholars have found the earliest versions of direct mailings from ancient Egypt, around 1,000 B.C. Direct mail has come a long way since then, but it still has tremendous benefits for businesses today.

Direct Mail Can Physically Bring in Customers

A unique advantage to direct mail is that you can mail out a coupon or another promotional item to have customers physically visit your store and redeem it.

By bringing customers into your store, sales and business growth can grow exponentially. 

Get Customers Excited and Stand Out

Do you think young adults aren’t excited about direct mail? Think again!

Generation Z, or people born between 1997 – 2012, is 63% more excited about direct mail today than in 2022. Younger generations find direct mail more interesting and unique than digital marketing.

According to the World Advertising Research Center (WARC), this generation is particularly impressed with direct mail because they have grown up in such a digital age. 

By diversifying your marketing campaign to include direct mail, the generation bombarded with digital content will resonate more with your mailings and feel that the physical marketing stands out.

Direct Mail: A Tangible Approach in the Digital Age

Direct mail has strategic benefits for businesses, especially in today’s tech-savvy world.

Reap the rewards and return on investment by choosing direct mail to diversify your marketing campaign. Don’t just communicate with potential customers; encourage them to physically visit your business by mailing promotional materials such as coupons for customers to bring into your business.

Stand out from competitors’ marketing by sending physical mailers versus simply having digital marketing. Younger generations are hungry for printed materials they can touch and hang on to versus oversaturated online platforms.

Contact us today to begin your journey of creating creative and engaging direct mail!