You love owning your small business; you’re passionate about your work, and every workday is exciting. You are your own boss and get to focus on what’s important – creating a great product that makes your clients happy. But how do you go about marketing your business to potential customers? No matter how much you love what you sell, you need customers to make your business happen. At Grey Fox Pottery, we love helping our customers standout with custom handcrafted stoneware pieces.
Below, we’ve laid out four merchandising tactics to help you market your business and differentiate your work from your competitors. These small business marketing tactics are affordable and easy for most anyone to do. Whether you’re selling merchandise at your coffee shop or brewery, these strategies should help you succeed.
Create a First Class Experience
The first step to making your business stand out is by creating a first-class experience for your customers. This starts with designing an appealing storefront. A surprising number of customers will pop into a shop simply because it appears attractive on the street. Consider thinking outside the box or using bold colors when designing your storefront.
Crucial to a nice storefront is a great sign, welcoming customers in and telling them what your business is all about. If you have a knack for art, then it is a unique choice to design your sign yourself. Or, you can contract a local artist to design it for you. Outdoor seating for your customers will also show passersby that your business is a welcoming environment to all types of people.
Your business’s interior should also be appealing and should match the energy of the exterior. Make sure there is plenty of comfortable seating, appealing art on the walls, and employees ready to provide excellent customer service, whether that’s to show guests to a table or brew them something special behind the counter.
Offer your customers free samples of your goods so they can get a sense of your new and favorite products. Free drinks also go a long way in making a customer fall in love with your business.
Take to the Internet
The internet is where the majority of advertising is happening these days. The good news is that a lot of internet advertising can happen for free. The first step is to cultivate all of your social media accounts. Make sure they are telling a consistent story of your brand. Your business should always have an up-to-date website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google My Business listing.
Instagram is also powerful in the hands of your customers. Encourage customers to take photos of your business or products and tag their location in Instagram posts. Creating visual interest or unique signs in your store will inspire customers to post on their accounts. You can also offer your customers discounts or free items for checking in on Yelp or leaving reviews on google.
Customer reviews go a long way in building up your business’s word-of-mouth. Actively ask customers to post reviews of their experiences. You can also reach out to local bloggers in your community to do featured posts on your site. Influencers are huge in motivating people to use certain products or go to certain places. Bloggers may even be willing to do a post for free.
Another great way to use the internet for marketing is to post live videos. Many social media users receive notifications the second someone starts a live video, and they immediately tune in. You could try a live stream where you walk your viewer through brewing your house specialty or lead them in a yoga routine! Your video should play to your strengths and services. And lastly, email lists are another great way to stay in contact with customers and to provide them with regular discounts and incentives to go to your store.
Do Some Community Outreach
Modern customers deeply invest in the health and vitality of their communities. By showing that your business also invests in the local community, you can appeal to a wider base. When your business makes donations to local nonprofits, those nonprofits will often list your name and logo as a donor. Making donations looks great for your business and gives you some key advertising!
Offering classes to community members is another interesting option. Bring in people from the neighborhood and teach them what you do best! You will also find success in supporting local business. Small businesses look out for each other. If you are a coffee shop that features pastries from a local bakery, perhaps that bakery will start selling your coffee!
Many neighborhoods feature regular festivals and outdoor markets, especially in the summer months. Put up a tent or booth at a local market to sell your products to attendees. You will likely meet all kinds of new customers who haven’t been to your store. You can also welcome local artists to display their work in your business, or local musicians to perform.
Consider Some Affordable Paid Advertising
Nowadays, there are plenty of paid advertising opportunities that won’t break the bank. Facebook Ads are highly affordable and can make a huge difference in the visibility of your Facebook page. You can experiment with boosting your page to see if you reach more people. Track your social media analytics to understand the impact of paying for ads. You can also take advantage of paid ads on Twitter and Instagram
Groupon is another way to bring in new customers or encourage existing customers to return. Offering a discount on products and services through Groupon is a trendy choice, and many savvy consumers check Groupon regularly. You can also offer free coupons from within your store, or create a punch card system to keep customers coming back.
Creating branded store merchandise is also a good option. When customers purchase t-shirts, mugs, steins, hats, and other products that have your name or logo on them, they become walking, talking advertisements for your business.
Find the Branded Merchandise You Need with Grey Fox
You deeply believe in your business, your services, and your product, and we believe in you. Using some unique business merchandising tactics to sell your brewery or coffee shop merchandise is a great way to get others to believe in your business as well. If you’re looking for some help with finding unique branded merchandise to incorporate into your business, Grey Fox Pottery is here to help you along the way as you build and succeed in selling merchandise.