Marketing Your New Independent Retail Business

Retail is a difficult and complicated business to get into. Each year, many established retailers go to the wall. But, that does not and should not put off new talent who are looking to enter the market. As fashions change, so does our taste in retailers and with the homogeneous nature of many of the products sold in the global brands, customers heads are turned by new, niche retailers that are full of independent flair and who promise something new and exciting for the market place. 

If you are someone who is looking at opening a retail business, once you have decided on your niche, products, found a venue, and got off the ground; what comes next? You will need to come up with a marketing strategy in order to get people through your door. You may be lucky and have a location that provides excellent footfall passing by, but aside from having an eyecatching sign and shop window, you will need to put some effort into attracting people in. 

Use Promotional Space

A great way for getting your name out within the local area is to rent out some promotional space. Very often, landlords in shopping centres or councils that run the high street will allow retailers and businesses to set up stands to promote their products and services. Look into this and book a spot in a place with a high level of foot traffic. 

A hop-up banner is going to be helpful for you in terms of attracting people in. Get one made up with the most impactful, eye-catching design possible but make sure that it clearly identifies your new brand and what you are about. 

Demonstrate your products. If you sell food, bring samples. If you are a fashion retailer, have a catwalk. If you sell electronic items, plug some in and have them working. You need a sense of retail theatre in order to spark the interests of passersby. 

Remember! This is not about selling, this is about brand awareness. Try and create lasting impressions by engaging with people, and have flyers to hand out to bring them back to your store. 

Get On Social Media

With 2 billion people on social media, you can guarantee that many of your potential customers are on there. So, if they are, you should be too. Set up profiles for your business on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and post often. Don’t just share images of your products or links to your website, provide followers with content that they can engage with any enjoy. Think about sharing tips and news of the things that are going on within your niche and remember that any engagement that they make will be visible on the pages of their friends and family with whom they share connections online. This is how you build up your following, and as such your brand awareness. Think about features and competitions that you can run too, especially ones which encourage a like, a share, or a comment!