Catching attention for new retail customers has two parts - making sure you can be found when they look for you, and getting in front of them when they are not looking.

Getting Found When New Customers Are Looking

Lots of businesses are so focused on gaining new business, that they forget to make sure everything is in place for existing customers, or new customers who heard about them via word of mouth and know their name, but don’t how to get there or how to contact them. The tactics below are just as important for existing retail customers as they are for potential new customers.

Google Maps, Apple Maps

Is your business listed in Google Maps? Do you have a comparable number of good reviews (when compared to your competitors)? How about Apple Maps?

Both are free, you can get listed in Google Maps here.
Signup for Apple Maps here.

Yelp

It’s not for everyone, but if you have a restaurant or eatery, Yelp is a go-to resource for people looking to try new places and find reviews before they go. Get listed and at a minimum add pictures, menus, hours, phone number and your address.

Website

If someone searches for you online, can they find your website? Once they find your website, is your phone number, address and what you do clear?

Signage

Can someone who has never been to your location find you? Are your signs visible from the street? Is your door marked with your name, not just your address?

Getting Found When New Customers Are NOT Looking

This takes a good deal more time and advertising money - and industries can vary from one to the next. For example, a women’s clothing boutique looking for new customers will have a different strategy than a hardware store, and they will both have a different strategy than a new coffee shop. Here are a few tried-and-true tactics for retail businesses.

Social Media Ads

Social Media ads are a great way to introduce your business to a whole new audience while they are using social media. Because of the limited visibility of page posts, it’s crucial to use ads to extend your business reach to potential new customers. Enticing product pictures, videos and promotions make great ads.

When using social media ads, it’s important to use the right platform. Some social media platforms are more popular with younger demographic, while others are more popular for older.

According to the 2019 PewResearch study, these are the social media platforms most commonly used for age groups:

- 18-29 yrs old: Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat
- 30-49 yrs old: Facebook, YouTube
- 50-65 yrs old: Facebook, YouTube

GeoFencing

Introducing your business to a whole new audience that lives nearby or is near your business can be done with geo-fencing technology - showing mobile ads to people who visit a specific location within a specific time frame. For example, real estate agents might want homeowners in a particular zip code to know about them, or a new pet food store might want anyone who drives within 2 miles of their location during February to see their latest February deals.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

When new customers start their search for a product or service online - without knowing where to find the product or service they are looking for - you want to be seen. Preferably first.

Search engine optimization can help your website show up higher in the search engine for keywords related to your business and particular products. This isn’t just for ecommerce or service businesses, local retail customers are going online to find businesses near them the same way their parents went to the phone book.

Direct Mail

Direct mail is a good way to introduce yourself, why you’re different, and possibly toss in a discount for homeowners who live near your business. It takes convincing to pull someone away from their current favorite shops, and the more ways you can get in front of them, the better.

Rewarding Referrals

Have you thought about rewarding referrals? For example, friends and family promotions or discounts for returning customers that they can share with others. Find enticing ways to get the customers who do visit you to bring in more new customers.

With all this, it’s also important to keep in mind that it costs 5 times more to attract new customers than to nurture existing customers, according to Forbes.com. Don’t forget to have a marketing strategy for existing customers, too!