When we talk about business traffic these days, we’re not really talking about car traffic or even foot traffic. Instead, we’re taking about clicks and hits. There are thousands of ideas online about how to increase the number of visits to your site or increase interest in your business online. So much so that it seems we’ve forgotten all about actual traffic to a business and that’s a shame. It’s fair to say that real business traffic could be important for a great number of businesses. In fact, any company appealing to a local consumer base should be thinking about the people passing by their business on the road or walking past it on the street. This brings us to the important question: how do you get more people through your business doors?
There are a few ways to do this, so let’s cover all the bases. We need to think about online methods, curb appeal and offline marketing. By covering each base, in turn, we can make sure you know everything there is about getting customers towards your doors.
Online Ideas
Online Isn’t Just For International
There are a few ways to make sure that people online visit your store offline. First, advertise your location on your site. You should have a page with a map and clear directions. Are you in the middle of town? Provide advice on the closest and easiest places for customers to park.
As well as that, we need to think about how you are using SEO. You are almost certainly using SEO to boost your business interest online. But are you targeting regional identifiers? This is a great way to make sure that people in the local area find your company online. SEO is not just about keywords. You should also think about building links with local businesses and website owners. For instance, you can target locally-owned blogs related to your company, or the product that you offer, and then provide them with the option of sponsored content. This will help you gain the interest of more customers and clients in your local area.
As well as this, we need to consider local SEO methods. Local SEO methods include Google Business. You want to make sure that your company is on Google Business because this is like the new digital phone book. Let’s say you’re a car mechanic in Boston. If a customer types in ‘Boston Car Mechanic’ you can make sure they find your company in Google Business. You can also play around with the settings to see how large your reach is. As well as that, make sure you alter opening times to get a wider audience and ensure that your business appears on the SERPs after business hours.
Curb Appeal
What about making sure that your business is attractive and that people actually want to head on inside when they see your company building? Well, this is obviously going to depend on the type of business that you’re running. For instance, let’s think about that car mechanic business again. A company like this can afford to be a little bolder and in your face with marketing. So, you might decide to use cheap feather flags. The movement of the material will attract the eye of passers-by, and if they are bright and colorful, that’s also going to be beneficial. This type of marketing would also work well for retail stores and anything where business owners aren’t looking for specialized clients.
What about something like a law firm or office? Well, you should focus on making the exterior of your business building look professional and aesthetically pleasing. Start with the sign for your business. Is it bold, big and beautiful? It should be and it wouldn’t hurt to spend a little extra here. The more you can do to make sure it stands out, the better. You might even want to look into light-up signs to catch those eyes even after business hours are over.
Aside from this, there are various other options to make your business more appealing. For instance, you can use window stickers to attract attention. Or, you could even get a full wall decal. You might have seen these on larger buildings close to the highway to make sure eager customers pull off and take a look at the next exit.
Offices and businesses looking for specialized clients should think about adding unique features such as a stone sculpture outside the office. That’s certainly going to impress any potential clients that you invite to stop by and may even get your company noticed by people who had never heard of you before.
Offline Marketing Tactics
Finally, consider using a few offline marketing tactics. There are various ones to choose from including flyers. Send employees on the street to hand out flyers that advertise and sell the idea of your business. Or just get employees to interact with customers outside. It’s holiday time right now, so retail stores may have a few festively-dressed employees out on the sidewalk asking shoppers what they’re looking for and directing them towards their store. This is an example of guerilla marketing, where the consumer becomes part of the marketing.
Specialized businesses offer billboard space somewhere close by to their locations. Remember, a billboard doesn’t need to have your address on it. If you show customers the name of your company, they can go home and search it or even check it out on their cell phone. The key to a great billboard ad is to make it visually interesting and keep the message simple.
We hope you find this information useful when increasing traffic to your business. Remember, if you’re appealing to local customers you need to think about more than hits and clicks.
