How to Draw in Foot Traffic?

by Kevin Smith Author

Our world has placed a great deal of importance on online retailers, but storefronts still rival the internet in building a long-term customer base. Having a physical store makes a business credible, tangible, and practical. The storefront is also a great way to market your company’s business.

Marketing has long-term dividends. You don’t need to measure the new customers that come in every day. Instead you want to focus on how you can reach as many number of people for as long as possible. Eventually, these impressions might turn into new business. Marketing a storefront operates the same way, but there are hundreds of ways to bring in customers. Here are two of the more tried and true methods to attract foot traffic to your storefront.

The Flashy

You’ve probably seen the garish marketing tricks companies use to attract new customers. Drive by a car dealer ship and you’ll see the custom flags, the inflatable tube men, brightly colored stickers, and, if you’re lucky, a local band playing classics out front. After leaving a restaurant, you might notice a custom neon sign across the street advertising designer tattoos or a night club with its shades drawn back, spilling its music and light into the street.

These are popular marketing tactics simply because they are successful. Even if someone doesn’t spontaneously run into the car dealership or get a late-night tattoo, the flashy marketing has already made some impression on the passerby. These prospective customers might talk about what they hear or see right then or months later. If a few weeks later they want to go to a new nightclub, they already have one in mind.

It doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult to use a marketing tactic for your storefront. You can use a method that fits your budget. If purchasing a custom neon sign is too pricey, pick up a custom flag instead. Considering how long flashy signs can last, investing in a flashy storefront is one of the cheaper ways to market your business.

While flashy marketing works, you should be sure that it reflects your business. You don’t need to be as garish as the car dealership or blare music down the street. One sign with your company logo, a prop, or a simple neon sign can catch people’s attention and give off the impression that matches your business’s image.

A Trail of Breadcrumbs

The other proven marketing tactic for drawing in foot traffic is more difficult to pull off. Breadcrumb street marketing is the method of making small and mostly incomplete impressions on passersby with the intended goal of completing the impression once the customer investigates further.

For example, a bar might draw in foot traffic by opting out of a typical street sign and instead will just hang up a neon arrow that points down a flight of stairs. The message is simple, “go this way.” What’s down the stairs is unknown, but given the nature of a neon sign the passerby might suspect that it’s a bar.

If pulled off correctly, this kind of marketing is fun, autonomous, and contractual by nature. The potential customers may decide to participate themselves. Maybe they see a well-dressed couple descend. Maybe they’re just curious where it leads. From the beginning, it requires the potential customer to actively participate in the role and join in on the mystery. As a reward, this foot traffic expects a to find something worth their time at the end.

The Importance of Foot Traffic

Brick-and-mortar stores provide a cathartic shopping experience. They add value to communities, establish credibility for new businesses, and are very practical for consumers. While a storefront can reach new potential customers just by keeping their doors open, it ultimately comes down to the retailer to reach passersby effectively. Whether it’s a flashy custom flag or a mysterious hook, your business can prosper from new business the old-fashioned way and stay competitive.