Marketing your Retail Store: Keep Yourself in the Public Eye

If you own a retail establishment, whether it's a grocery, clothing, or electronics store, you need to market your company constantly to the public.

Advertising is the most obvious method of marketing. Radio advertising is especially useful, as you can reach many people on their way to and from work. To be effective, it has to be continuous, in order to keep your store's name in front of the public on a daily basis. This way, if commuters need something your store carries, they'll be reminded of you on the way to and from work.

Advertising in local newspapers, both dailies and weekly advertising papers, is also a good idea; here you can offer specials and seasonal items.

Don't neglect business cards; while they may not seem necessary for a retail establishment, they do represent another opportunity to bring your business's name to the attention of more people. Pass your card out to an after-hours get-together of your local Chamber of Commerce; if you see a glass bowl filled with business cards for a drawing at a restaurant, slip your business card in, facing out, so that the restaurant's patrons can read it as they're paying their check. When you pay bills, either for your business or yourself, include your business card in envelope with the bill.

Point of sale advertising is also valuable. Keep business cards next to your cash register, for people to pick up as they're making their purchases. Consider buying pens with your business's name, address and phone number; hand them to customers for them to sign checks or credit card receipts. You can give them away, but it's amazing how many pens end up circulating because customers pocket them without thinking.

Retail packaging like plastic bags give you another method of advertising. Choose bags with a distinctive color that reflects your establishment's décor; have your store's name, address and phone number printed on them. Many people make plastic bags do double duty, using them for recycling cans and paper, and therefore hang around the house for days or weeks before being discarded. A sturdy, attractive shopping bag with your logo acts as portable advertising as your customer continues her shopping around town, and can travel hundreds of miles if used to transport holiday gifts out of town. Be sure to take stock of your packaging needs on a month to month basis and so you can take advantage of discount packaging offers.

Perhaps one of the best ways to market your business is to become an active member of your community. You can support your local school or theatre group by advertising in their playbills when they put on a performance, or you can get more involved and volunteer for the organizations. You can donate money or goods to your region's current Habitat for Humanity project - they often make a point of thanking contributors in the local newspapers - or you can show up and start wielding a hammer or a paintbrush. The good will that you generate by becoming part of your community can only reflect positively on your business.