As people begin to venture back out into the world and take trips, small business owners will once again need to focus their attention on drawing in foot traffic. Simply getting people to come into your establishment gives you a chance to make a sale. While a great deal of business has been done online over the last year, the in-person interactions and relationships built are what make small businesses stand out. Here we take a look at five ways to increase foot traffic to your small business.

In-Store Only Deals

Making specific deals exclusive to those that visit your brick-and-mortar location can help drive foot traffic and increase sales on other items. Take a few of your most popular items and mark them down for in-store customers only. Create a buzz by posting your sales to social media and count down the days with fun and interactive posts. Your promotions could also come in the form of offering additional customer rewards, gift cards, or future discounts to those that make in-store purchases during a certain time frame.

Contests And Giveaways

There are a variety of different contests you could hold to encourage people to visit your store. Costumes, cutest pets, and contests that fit the theme of your business can be a fun way to draw in foot traffic. You should have multiple winners that receive a variety of prizes, including discounts, gift cards, branded merchandise, and a single big-ticket item that goes to your top winner. Company branded merchandise can also be used for giveaways and will serve as valuable marketing tools as long as they are items that can be used in everyday life.

Demonstrations And Classes

Showing off your expertise is a great way to get people into your store. Hosting classes or demos to teach your handiwork to your customers can help build relationships, increase sales and create customer loyalty. Whether you own a retail store, restaurant or salon, there are sure to be various things you can teach and demo to your customers. If your classes become exceedingly popular, it may be something you can charge for or put on a YouTube channel and monetize.

Local Marketing Campaigns

Focusing your marketing efforts on your local area is nothing new, but there are ways you can better target your community. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google allow small businesses to advertise to a particular geographic area as well as a variety of key demographics. This enables you to market your products and services directly to the people who are most likely to visit your store and buy from you. Direct mail and email blasts to your local community can also still be quite effective, as long as you are providing some value to your potential customers.

Community Scavenger Hunt

Assembling a community scavenger hunt where customers either collect photos or physical objects from your local area can be a fun and inventive way to bring in more foot traffic. Prizes should be awarded to those who complete the hunt first and anyone who participates. This could be a collection of pictures of local landmarks, items from an information booth, beach sand, or anything else that represents your local community.