Other retail store owners may argue that it’s better to stick to traditional marketing to promote their business. Print ads, coupon mailers, and outdoor advertising are probably some of the most convenient options. While it is true that such may bring trickle to business, retail store owners should also think of converging traditional and digital methods in doing marketing.

Benefits of online marketing for retail owners

Digital Marketing Institute outlines some key benefits of doing digital marketing for retail stores:

• The ability to interact with your prospects and learn exactly what they are looking for.
• The ability to reach out to anyone and anywhere as there are no geographical boundaries with digital.
• Target the right audience at the right time – personalization is simpler with digital marketing.
• Communicate with your prospects at every stage of the buying process.
• Save money and reach more customers for less. 
• Get to know your audience and drive engagement to create brand loyalty. Get some inspiration from the power of customer loyalty schemes. 
• Track and monitor responses to your marketing efforts easily and instantly 

Low-cost, high-scaling digital marketing ideas for retail stores

These are some of the best online marketing practices you can try for you to scale your retail store business today!

Branded hashtags

A branded hashtag connects customers not just to your products but also to your brand. As your customers participate in using your hashtag, you get to see their reviews and how your brand has made their day. For instance, your customers may post pictures of themselves wearing their favorite outfit while being in your retail store and they may discover a common interest group who share the same shopping preferences.

For this to be effective, make sure your hashtag is promoted in store, on posters, and even on your social media posts.

Social media stories

Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp all have Stories functions for instant, dynamic, and quick video content. You can get started with this by doing daily check-in stories, event promo stories, product unboxing stories, product testimonials, and customer-service-themed stories. This is a powerful way to generate quick GIF or video content that can be categorized and saved using the Highlights feature in these apps.

Surveys, polls, and quizzes

A giveaway or a contest is a simple approach for retail companies to encourage customers to follow them and interact with their brand.

Here are some starter concepts:

• To increase your audience, hold a contest in association with a different retailer, company, or provider.

• Create anticipation for new product releases by holding contests.

• Create competitions to promote overstocked items.

Make sure you specify the participation conditions in clear terms and abide by the platform’s promotional rules.

Promotional emails

Did you know that in a study by marketingsherpa.com, it was found that a vast majority of customers want to receive promo emails? In fact, the study results showed that 96% of people earning $75,000 – $99,900 would like to receive promotional emails from companies they do business with and 92% of people earning $100,000 or more would like to receive promo emails.

That’s so much opportunity for you with your customers! You can do this by announcing your latest product or sale, or getting a bit up close and personal by showing your store’s community involvement or behind-the-scenes photos and stories.

Holiday posts

One of the best shareable posts on social media is a holiday post. The best practice for this is to lay down in advance in your content calendar and identify major national holidays and even local celebrations. You could include the New Year celebration, Valentine’s Day, and even Christmas!

Online Store

In the digital age, more and more customers prefer to buy their favorite stuff online. This is super convenient for busy shoppers who wish to have their stuff delivered right in front of their door!

This can be best achieved if you partner with payment processors and local couriers.

There are many ways to be a retail store rockstar in digital marketing. Talk to a digital marketing expert in Davao to get hep today!