As a convenience store owner, you may have a great location and a wide selection of products, but with so many stores in every city, it can be challenging to stand out. This is where marketing comes in. We’ve put together a few helpful concepts and best practices, from promotional ideas to SEO strategies, all designed to help your business thrive.
1. Create ads in your area.
Location-based advertising.
One thing that’ll help increase your store’s visibility is geo-targeted ads. These ads should be directed to people who are within a 5km to 10km radius of your store and can be served on social media platforms, search engines, or mobile apps. By targeting your ads to consumers in your local area, you’ll be able to increase the chances of how many of them view your menu — and reach some new ones.
Create geo-targeted ads.
Geofencing is a marketing technique that uses GPS and cellular data to set up a virtual boundary around your business. This helps you draw in potential customers who are near your store and encourages them to keep coming back for more. For example, when a consumer’s device enters the area, they receive a push notification or text message prompting them to visit your store, which can lead to more sales.
2. See how SEO can be your hero.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is another great marketing tool for convenience stores. SEO refers to the practice of optimizing your website for search engines, like Google, so it appears higher in the results when someone searches for a related keyword. This can help you get customers who are looking for a business just like yours, which can lead to even more customers ordering from your store.
Here are some SEO tips to follow when optimizing your store website:
- Make your menu pictures visually appealing. Visuals like relevant images and videos can help users better understand your content.
- Ensure your site is mobile-friendly and improve your organic traffic by using Google’s mobile-friendly test to see how your site performs.
- Your page title and meta descriptions are two of the most important meta tags on your website. Keep page titles short, snappy, and relevant to your business.
You can also use search engine marketing (SEM) strategies to promote your store online. For example, Google Smart Shopping can simplify your campaign management while helping you reach more customers.
3. See the power of paid search advertising.
Paid search advertising, also known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, has the goods to drive targeted traffic to your website or store. PPC advertising allows you to bid on keywords related to your business, leaving your ads to be displayed at the top of search engine results for those keywords. This is a great tool to attract customers who are actively searching for products that your store offers.
4. Make your store sizzle on social media.
Social media is also a powerful tool for marketing and maximizing engagement with customers. Twitter and Facebook can be used to build followers and entice them with store promotions and specials. For example, running promotions for free food or drinks on Facebook gives you an additional way to reach a larger audience and get your business’s name out in the community. Just ask your followers to share your posts to increase the buzz.
5. Go for on-the-go consumers.
Finally, it’s important to target on-the-go consumers who are often in a hurry and looking for quick, convenient options. The best way for shop owners to connect with customers, inspire loyalty, and drive sales is to make it easy for them to place an order while they’re out and about. In-car advertising on navigation apps like Waze and promoting your store on social channels can be effective ways to reach them when they’re away from home. By catering to the needs of on-the-go customers, you can increase your visibility and attract new customers who might not have otherwise discovered your store.
And that’s a wrap! By implementing these marketing strategies as a convenience store owner, you can increase your store’s visibility, attract more customers, and ultimately, grow your business.
