With so many choices for customers, marketing a convenience store can be difficult. How do you separate your store from the pack and pull new customers in? What can you do to encourage customer loyalty?
There are many questions when it comes to marketing your business. Here are a few tips when it comes to convenience stores.
Offer Unique Foods
Many convenience stores sell the same foods, such as preheated hotdogs or donuts. Add a unique food to your menu to make your convenience store stand out.
For example, sell something out of the ordinary that could become your c-store staple food, such as delicious churros, loaded fries, or mac n’ cheese. Ask yourself, :“What product are you passionate about?”
People will start to remember your location as “the one with the amazing churros,” ultimately making your c-store not only more attractive, but a destination. This one marketing tool could bring in customers who might only come for the churros but end up buying more or filling up their gas tanks.
Offering something that is readily available that also tastes delicious can encourage repeat business.
Use Social Media
Social media has become increasingly integrated into our lives. Today, people utilize social media quite often to find new places to eat, see, and visit such as c-stores, restaurants, or gas stations near them. It is helpful to create social media accounts for your c-store so that people will easily find it online via their favorite platform.
Particularly helpful social media networks are Instagram and Pinterest. Utilize hashtags that will make it easier for users to find your store and key items you sell. Add photos that promote your products and services.
Keep your accounts active and updated by posting often and interacting with consumers online. Post about sales or deals (or those delicious churros) that may attract more customers.
Invite Customers to Be a Part of Your Social Media
Show you have happy customers! People want to know that other people had good experiences at your store.
Get your customers’ consent to include them in your social media posts. This could be a video of people discussing their love for your c-store or a picture of someone eating your food.
Chief Business Strategist of LSMB Business Solutions Linda Murray Bullard, stated,“Using this method provides new customers with what to expect and helps to increase the know, like, and trust factor for the business.”
Encourage Customer Reviews
People often check reviews for businesses prior to selecting a destination. Invite your customers to review your c-store on Yelp, Google, or Facebook in order to boost your profile.
One way to get customers to participate is by putting up signs that directly ask customers to review your store. You can also get creative and offer incentives for leaving a review. For example, customers could receive a free cookie if they show proof of leaving a review.
This digital strategy promotes better customer service from your employees and helps your c-store rank higher in Google search map results.
Use a Mobile App for your Loyalty Program
People are on their phones all the time. With a mobile loyalty program, customers can easily stay connected to your c-store and keep track of coupons and deals.
Additionally, this will encourage customer loyalty. People will have greater incentive to come to your c-store if they can accumulate points and easily redeem them for discounts, deals, and promotions, rather than going to another c-store.
A mobile platform will also make it easy for business owners to reach out to and inform customers about their c-stores. Everything the customer needs to know will be in one place. A mobile app is more efficient than having to print out easily misplaced or forgotten coupons or flyers.
There are many ways to effectively market a c-store and these are just a few. Marketing strategies are constantly evolving and adapting to the ever-changing world. It is important to learn customers’ needs and adjust accordingly. Who knows what new and creative marketing strategies will look like in the future?