In 2021, it has become somewhat necessary to have an online presence  if you want to truly grow and promote your business. Social media is a great (and mostly FREE) way to get your message and brand out to the masses quickly and efficiently. Remember, you don’t have to sell your products online to have an online presence. If your brand footprint is somewhat lacking online, we highly recommend you take steps to increase your presence TODAY – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter are all great places to get started. Create a hashtag for your store and encourage people to use it! A great way to encourage people to use your hashtag is to have a social media space – something like a selfie wall with a fun backdrop – right in your store. Don’t forget to place your hashtag somewhere on the backdrop, and to change it up every so often to keep it fresh and exciting. Encourage your customers to use the space by offering a discount to those who upload photos and tag your shop. Your store will become a fun place to shop, and your customers tagging your store is bound to bring in new business!

When it’s safe to do so, host an event that relates to your business. If you’re a café or bistro, host a monthly cooking class. If you’re a make up boutique, offer make up lessons. If you’re a clothing store, host a yearly fashion show. The list of options is endless, and there is a lot of flexibility in how you can go about hosting these events. Maybe it’s a free event, an open house, or something your customers must buy tickets to attend. Whatever it is you decide to do, a fun in-person event is sure to drive foot traffic into your shop and likely to result in new customers. 

As a small business, maintaining an active presence in your surrounding community is essential.  It’s not always about promoting your business or services directly, but rather gaining brand visibility within your community.  The more you get your name out there, the more apt potential customers are to remember you. These customers will want to visit your shop to see what you’re all about! Not sure how to get started?  Try posting about another local business or service on your social media or promoting them directly inside your store. Better yet, set up a yearly fundraiser for your community or sponsor neighbourhood events or teams if you have the budget to do so. Keeping yourself involved will show your neighbourhood that you want to support the community you’re in and give back to them where you can, enabling you to build trust with prospective customers and increasing awareness of your brand.  This tactic might not immediately bare fruit in terms of increased foot traffic and sales, but over time, you are sure to see some really positive results.