Right now, go outside and count how many people walk past your front door without looking inside.
Now put up a sign with an offer. Any offer. Count how many extra people it brings in.
Test another offer. And another — until you double the number of walk-ins you pick up.
I love this sign from Edible Arrangements: “Enjoy a Free Chocolate Covered Strawberry.”
You’re paying a ton of rent for the opportunity to build a storefront business, and you’re probably spending nothing (effort or cash) to leverage that opportunity.
Opening the store is just the first step. Getting noticed is the important part.
Thanks for sharing this. We finally have a brick-and-mortar storefront downtown for our web design company and were brainstorming ways in how to increase walk-in traffic. Online traffic is one thing, walk-in traffic’s another. You’ve just given us something to think about. I already have an offer in mind to test. Thanks!
Not only does this post talk about a great idea..signage..it also talks about a key element of making your store different and unique…by offering ‘treats’ to customers. Everyone loves a treat…especially in these tough times.
We talk more about this in a new book: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/small-business-smarts-how-to-survive-%28or-thrive%29-in-a-recession/6972449
Andy – great post, for two reasons I think. First, there’s no excuse for any business not to test offers on a regular basis, online or offline. Second, the concept of always “being in beta” with your offers AND products/services is something that too few companies embrace. Thanks for demonstrating those principles in such a simple and powerful way!
amazing…. damn… i never thought of that
Really good thought Andy. Sometimes things are right under our nose and we can see the opportunity. When I think of the number of businesses that pay for expensive rent and then do not leverage that opportunity..wow..and of course the higher the pass by traffic the higher the rent which also adds to the weight of your post.
Even though you would think that this type advice would be common sense you would be surprised how many very cheap or even completely free advertising methods are simply overlooked by most small businesses. Many of the times these methods are overlooked because owners have put up a wall about advertising and marketing since so many methods that used to work 10 years ago simply don’t work today.