The Basics of Marketing for Hybrid Retail Stores
July 26, 2022
A marketing strategy for a local business looking to connect with people in their community should look different than a marketing strategy for an online business looking to connect with customers from around the world.
Hybrid retail stores — that is to say, stores that have both physical locations and e-commerce websites — are in a unique position from a marketing standpoint. They have to account for both in-person and online shoppers, which means they need to use a mix of local retail marketing and e-commerce marketing strategies.
In this post, we’re going to break down a few basic tips for marketing your hybrid retail store to help you get found locally and online.
How to market your hybrid retail store
Step #1. Build an effective online store
If you want to reach online shoppers, you need to have a well-designed online store. This means more than just having a website with your store’s name and address — although that’s important, too. Your website should be easy to navigate, have clear product descriptions and high-quality photos
Above all else, your website needs to be just as attractive and functional on a smartphone as it is on a desktop computer. That’s because most traffic these days comes from mobile, and if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, it will hurt your organic visibility.
Another key aspect of an effective online store is a smooth checkout experience. The more hoops someone has to jump through to check out, the less likely they are to make it to the end. Make sure your store has a secure payment gateway and that your checkout process is as streamlined as possible.
Step #2. Optimize your website for search engines
Just because you have an online store doesn’t mean people will be able to find it. In order for your website to show up in search results, you need to optimize it for search engines like Google.
The first step is to make sure your website is built on a solid foundation with clean code and fast loading times. If your website is slow or poorly coded, it will hurt your ranking in search results.
Once your website is up to par, you can start thinking about keyword optimization. This is the process of strategically placing keywords throughout your website — in your titles, tags, product descriptions and more — to signal to Google what your website is about.
When done correctly, keyword optimization can help your website rank higher in search results for relevant keywords, helping you attract more visitors.
Pro tip – Emphasize product page SEO
While all the pages on your website are important, you should put a little extra emphasis on your product pages. That’s because these are the pages that people are most likely to land on when they’re looking for something specific.
To optimize your product pages for search, start by keyword research. Look for keywords related to your products and add them to your titles, tags, product descriptions, alt image tags and more.
In addition to keyword optimization, make sure your product pages are well-designed and easy to navigate. The last thing you want is for someone to land on your product page only to be confused by the layout or frustrated by a slow loading time.
Step #3. Use local retail marketing strategies
Just because your store is online doesn’t mean you should forget about local retail marketing altogether. There are a number of local retail marketing strategies you can use to reach shoppers in your area, including:
- Local SEO – Optimizing your website for local keywords can help you attract shoppers in your area who are searching for products like yours.
- Google Business Profile – Claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile listing can help you show up in relevant local searches.
- Online directories – Listing your hybrid retail store in online directories like Yelp, Foursquare and Top Rated Local® can help you attract local shoppers.
- Social media – Use social media to connect with local shoppers and promote your hybrid retail store. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are great for this.
Hybrid retail stores not only need to be able to attract online shoppers to their products, but they also need to be able to drive local shoppers to their brick and mortar store. That’s where local marketing comes in.
Step #4. Run targeted online ads
Another way to reach online shoppers is with targeted online ads. This can be done through a number of channels, including search engines, social media, retail websites and more.
When running online ads, it’s important to target your audience as specifically as possible. The more targeted your ad is, the more likely it is to reach people who are interested in what you’re selling.
You can target your ads by location, demographics, interests and more. For example, if you’re selling women’s clothing, you might want to target ads to female shoppers in your area who are interested in fashion.
Running targeted online ads is a great way to reach potential customers who might not otherwise find your website.
Step #5. Use retargeting ads
Retargeting ads are a type of online ad that specifically targets people who have visited your website before. These ads follow potential customers around the internet, showing up on the websites they visit, in their social media feeds and more.
Retargeting ads are an effective way to keep your hybrid retail store top of mind with potential customers. They’re also a great way to drive people back to your website to make a purchase.
To use retargeting ads, you’ll need to add a piece of code to your website (called a pixel). Once the pixel is in place, you can create and run your retargeting ads.
There are a number of different platforms you can use to run retargeting ads, including Google Ads, Facebook Ads and more.
Step #6. Stay in touch with email marketing
Email marketing is one of the very best ways to stay in touch with your customers and promote your hybrid retail store. With email marketing, you can send out regular updates about new products, sales, coupons and more.
To get started with email marketing, you’ll need to build an email list. You can do this by adding an opt-in form to your website or by collecting emails at your brick-and-mortar store.
Once you have a list of email addresses, you can use email marketing software, like the Marketing 360® Nurture app, to send out regular updates.
Here are a few key tips to help you get email marketing right for your retail store:
- Segment your email list – Segmenting your email list will help you send more targeted, relevant emails. For example, you might segment your list by location, purchase history or retail store type.
- Personalize your emails – Personalized emails are more likely to be opened and read than generic emails. When personalizing your emails, be sure to use the recipient’s first name, last name or company name.
- Keep your emails short and sweet – No one wants to read a long email from a retail store. Keep your emails short and to the point to avoid losing potential customers.
- Include a call-to-action – Every email you send should include a call-to-action (CTA). A CTA is a piece of text or an image that encourages recipients to take a specific action, like visiting your website or making a purchase.
- Make it easy to unsubscribe – Include an unsubscribe link in every email you send. This will make it easy for people to stop receiving your emails if they’re no longer interested.
Email marketing is a great way to keep your customers in the loop about what’s going on with your hybrid retail store.
Pro tip – Use text message marketing, too!
Text message marketing can be a great way to reach your customers, promote sales and more. With text message marketing, you can send out short, text-based messages to your customers’ mobile phones.
Text message marketing is a great way to reach people who might not be checking their email regularly. It’s also a great way to send time-sensitive updates, like last-minute sales or changes in store hours.
To get started with text message marketing, you’ll need to sign up for a text message marketing service, like the Marketing 360 Nurture app.
Once you’ve signed up for a service, you can start building your text message list. You can do this by adding a keyword to your website or by collecting phone numbers at your retail store.
Once you have a list of phone numbers, you can start sending out text messages. Just be sure to keep your messages short and sweet to avoid losing potential customers.
Step #7. Use social media to promote your retail store
Social media is a great way to reach potential customers and promote your retail store. With social media, you can share updates about new products, sales, store events and more.
There are a number of different social media platforms you can use to promote your retail store, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more.
When using social media to promote your retail store, it’s important to:
- Post regularly – Posting regularly will help you stay top of mind with your potential customers.
- Be responsive – When people comment on your posts or ask questions, be sure to respond in a timely manner.
- Use images and videos – Posts with images and videos tend to perform better than those without.
- Use hashtags – Hashtags can help you reach a wider audience on social media.
Promoting your retail store on social media is a great way to reach potential customers and promote your brand. Just be sure to post regularly and be responsive to comments and questions.
Step #8. Harness the power of social proof
Social proof is a powerful marketing tool that can be used to promote your retail store.
Social proof is the idea that people are more likely to buy something if they see that other people have bought it, too.
For example, if you see that someone you trust has bought a product from a retail store, you’re more likely to buy that product from the retail store, too.
There are a number of different ways you can use social proof to promote your retail store, including:
- Get reviews – One way to use social proof is to get reviews from customers who have purchased from your retail store. You can post your best reviews on your website or social media pages.
- Use testimonials – Testimonials are another form of social proof. A testimonial is a written or video statement from a satisfied customer. Highlight testimonials on your website or social media pages.
- Share user-generated content – User-generated content is a form of social proof that can be very effective. User-generated content is content created by customers, like photos, videos or reviews. You can encourage customers to create user-generated content by offering discounts, holding contests or giving away free products.
- Invest in influencer marketing – Influencer marketing is a form of social proof that involves partnering with influencers to promote your retail store. Influencers are people with a large following on social media. They can help you reach a wider audience and promote your retail store to their followers.
Social proof is a powerful marketing tool that can be used to promote your retail store. There are a number of different ways you can use social proof, including getting reviews, using testimonials, sharing user-generated content and investing in influencer marketing.
Step #9. Offer loyalty programs
Loyalty programs are a great way to promote customer loyalty and repeat business.
With a loyalty program, customers can earn points for every purchase they make. These points can be redeemed for discounts, free products or other perks.
Loyalty programs are a great way to keep customers coming back to your retail store. They’re also a great way to collect data about your customers’ buying habits.
Here are a few tips for creating a loyalty program for your hybrid retail store:
- Offer incentives that appeal to your target market – When creating your loyalty program, be sure to offer incentives that will appeal to your target market.
- Make it easy to sign up and earn points – Make sure it’s easy for customers to sign up for your loyalty program and start earning points. The easier it is, the more likely customers are to participate.
- Use data from your loyalty program to improve your marketing – Use the data you collect from your loyalty program to improve your marketing. You can use this data to segment your customers and create targeted marketing campaigns.
Loyalty programs are a great way to promote customer loyalty and repeat business. With a loyalty program, customers can earn points for every purchase they make. These points can be redeemed for discounts, free products or other perks.
There are a lot of moving parts to keep track of when you create a marketing strategy for a hybrid retail store. The Marketing 360 retail marketing platform can help you manage them all
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