You can spend a whole afternoon feeding the social channels and still wonder whether anyone found the shop. Posting has a place. So does a website people can use and an email they asked to receive.
I want a local business to have more than one way to reach its customers. A change in a social feed should not be the end of the conversation.
Start with the people already showing up
Put a clear invitation at the counter, on a receipt or on your website. Tell people what they will receive and how often. A ski shop might send fitting appointments and new arrivals. A marina might send lake conditions and event dates. Make signing up their choice.
Keep the promise. If someone signs up for useful local updates, send useful local updates. Make it easy to leave the list, too.
Give the visit a purpose
A workshop, a film night or a small gathering can give people a reason to stop by. Put the details on one page: what is happening, when, where, what it costs and how to join. Use the same link in your email, social posts and printed material.
Work with a neighboring business when the fit is right. Keep each partner’s role clear, including who will follow up with people who sign up.
Keep it local as you grow
If you serve more than one town, check the details for each location. Hours, directions, available products and the people answering the phone all matter. Share the same basic story, with information that fits the place.
Photography and video can show those people and places. Court Leve Productions handles that side of a project when we work together. I help connect the story to the website, email, communications and next step for the customer.
Count what comes back
Track signups, inquiries, event attendance and sales where you can measure them. Compare the work with the time and money you put into it. Keep the parts that help, and change the parts that do not.
Talk with me about your business. We can start with one useful improvement and build from there.
