Retail Store Marketing and Printing Techniques

When it comes to retail stores, few things are as effective as print marketing. This is especially true for local retailers with a regionally limited customer base. The more competitors you have, the harder it is to stand out and get noticed, so the successful retailer is effective at grabbing attention fast and taking every opportunity to attract a new customer and, hopefully, land a new sale. Retail printing trends haven't changed much in recent years other than to say that competition has upped the ante and made it more difficult to attract new business without knowing when people will buy. The following is one example of how a retailer could maximize their print marketing efforts to drive more sales from one campaign:

Mail campaign

A direct-mail campaign is the fastest way to get a targeted audience into your store. Whether you're sending a postcard or a catalog, make sure you have the right consumer mailing list so your customer demographics match up. As with all of your printed marketing materials, direct-mail printings should incorporate great design, copy, a great offer and a compelling call to action. Identify with your customers and tell them how visiting your store will make life easier.

Door hangers

Door hangers are another direct marketing technique aimed at getting your targeted customers' attentions. With door hangers, you don't have to worry about mailing fees, but you will have to beat the street yourself - or pay someone else to do it. Still, door hangers can benefit a campaign, because they take a one-on-one approach with the customer rather than being lumped in with the rest of the mail.

Signage

Let's say you send a postcard with a $20 off coupon, and customers are pulling into the parking lot. What do they see? Your store's name and a few soft drink machines? Invest in a large vinyl banner or large-format posters and you can begin upselling your customers before they even walk into the store. Are there accessories and other add-ons that go great with your offer? Tell them out in the parking lot. They'll be thinking about it as they walk through the store.

Stickers

Once your customers are inside the store, wouldn't it be great if you could showcase these accessories to each and every one of them? Place stickers on the floor that lead to the product offer they came for, but not before they pass by every clearly marked accessory that goes along with it.

Point-of-sale racks

It might be checkout time, but that doesn't mean they didn't miss something. What small, inexpensive tidbits can you put in the checkout aisle that clearly relate to the product they're purchasing? Put it on a rack at the registers. This is a relatively simple strategy for taking advantage of every opportunity to make a sale. In many cases, the customers who came just to purchase your offer will walk out having purchased two, three or more items they hadn't intended on - and probably didn't even know about. Without a robust, well-thought out marketing campaign such as this, you would miss out on doubling or perhaps tripling your revenue in the same period of time.