If you build it, they don’t always come.
Marketing isn’t all it takes to increase sales.
These are painful realities business owners must own. Unfortunately, for some franchise or independent business owners, it is often inconceivable that a formula concept isn’t a guarantee of success.
Recently, a client of mine, a franchisee, scheduled a call to talk through his apprehension regarding future marketing plans. He had accepted new strategies and a more aggressive spend as a review of previous campaigns and analytics determined previous efforts were due for revision.
Suddenly he asked, “How do I know my marketing ROI is truly measurable?”
My client is well-versed in marketing measurables, so this new apprehension confused me. First, there is no “accuracy” in marketing measurables. But, it’s not a crap shoot either.
Marketing results depend on clearly defined goals and strategies. Resulting sales figures are reflective of not just how many came through the door, but also of the success of the in-store experience.
Google Searches, keywords, website/landing page clicks, promo codes, profile views, phone call, email click-thrus, reputation insights, and more provide a remarkable mirror into marketing success.
But he was hedging. Psychology teaches you to go after what isn’t making sense. So I dug deeper.
It became clear my client was reluctant to spend more as he didn’t expect it would make a difference. With diplomacy, I reminded him that ads do bring prospects to the door, but ads do not influence the actual in-store experience. Therefore, he is ultimately responsible for how well his marketing campaigns perform in his stores. And perhaps previous results were more dependent on previous in-store performance rather than the previous ads.
Marketing results are derived before, during, and after the sale. We made an appointment to review the staff, in-store process, inventory levels, displays, merchandising, signage, POS process and procedures, even curb appeal, and all the other influencers under the umbrella of operations.
You are always marketing. But your store image and performance is your strongest form of marketing. And within your 4+ walls, you need to consider every aspect of the customer experience for success.
As mundane as the following operations items may seem individually, combined, they are powerful. Inefficiencies in any area can and will pull down the others’ potential to generate success.
- Pricing
- Offers
- Window displays
- Wall signage
- Outdoor Banners
- Bag Stuffers/Flyers
- Inventory
- Window and In-store display/visual merchandising
- Ticketing
- Customer service training
- Staff Empowerment
- Inventory levels
- POS technology and procedures
- Social Media activity and engagement
- Keyword Tracking
- Email Marketing and scheduling
- Clienteling
Strategies to optimize all operations translate into a smooth running retail operation that is “felt” by the consumer throughout the sales process. Online competition cannot compete with a supreme in-store experience. Brick and mortar can’t afford to ignore every aspect of that experience to encourage repeat and referral business.