Robyn Rivera
A recognizable brand is important for retail stores because it helps create repeat customers. When customers can easily identify your store's brand, they are more likely to come back and shop with you again.
A strong brand also helps build customer loyalty, which is essential for any retail business. Loyal customers are not only likely to make larger purchases, but they're also more likely to spread the word about your store.
There are a few key things you can do to build a strong retail brand:
Your store’s visual identity should be instantly recognizable and should convey the essence of your brand.
Make sure your logo is simple, memorable, and relevant to your brand, and use it consistently across all your retail marketing materials. Your store’s color scheme, font choices and overall design should also reflect your brand identity.
Once you've developed your visual identity, including logo, colors, fonts, etc., create branding guidelines. This will help you keep your brand front and center when designing your retail website and other marketing materials.
Chances are, there are other stores that sell similar products in your area — and likely have similar prices, too. Your customers need a reason to choose you over the others.
To develop your unique selling proposition (USP), start by thinking about what makes your store different. Do you offer a unique product selection? Exceptional customer service? A fun and friendly shopping experience?
Once you’ve identified your USP, make sure it’s prominently featured on your retail website, in your marketing materials and in-store.
Social media is a powerful branding tool. Use it to share your brand’s story, connect with customers and create a community around your store.
Make sure your social media profiles reflect your brand identity and feature high-quality visuals. Post interesting and engaging content regularly, and interact with your followers to build relationships.
Additionally, use social media advertising to reach new customers and promote your store’s products and special offers.
Modern consumers value customer service a great deal. In fact, the majority of consumers say they would switch to a competitor after just a single negative customer service experience.
Your customers should have a positive experience every time they interact with your store, whether they’re shopping online, in-person or over the phone. Make sure your employees are friendly and helpful, and take the time to resolve any customer service issues quickly and efficiently.
By providing exceptional customer service, you’ll not only build customer loyalty and get lots of five-star reviews, but also create positive word-of-mouth for your retail store.
A strong brand is built over time. It takes consistency and commitment to establish a recognizable brand identity.
As you grow your store, make sure you stay true to your brand. This means using the same logo, colors, fonts, voice and overall identity in all your retail marketing materials, both online and offline.
It also means delivering on your brand promise with every customer interaction. If you promise exceptional customer service, make sure you deliver. If you promise a fun and friendly shopping experience, make sure your store is always clean and inviting.
For a local business like a retail store, almost nothing is more important to building a recognizable brand than having a strong local presence.
There are lots of ways to get involved in your community. You can sponsor a local sports team, participate in community events or donate to local charities. You can also host in-store events, such as meet-and-greets with local celebrities or special sales for local school fundraisers.
By getting involved in your community, you’ll not only make your store more visible, but also build goodwill and establish yourself as a trusted local business.
Even if customers love your store, they won’t always think of you first when they need something. To stay top of mind, you need to remind them of your store on a regular basis.
One of the best retail marketing channels to do this is email marketing. Send regular email newsletters featuring your latest products, special offers and news. You can also use email to send personalized messages to your best customers, such as birthday coupons or exclusive sales.
Additionally, use retargeting ads to reach leads and customers who have visited your store or website. These ads will help keep your store top of mind, and can lead to more sales down the road.
Building a recognizable brand is essential for any retail business. And, Marketing 360® has everything you need to make the most of brand marketing for your store.
Our all-in-one retail marketing platform has everything you need to manage and grow your store. From one place, you can develop a convertible website, master SEO and content marketing, connect with your community on social media and so much more.