Why You Aren't Getting Maximum Footfall

As a business, you need to do everything you can to maximise the footfall coming through to your establishment. Whether you've got a passion or a product, most cafes, stores, clinics and showrooms just don't get enough people through the doors.

So, what’s going wrong? Let's have a look.

Your storefront looks closed

If your storefront looks closed, then it will generate zero curiosity and people won't enter. Most audiences and customers are able to pick up subtle cues in the environment that suggest that you might not be open for business. Even something as simple as dirty glass or faded posters.

The fix is to adopt something called the three-second rule: within three seconds, a stranger must understand what your business does and what it sells. If they don't, then you need to change something to make yourself more eye-catching.

You may also need to invest in signage services. These clearly tell people what you do and what you offer.

You have an invisible location

Even if you look open for business, you could still have an invisible location. People might be walking straight past you even though they need your products and services. The easiest way to fix this is to use bold illuminated signage. You want this at street level and above your shop. Adding yard signs for business near entrances, sidewalks, or high-traffic areas can also help guide passersby toward your location and make your offer easier to notice. It should be visible at least 50 meters away during the daytime and preferably further if you're able to light it up at night. Make sure you can spot your own business yourself and ask random people where you're located and what you do to see whether your external branding is landing.

Your online presence doesn't match reality

Another reason that your store might be overlooked is if your online presence doesn't match reality. You might have a great offering, but if Google says that you're closed all the time and your reviews are outdated, then customers will get the wrong impression of what you offer. Therefore, claim and optimize your Google business profile. Make sure that it's accurate and reflects what your company actually does and the quality of service that it provides. Also, set up similar outlets on social media so that people can see what you're doing.

You're not giving people a reason to stop today

You might also be missing out on something as simple as giving a reason to stop today. Just being open is often not enough to create curiosity. Therefore, put on daily sales and make special offers visible to customers who are walking past. You could provide them with live demos or free mini services to get them interested and perhaps become full paying customers.

No emotional hook

Finally, you might be lacking an emotional hook at the door, as putting a welcome sign up on the front window is often not enough to get people interested. The best way to use hooks is to leverage curiosity-driven copy. You could, for example, tell clients to "steal this look before it's gone" if you're in the fashion industry, or "fix your tired feet" if you're a podiatrist.

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