This year, dubbed “The Age of Amazon”, witnessed a great migration of consumers as to their shopping patterns. Extraordinary circumstances created by the pandemic boosted online sales, and even in the physical stores, the convenience of online ordering has added many ways to make the shopping easier. American media outlets and scholars predict the U.S. economy will return to the pre-pandemic level by the end of this year. Taking these changes in mind, what would be the strategies for small businesses to achieve a success?

Start using targeted advertisement on social media now Facebook offers targeted ads for the audience most similar to your customers. In other words, Facebook pulls data from your current customer database and find people who meet the same criteria based on their analysis. You can create ads targeting those potential customers with similar tendency and preference. Another advantage of using Facebook ads is that you can easily convert them to Instagram ads on the same control panel. As long as you do it right, you can grow a great platform for business growth and sales on Instagram as well. Targeting is the great advantage of social media ads. You can set your own parameters using educational, financial, and ethnical backgrounds as well as their location. If you cannot spare revenue for targeted social marketing, you can run events like a giveaway contest. You post an event notice on business’ social media account and hand out gifts. You will see the increase of follower numbers. Although it is not difficult to create a social media account for business, you might not be familiar with using the platform. If so, you can assign the task to one of your employees.

Keep a list of regular customers As opposed to the large retailers who target the public, small businesses have an advantage of knowing their customers better. You should have an up-to-date list of customer names, their favorite items, and frequently bought items, based on which you keep your inventory stocked up. When you are reordering items, you should review the customer list beforehand. Also, if you understand what they are looking for, you can go ahead and procure items that they might be interested in the future in order to boost sales.

Show appreciation to royal customers Royal customers who regularly visit your store with goodwill should be treated with the utmost hospitality and various perks. Consumers’ purchase decisions are influenced by business reviews and product reviews on social media more than ever, so you will see a great promotional effect if a royal customer makes a positive comment on the internet, which serves as a free advertisement. Also, you should make sure you reply to any review left by customers on social media such as Google and Yelp. One of the best methods to show the gratitude toward your royal customers is providing incentive for customer referrals. For example, if a customer sends a friend to the business, you can give discounts to the next purchase for both of them.

Ask customers for feedback It is not an easy task to ask your clients or employees to provide feedback. However, you should have courage to ask questions about how to improve your business to people who know the most surefire ways. It would be certainly better than receiving business consultation from someone who knows little about your business. Employees can give you ideas about business management that you could never thought of, and customers are also likely to provide feedback with an appreciation that you are working hard to satisfy them.

Focus on service rather than discount A surprisingly large number of customers prefer better service to lower price. If you have to cut down price to stay competitive, you have a loser’s mind set already. As many people check out Google Reviews and Yelps before they visit your store, great service is a key to business success now. An insanely high price would be a problem, but if you maintain a certain level of price, you can outperform competing stores with great customer service, the variety and selection of items offered, and extensive knowledge on the product as well as post-purchase services.

Motivate your employees It is more likely the employees are those whom customers mostly interact in person. For the most beauty supply stores run by Korean business owners, the owners tend to stay at the cash register. So, the employee’s customer service has direct correlation with the business profit. If you motivate your employees, they can provide outside-the-box ideas and service that largely differ from yours as a business owner. You should give job security and make the store a happy place to work. They will be happy. So will be your customers. There is a thing a small business owner can start immediately: communicating with your employees. It is very important to have a regular channel to communicate with them and listen to their needs.

Ask for emails and provide coupons The cheapest marketing method is to maintain your current client, which is a lot cheaper than finding a new one. Hence, you should develop a strong relationship with your customer base. One of the easiest thing you can do as a store owner is that you stay connected with your customers via email. When a customer visits your store or website, you should ask for an email address, to which you send emails regularly. You can send coupons from time to time via email. Many companies use coupons to bring new customers to their businesses. According to a research, people who received coupons do try to use them, proving that it works to expand your customer base. Coupons will encourage repeat visits. For example, if you offer a discount coupon that applies to a next purchase, you will more likely see the customer again.

Send handwritten thank-you notes You can write a thank-you note to regular customers who visit your store often. Factory-made thank-you notes will not cut for this occasion. They do not last in customer’s mind. You should review your customer list whenever you have time and deliver your simple and brief thank-you note in person. A thank-you note from a business owner is unimaginable thing for a larger retail business, so your customer will have a special experience and grow fond of your business.

Use plants for store display Many small businesses are placing plants between the store shelves and displays to invigorate the store and make it more attractive. Plants do create a cheerful mood for the entire store and lead to great shopping experience according to a research. A report pointed out that plants tend to lower customers’ stress and make them stay longer. If you use live plants, they will also work as air purifiers and improve the air quality of the store. You can easily find examples of plants placed on retail floors on the internet. Start the search now.