Use special offerings in your grocery store marketing.
In many cities, competition between grocery stores can be steep, and effective marketing tactics can make a large impact on your business. As you develop a marketing plan for your grocery store, consider ways you can reach out to the community using in-person, online and print marketing methods.
Game Day Promotions
If your community is invested in a particular professional, university, or high school sports team, you can use fan fever in marketing your grocery store. In the days leading up to the game, you might sell special products related to the sport: beer and brats for tailgating, for example, or coffee in travel cups. Advertise in local publications and sports programs; you might also take out ads on the back of tickets offering special discounts for ticket holders after the game. If your business can handle it, get sports fans into the store on game day by offering a certain percent off based on the number of points scored, up to a certain level.
In-Store Marketing
By ramping up your marketing efforts in the store, you can encourage existing customers to spend more and try new products. You might place special products on sale on the end caps of aisles, where they will be more visible. Give out free samples in the bakery section to market new products, or give out samples of a new product line to encourage shoppers to try it out. You can also offer specials on popular brands or put out seasonal displays to market items that people might need for parties or holiday events.
Focus on Competitive Advantages
When you are marketing your grocery store in publications and online, the Pace Communications website recommends that you make customers aware of the features your store offers. If your meat department sells organically grown, antibiotic-free meat, for example, let customers know. If you have a special selection of international foods, a recipe section, or if you have added new services like a bank or a coffee bar, focus on them in your advertisements. Distribute the information through a newsletter, website blog, or on flyers and posters in the store.
Social Media
According to the Facebook website, more than 500 million people use the service, and more than half of those users log on every day. As you develop a marketing plan for your grocery store, harness social media activity on Facebook and other sites like Twitter and LinkedIn by creating profiles for your store. Ask all of your employees to become friends or followers, and send out announcements in your store newsletter or email list. Use your social media networks to send out information about store specials, new product lines, or daily offerings in your deli or bakery. By getting your store's name in front of customers on a regular basis, you can increase brand awareness.
