The small businesses simply cannot follow a brand name's strategy. Their resources are different, and so is their customer base. They can utilize the social media advertising concepts, but simply cannot rely solely on the online techniques of marketing. For a small business to grow, there is a strong need to have an in-store customer presence. Here are a few ways that can help the retailers increase their customer base. 

Work On The Store Appeal:

Have you ever considered this? For a passerby, the appearance of your store must be appealing enough to welcome a newcomer inside. Just stand out on the pedestrian path and watch your business spot for a while. It will give you an idea if there is something that seems missing, or if everything is perfect. The product speciality, the decent retail outlook, the special factor that stands out, should all be apparent before a customer is inside the doors.

Sort Out The Major Buyers:

Spend some time in checking out who is the majority of your customers. The assets and the products expansion hugely depends upon the crowd who is there for that. So does the internal set up. For example, if the buyers form a huge base out of the university students, the store may have special offers applicable to students, announced in bold letters out of the store. Or if the kids are the ones providing you the business, decorate the store with balloons, that will tempt the parents and the kids to equal degrees.

Another option may be considering expanding the business to the other categories than your regular class of buyers. In any case, it needs one to identify the customer base first, and then plan the next steps.

Retain The Old Customers:

According to the 80-20 theory, 80 percent of the business comes from 20 percent of the customers. These customers are critical for any business. Try reviving the relations with these buyers, if you have not done so recently. They, if retained, are going to be very valuable in terms of their loyalty to your business. Sometimes, a faithful customer is the best marketer in carrying the reputation to the kith and kin. It is not very uncommon to find out a few families, where the last five generations have been approaching the same furniture store for their needs. Rewarding them for their loyalty may be an excellent idea. But the first and the foremost is to not let them go elsewhere.

Get Engaged With The Newspapers:

Make your presence felt in the huge market, through the local newspapers. Some kind of event, or the charity oriented activity, will take your business to the newer heights. Not only the fame, an established newspaper will increase the credibility of your business by multiple times. A store, that is hard to be distinguished amongst hundreds of others, can be turned to the most sought after store, if there is a newspaper backing with that. This may be a good chance for any advertisements as well.

Stick To The Small Business Characteristics:

That stresses on personal relations. Unlike large businesses, where a customer feels himself one amongst the millions, small business has the ability to build a strong personal relation with the customers. This is one area, where, if the business relation is nurtured properly, will the business outperform many multimillion dollar businesses with the same service. A great service and personal attention are the key values of a small business. Done with enthusiasm, and with a keen knowledge of product, the service ends up in a strong and long lasting business interaction. At the end of the day, there is a sense of satisfaction at both the ends.

A conscious and a well placed effort can uplift a small business to amazing success. Since it is small, it gets manageable easily compared to the bigger businesses. Within the limited resources, a proper planning and a good customer service can show up as the great records of profit.

This article is contributed by Evans who is a business blogger and keynote speaker @ Groupchesterfield.com that offers International payroll.