Yes, You Need to Market Your C-Store

When you think of marketing, you might picture some professionals sitting in the boardroom of a skyscraper, planning out their next million-dollar ad campaign. Marketing is only important for large businesses, right? Well, in fact, marketing can help any business, no matter how small, and it's crucial to the success of your c-store. Here’s why:

It Lets People Know Who You Are

Think about the signs you have outside of your c-store; they let people know that you exist, what you sell, etc. Marketing is essentially letting people know that your business exists and that you want them to buy your products. Thanks to the internet, marketing extends even further than just your sign out front. Nowadays, you can either create online ads yourself (or hire a marketing agency) to advertise your business online. If you decide to do it yourself, you can find online tutorials that walk you through the process.

For instance, you can create a listing on Google for your c-store, and people will be able to get directions and your contact information easily. Little things like this are bound to bring in more customers.

It Helps You Stand Out

In a world where you can find convenience stores on practically every block, it’s important that you find ways to help your store stand out. Figure out what your niche is and then shape your marketing plans around it. Do you specialize in premium products, or do you offer everyday essentials at affordable prices? Your advertising and marketing efforts will go a long way in targeting your ideal customers. Which leads us to our next point:

Marketing Allows You to Target Different Demographics

In the c-store business, it can be hard to narrow down a specific category of customers because product offerings are so vast and the central premise of the industry is convenience, something everyone can benefit from. That being said, depending on the products you offer, you can target specific customer segments through marketing to help attract them to the store. Do you sell a certain product, or maybe a type of prepared food, that locals in your area love? Tell them with a sign! Simple signs out front displaying your business name won't do much to draw in new customers, but targeted messages will.

Marketing Encourages Healthy Competition

We recently talked about competition in a previous post and how you can benefit from competition. Marketing and competition go hand in hand. By getting the word out about your business and your prices, you reduce the chance that some other store might gain a monopoly in your area. We’re not talking about price wars, but competition will ensure that prices are stable across all stores in the area.

Marketing isn't for just the "big guys." As we said, no business is too small to benefit from some simple but effective  marketing efforts, such as banners and ads onsite and online. Marketing will bring more paying customers into your c-store, increase your sales, and boost your brand as well. Feel free to check out one of the hundreds of online resources to learn more about cheap and effective ways to promote your c-store, and check back on this blog for more tips in the future!