brick and mortar business

How to Get Customers for My Local Brick and Mortar Business

by

(Without Becoming a Human Sandwich Board on Main Street)

Step 1: Stop Thinking Like a Local Business, Start Thinking Like a Local Celebrity

If your idea of “marketing” is putting a dusty coupon in the penny-saver and praying someone walks in, I’ve got bad news: You’re not running a business, you’re babysitting a lease.

Want more foot traffic?

Start building local fame.

Here’s how:

  • Dominate your Google Business Profile like it’s your storefront. Photos, posts, offers, reviews, weekly updates.
  • And respond to every review like it’s a VIP customer, even if they’re named “AngryJoe1994.”
  • Get featured in local “Best Of” lists. Reach out to your city’s food bloggers, mommy influencers, or real estate YouTubers and offer them a comped experience worth posting about.
  • Launch a local-only lead magnet. Think: “Free Coffee for a Year Giveaway” or “$100 Gift Card for One Lucky Local.” Drive signups, build a list, and milk it forever.

Be the business that everyone in town either knows about, talks about, or plans to visit. That’s how foot traffic gets pre-sold.

Step 2: Turn Your Storefront Into a Traffic Trap (Not a Wallpapered Afterthought)

Most physical storefronts are glorified drywall, zero personality, zero pull.

If people are walking past your shop without stopping, that’s your fault.

Fix it:

  • Put your best offer on a sign outside. Not your name. Not your slogan. The thing they actually care about. “Free Cookie with Any Drink” will crush “Est. 2012. Family Owned.”
  • Use QR codes like digital flytraps. Link to a deal, menu, waitlist, or secret giveaway. Make scanning feel like discovering a cheat code.
  • Display rotating “social proof walls.” Frame photos of real happy customers. Stick up 5-star reviews. People trust people way more than they trust your logo.

You’ve got 3 seconds to earn their curiosity. Make your windows beg them to stop.

Step 3: Borrow Other People’s Foot Traffic Like a Street-Level Parasite

The fastest way to get new customers? Hijack traffic that’s already going somewhere else.

This is not shady. This is strategy.

Try this:

  • Partner with businesses that share your customers but not your category or niche. Coffee shops + bookstores. Pet groomers + local pet stores. Boutiques + nail salons. Run “Buy Here, Get That” promos that reward dual visits.

This to say if they buy at the bookstore they give them a coupon for a free cup of coffee at the restaurant, the restaurant gives its customers a coupon for a free custom made bookmark at the bookstore.

  • Sponsor small events where people linger. Craft fairs, pop-up markets, outdoor yoga. Skip the giant trade expos and go where the attention is cheap and unrushed.
  • Run employee-exclusive offers for nearby businesses. “10% Off for All [Company Name] Staff”, suddenly you’re the office lunch spot or post-shift go-to.

Don’t just hang out on your block. Own the block.

Step 4: Upgrade From “Loyalty Cards” to Psychological Triggers

Those “buy 10 get 1 free” cards?

Everyone forgets them. They live sad lives in junk drawers next to expired Bed Bath & Beyond coupons.

Instead, build a loyalty system that actually shapes behavior:

  • Use the endowed progress effect. Give people a card that already has two stamps “just because.” They’ll subconsciously want to finish what’s started.
  • Reward frequency, not just spend. The customer who visits twice a week should feel more important than the once-a-month big spender. Make them feel seen.
  • Surprise and delight randomly. “Hey, you’ve been in 3 times this month, have a free upgrade.” That tiny act gets talked about more than your ads ever will.

Loyalty isn’t built by bribery. It’s built by psychology.

Step 5: Get on Every Local List, Directory, and Map Possible

If you’re not showing up when someone Googles “[your niche] near me,” you’re invisible. Period.

Do this now:

  • Submit your business to every niche and local directory. Yelp, Nextdoor, Apple Maps, Bing Places, local Chamber of Commerce, niche directories for your industry, go at it like a caffeinated raccoon who discovered a fish cannery dumpster.
  • Optimize with real search terms, not cute ones. You’re not a “sustainable grooming lounge.” You’re a “dog groomer in Denver.” Talk like your customers search.
  • Keep your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistent everywhere. Google cares more about uniformity than creativity. Even a missing suite number can hurt your rankings.

Being found is better than being clever.

Step 6: Start Building an Email List (Yes, Even in Retail)

You may think “emails don’t matter for brick and mortar.” That’s what your competitors think, too, which is why they’re broke.

Email = revenue on demand. Here’s how to make it work:

  • Trade receipts for emails. “Want a digital copy of your receipt and 10% off next time?”
  • Boom, you’re in their inbox.
  • Run punchy, personality-driven campaigns. Don’t send “Spring Sale Starts Now.” Send: “We Overordered. You Win. Everything’s 20% Off Until We Regret It.”
  • Segment customers based on purchase types. If someone only buys coffee, don’t blast them about your new pastries. Get relevant or get ignored.

Your store is limited by square footage. Your emails are not.

Step 7: Become a Micro-Media Company (Even If You Hate Social Media)

Love it or hate it, people scroll more than they stroll.

So, if you want people showing up in person, you’d better show up in their feed first.

Try this:

  • Post short videos that show what it’s like to visit you. Don’t be fancy, be real. Show behind-the-scenes prep, the lunch rush, or the reaction to a new product.
  • Use staff personalities. “This is Jessie. She’ll judge you based on your coffee order.” Boom, likability skyrockets.
  • Create a weekly “thing.” $5 Friday deal. Monday trivia. “What’s New Wednesday.” Train your audience to expect you.

You don’t need to go viral. You just need to show up consistently and feel human.

Step 8: Track the Right Numbers or Keep Guessing Like a Caveman

If you don’t know what’s working, you’re just throwing marketing spaghetti at your storefront and hoping something sticks.

Instead:

  • Track foot traffic changes after every promo. Did your Mother’s Day sale actually move the needle or just exhaust your staff?
  • Ask “how did you hear about us?” until you’re sick of it. Then log the answers. Don’t assume you know. Ask.
  • Use loyalty apps and POS systems that show repeat rate, purchase size, and visit frequency. Your cash register knows more about your customer behavior than you do.

The business that tracks wins. Everyone else just survives.

Most brick and mortar business owners are stuck in 1997, relying on walk-ins, word of mouth, and some dusty signage.

You?

You’re smarter than that.

To get customers for your brick and mortar business, you need to:

  • Become locally famous
  • Optimize your storefront like a direct response ad
  • Borrow traffic
  • Trigger loyalty with psychology
  • Build a list
  • Use content to warm cold leads
  • And measure everything

Because in 2025, running a “local” business doesn’t mean thinking small, it means executing smart.

And frankly, the rest of your town doesn’t stand a chance.

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