How to Advertise a Grand Opening for Your Store
Starting a new business can be a fun endeavor, but it’s certainly plenty of work as well. From securing funding, to writing business plans, to applying for licenses, opening your own store takes a lot out of you. One of the best ways to make sure you get off to the right start is by throwing a big grand opening. Advertising your store’s grand opening is essential to bringing customers in and sparking their interest, and there are a few steps you need to take to be sure you’re doing it right and reaching your target demographic:
Decide the Budget
Considering the costs involved with starting a business, it’s tempting to give the grand opening little thought. However, the grand opening is a key aspect of a strong marketing plan, as it gets people through your door and gets the word out. For a successful opening, you can pull out all the stops or throw something as a simple as a pizza party, open house, or small ceremony. Serve refreshments while also providing free demos of your service or product. Give out fliers, business cards, and free samples, but, most importantly, make sure you have a full list of all your opening’s expenses and keep them in budget.
Know Your Customers
Obviously, a grand opening is meant to targets customers, but it’s also for the media and suppliers, as it’s a golden opportunity to build relationships in a community. Telling the media about your new business is perfect for generating free publicity, so roughly two or three weeks prior to your opening, contact your local media via phone or through a press release, as planning for media is as crucial as planning the event itself. One key aspect of this planning is press kits—buy some folders and provide fact sheets about your products and business, copies of your press release, and business cards.
Make the Opening Compatible with the Store
The business you’re in should have a key role in deciding the type of grand opening you’re having. If you're in a food-based business, try handing out free samples and take-home menus for customers and offering a tour of the facility, regardless of how small or large the building is. Also, remember that you shouldn’t only think of the opening of your store as just a big party—you’re also trying to entice those who are most likely to patronize your business to come in and get to know it.
Choose Strong Advertising
When it comes to actual advertising, the options you have are practically limitless. The advertising you choose can vary by its current popularity with your target demographic as well as how well it does in your area. To get a few ideas, refer to our list below:
· Radio : Despite online radio being all the rage, traditional FM/AM radio is one of the fastest ways to reach your local audience, but the costs can vary due to audience size, time of day, and the local market.
· Newspaper : Though daily papers will primarily be seen by older audiences, newspaper ads still work well for reaching a wide audience locally, especially thanks to price flexibility in terms of an ad’s size and the paper’s circulation.
· Facebook : Without question, Facebook events are completely necessary, because they’re essentially free advertising with plenty of potential for spreading and growing organically. Even so, your business’s Facebook page must be well-made. Choose high-quality pictures and write out a detailed, fun itinerary for the opening’s events, including giveaways, contests, etc.
· Other Miscellaneous Advertising : Other forms of cost-effective advertising include direct mail postcards, flyers, chalk advertising, and LED billboard truck advertising, with the last of these offering the greatest chance to stand out from the competition, given you’re paying for the quality of billboards and the mobility of newspapers or radio.
If you want to find out how Boost Outdoor Mediacan help you get the word out about your grand opening, click here.
