You have already planned your business. You are done with the necessary preparations such as choosing a location, securing the business’s funding, sourcing the store’s essentials (furniture, equipment, etc.), and the hiring of employees.
Before you start operating, you have to strategize. Having a plan in place for the opening will ensure that you start the business on the right foot. Marketing a start-up business must be put into action weeks, or even months, before the actual grand opening. This will enable people’s curiosity to awaken, thereby creating a buzz and enthusiasm within the community.
Where to Market Your Grand Opening
The first step in coming up with a marketing plan is knowing where you should put up ads or commercials. This step comes after you have set a budget for the grand opening. Here are top places wherein people can discover your store:
- Social Media
Social media being at the top of this list no longer comes as a surprise. From Millenials to Gen Zs, social media is the number one platform that is used by people. Thus, it is where the majority discover new businesses.
Not everyone can drive your billboard ad (if you have the budget), hear your radio ad, or be given a flyer. To remedy this, use the digital world to your advantage and reach out to local audiences online.
You can start a Facebook or Instagram page and invite your friends to like and share. After growing a significant amount of followers, you may start posting updates and teasers about your business. This will pique people’s curiosity and make them look forward to the grand opening.
Additionally, you can opt to have a paid advertisement wherein you can target the local audience. Paid social media ads will allow people who do not follow the page to see your business’s promotions. The more people seeing your commercials, the more will show up.
- Local Press
The local press is one of the most important components of your grand opening. Reaching out or inviting local media to cover or attend the grand opening will help widen coverage. Plus, if more media personnel will come to the event, they will use their influence to notify their followers about the event.
Influencers are part of the local press so inviting them will be a big advantage for you and your business. There is a huge chance that they will promote the event on their channels and to their circle of friends.
You can also choose to pay for an advertisement in the local newspapers. Although not everyone reads the paper nowadays, having more ads can help promote and notify people about the grand opening.
- Traditional Advertising
Considered as the vital element in marketing, the good old fashioned method of advertising is still one of the most effective strategies. Hanging up banners with the sign “Grand Opening” or handing out flyers with your store’s details will always work no matter what day and age.
Traditional advertising also includes marketing your business by word of mouth. Word travels fast so telling more people about your upcoming business launch will spread faster from one person to another.
Grand Opening Strategies
Entrepreneurs around the world have shared some tips and strategies in making your grand opening a huge success. According to them, it is vital to make it a huge hit to set the best tone for your business.
This list includes grand opening ideas that will help promote and get the word out:
- Host a Soft Opening
It may seem a bit hassle to have a soft opening a couple of weeks before having a grand one but a lot of businesses have benefited from this strategy. Soft openings help owners and staff gets used to the pressure of serving customers. Plus, it helps the owners improve areas that need to be fixed.
Soft openings will also create a buzz within the community. Since this is a more exclusive type of event, people will start to get curious and take more interest in your store as the grand opening draws near.
- Invite VIPs
While inviting business tycoons and other big-named people in the industry is common to corporate grand openings, local businesses should start small like getting local influencers, entrepreneurs, or even local artists to attend the event.
Inviting home-grown talents and media personnel will give your business a distinctive feel and enable you to build a strong relationship within the community. Plus, it shows that you care about other start-ups. You can earn a positive reputation while helping other start-ups gain a following. It is a win-win situation.
- Set-up Attractive Decorations
Potential customers will always prefer a well-decorated store rather than a dull boring one. Make sure that your decorations look appealing and give a feeling of coziness to provide warmth and comfort.
The best way to spice up your store is to decorate it with vibrant, sweet-smelling flowers. Choose flowers that compliment the theme of your store. Remember, people, lean towards aesthetics now more than ever so it is important to choose flowers that accentuate the establishment well.
It is, without a single doubt, exciting and nerve-wracking to finally start serving people after going through a long and tedious process of preparation. This is why having a solid opening strategy is the key to making the store’s first day unforgettable.
Businesses will always come with risks. However, these risks can be prevented from becoming a reality by knowing how to properly market your brand – even after its launch. Keep posting ads and commercials in different platforms. Be creative and innovative. Most of all – be unique. Learn how to make your business stand out from the rest and it will surely be a smashing success.
