Marketing your multi-depot Builders’ Merchant
Article topics
- Collect reviews across all locations
- Make the most of local SEO for each branch
- Create Google Business Profiles
- Segment your email marketing list
- Develop a social media presence for each store
- Build a store locator page
- Let customers check store availability online
- Use targeted PPC advertising
- Consider community engagement
- Ensure a consistent presence
It’s highly likely that over the years, you’ll have established a wide-reaching presence across your county, region, or even the whole of the UK.
When you operate builders’ merchants sites across multiple locations, you’ll want them all to be successful. The trick is to celebrate the differences between each location while ensuring an overarching level of consistency, authenticity, and trust.
Here are our top ten tips to help you promote your entire chain of brick-and-mortar stores to the right customers.
1. Collect reviews across all locations
Collecting reviews is essential for any builders’ merchants – 93% of shoppers read at least one online review before buying.
While it’s critical to get good reviews for your overall brand, it’s equally beneficial to get specific reviews for each branch you run.
Localised reviews help you build trust with relevant customers. Each of your branches will be in direct competition with different builders’ merchants. Positive local reviews give prospective customers a reason to choose you over a nearby competitor.
Location-specific reviews also let you identify which branches are doing well, and which may need additional support.
Finally, localised reviews help your search engine optimisation (SEO) efforts.
Search engines like Google use the keywords your customers use in their reviews to help you rank for new search terms. So encourage customers to refer to each branch by name, talk about the products they bought, or mention specific members of staff who helped them out!
2. Make the most of local SEO for each branch
Local SEO is different to traditional SEO.
Rather than trying to rank nationally (or internationally), you’re ranking for localised keywords in a particular geographic area. For example, ‘builders’ merchants near Bedford,’ ‘plumbing suppliers in Milton Keynes,’ or ‘PVC pipes near me.’
Focusing on local SEO makes it easier to rank as high as possible for specific, targeted keywords. It also means you’re more likely to appeal to customers who are out and about, like tradespeople looking for parts on their mobile phone.
We recommend carrying out detailed keyword research for each branch. You can then create unique pages for each store you operate, optimising for your keywords of choice.
We love how Wickes has mentioned particular store facilities in the example above, but you can also showcase staff bios, special offers, and location-specific reviews too.
Another strategy that can give you a small local SEO boost is NAP citations. This is when you promote your business name, address, and phone number not only on your site, but on third-party sites like directories, review aggregators, and news websites.
NAP citations show the search engines that your business is active and relevant to a prospective customer. The key is making sure your citations are consistent everywhere you use them – down to the number of spaces in your phone number!
3. Create Google Business Profiles
One of the best things you can do for your local business is to create a free Google Business profile.
A Google Business Profile (sometimes referred to as a Google My Business profile) provides Google with extra context about your business. For example, opening times, what you sell, and any additional information, like whether your store has a wheelchair accessible entrance or a recycling drop-off service.
This means you’re more likely to appear in relevant searches. Claiming your Google Business profile also means you can manage any reviews people make through Google.
Customers are 70% more likely to visit and 50% more likely to consider buying from businesses that have claimed and completed their Google Business profile.
If your builders’ merchant operates multiple stores, you can add and manage several locations from the same profile. Each location will have its own photos, contact details, and reviews, and can promote specific product categories.
4. Segment your email marketing list
Segmentation is when you split your email marketing list into small groups. This means you can send personalised and targeted emails that customers are more likely to open, click and purchase from.
When done right, segmentation can increase your email marketing revenue by 760%.
If you have multiple stores, segmenting your marketing list by location means you can send store-specific content. For example, if one of your stores is holding a workshop or offering discounts on particular products, you can promote this information to relevant customers.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to ask customers for their location when they sign up for your mailing list.
Customers can enter their nearest town or postcode, or select their preferred store from a dropdown list.
Alternatively, you can segment your emails based on where customers have bought products in the past.
If you do segment your emails by location, give customers the option to change their chosen store if they want to. For example, a customer may move house or prefer to buy from a store that’s nearer their workplace than where they live.
5. Develop a social media presence for each store
If you have the resources to do so, creating social media accounts for each store you run can be a savvy strategy.
This lets you create hyper-local content to appeal to customers. For example, talking about the local football team, referencing local events, and reacting to localised weather conditions.
You can also use employee-generated content to introduce followers to the staff who work in your store, establishing trust and forging an authentic connection with customers.
With localised social media accounts, remember that engagement is more important than the number of followers you have. You may not have as many followers as your company’s social media account, but it’s highly likely that your followers will be more invested in your content.
If you do decide to build an individual social media presence for each store, it’s vital to create good content and post regularly.
Nominate someone at every store to oversee each account, and develop a solid social media marketing strategy so they understand what they can talk about and how regularly they should post.
An inactive account, an account that doesn’t engage with followers, or that posts poor-quality content, may reflect poorly on your overall business.
6. Build a store locator page
A store locator page allows your website visitors to see which store is nearest to them. It also provides contact details so they can get in touch with a specific store if they have any questions.
Store locator pages also provide you with valuable data. You can see which stores are most popular with customers, as well as where customers are based – ideal if you’re looking for future store locations.
You can create your own bespoke store locator page with the help of a website developer or alternatively, there are plugins and extensions you can download.
7. Let customers check store availability online
Allowing shoppers to check stock levels online can prevent wasted trips to their local store, increasing customer satisfaction and boosting the odds of them buying from your physical locations.
Implementing inventory management on your website is easier than you might think. By integrating your eCommerce system with your in-store point of sale (POS) system across your different stores, you’ll always know how much you have of each product.
8. Use targeted PPC advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising isn’t the right choice for every builders’ merchant. But when it’s done well, it can be a brilliant way of introducing new customers to your business and encouraging them to buy.
An advantage of PPC is that you can use it to target ads towards certain customers. For example, you can set your ads so they appear (or don’t appear) to customers in a specific location – whether that’s a country, city, region, or postcode.
You can then create ad campaigns to promote your individual stores, meaning you’re more likely to target people who will visit.
If you use Google Ads you can also take advantage of Local Inventory ads. These allow you to show your store’s products to nearby shoppers. To do this, you need a Merchant Centre account.
9. Consider community engagement
Earlier we mentioned that hyper-local content helps you build trust with prospective customers. You can build this trust even further by engaging with the local community around your store.
This shows you’re invested in the people that live and work in the local area, and reiterates your company values. Engaging can also generate additional publicity for your stores through social media mentions and backlinks.
You can engage in several different ways. You can:
- Hold fundraising events
- Sponsor local events and sports teams
- Donate products and money
- Launch a volunteering programme
- Teach schools and colleges about career opportunities
- Offer discounts to community groups
Speak to your staff and customers to see which causes they support and factor that into your strategy.
10. Ensure a consistent presence
And finally, while each of your locations will be inherently different, people will expect the same high-quality products and customer experience at each branch.
Offer a similar selection of products and train staff at each branch to the same impeccable standards.
As well as a consistent experience, consider your branding. Businesses with consistent branding, including logos, colours, and tone of voice, can experience up to 20% more growth and 33% more revenue.
Creating a style guide can help your different stores ensure the promotional materials they develop are compatible with your overall brand.
Xigen: Constructing a watertight marketing strategy for your business
Whether you run five, ten, or even fifty builders’ merchants sites, marketing them all individually doesn’t have to be a challenge.
Don’t be afraid to trust your staff to do their own marketing, and drill down as much as possible to ensure your customers receive relevant information about their nearest store.
Let us leave you with a bonus tip. While we’ve covered digital marketing in this article, traditional marketing can help you showcase your different locations too. Think ads in local newspapers, on local radio stations, and across relevant bus and train routes.
Take the time to understand your localised target audiences and which type of ads will appeal to them the most.
At Xigen, we have over twenty years of experience helping builders’ merchants and construction businesses stand out from the crowd. From highly-optimised websites to detailed digital marketing strategies, we’ll help you achieve your goals, increase your revenue, and target your perfect customers.
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