Driving Foot Traffic to Physical Locations
For the month of October 2015, we had four episodes (96, 97, 98, and 99) that focused on why having a physical base still makes sense in today’s world and the ways you can drive foot traffic to your physical location. Chief Aha Instigator of THiNKaha®, Mitchell Levy was joined by #ThoughtLeader and author Jeff Shavitz (http://www.jeffshavitz.com), founder of TrafficJamming (http://www.trafficjamming.com), as his co-host. In this month’s #TLL interviews, we heard from #ThoughtLeaders coming from different industries, including health, amusement, retail, and food, as they shared insights about creating a great customer experience as a way to drive foot traffic to your location.
In Episode 96, we had #ThoughtLeader and recognized medical expert Dr. Narendra Kini. Dr. Kini explained how one should look at foot traffic when it comes to healthcare, even though there will not be a time when physical visits to the doctor will disappear. The greatest driver of foot traffic to a facility, healthcare or otherwise, is becoming a source of trusted content. When a parent sees that you have the right information at a time when they have to make a healthcare decision, traffic will automatically come your way.
The blog with embedded audio and video: https://www.thoughtleaderlife.com/thoughtleaderlife/thought-leader-life-096-guest-dr-narendra-kini/
Watch: https://youtu.be/rUhgxp4gBgU
Listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/fir/FIRThoughtLeaderMM-096.mp3
In Episode 97, we had #ThoughtLeader and CEO of Iconic Attractions Group, John Dunlap. John’s company owns and leads all operations at Miami’s Jungle Island (http://www.jungleisland.com). He shared that the use of technology has definitely changed the way business is presented to consumers. Still, a family experience in the context of a physical location will never be taken out by technology. It is difficult to simulate family bonding in the virtual context, and experiencing an adventure together with your family through a screen is never the same as when you do it physically. Today, advertising by word-of-mouth via social media has taken over print or other forms of advertising, which makes it necessary for businesses to create a great overall experience for customers that will make them want to tell their friends about it.
The blog with embedded audio and video: https://www.thoughtleaderlife.com/thoughtleaderlife/thought-leader-life-097-guest-john-dunlap/
Watch: https://youtu.be/M-9NvWovYGM
Listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/fir/FIRThoughtLeaderMM-097.mp3
In Episode 98, we were joined by #ThoughtLeader Brett Beveridge, founder and CEO of Retail Outsource Companies (http://www.theretailoutsource.com). As the person who grew his business from bootstraps to over 300 retail stores nationwide, Brett believes retail stores are here to stay because people want to experience the products firsthand before buying them. With his company specializing in mobile phone retail selling, Brett gave great advice on techniques to drive foot traffic to your retail store, including providing customers incentives, holding “contest boxes” in which customers can win just by entering a retail store, and delivering the greatest customer experience. Don’t be afraid to go out of your store to look for customers. Thinking out of the box and finding the right channels for your customer to experience what you’re offering were some of the great tips given by Brett during the interview.
The blog with embedded audio and video: https://www.thoughtleaderlife.com/thoughtleaderlife/thought-leader-life-098-guest-brett-beveridge/
Watch: https://youtu.be/VJjThi7L9Rs
Listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/fir/FIRThoughtLeaderMM-098.mp3
In the final episode (99) for October, we had none other than Abe Ng, CEO of the Miami-based restaurant, SushiMaki (http://www.sushimaki.com). Abe talked about some of the reasons a physical connection is still important in the restaurant business. When you walk into a restaurant, the warm greetings, the chair you sit on, and the sparkling clean bathrooms are part of the overall guest experience. There are important touchpoints in the restaurant business, and Abe emphasized that one of them is having clean restrooms because customers like to compare that to the way you keep your kitchen clean. When you’re into food, especially sushi, it’s important to build trustworthiness. Start with having a great sign that displays your brand; consider it your window to the world.
The blog with embedded audio and video: https://www.thoughtleaderlife.com/thoughtleaderlife/thought-leader-life-099-guest-abe-ng/
Watch: https://youtu.be/XBAp5vbR3Ek
Listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/fir/FIRThoughtLeaderMM-099.mp3
The four episodes highlighted the fact that whatever your business is, physical locations are still relevant in today’s world. It’s important to tell the audience not to shun physical locations, but instead to lift the business by driving foot traffic to your location and giving your customer a great, memorable experience.
Join us again in the next episode of #TLL, where we will have Kami Huyse as co-host.
Join us every Saturday at 11 am PT / 2 pm ET / 7 pm GMT at YouTube.com/user/ThoughtLeaderLife
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