Even if your smoke shop has the best selection in town and your staff has the expertise to back it up, no one will know if you don’t advertise.
While smoke shop advertising isn’t always a top priority for business owners, coming up with a solid marketing strategy can help significantly boost sales and customer loyalty.
Not sure where to get started? Read on for some of our top smoke shop promotion tips.
Top 6 Smoke Shop Advertising Tips to Increase Sales
Local smoke shops face a lot of competition.
Advertising, along with an attractive store layout, can go a long way in bringing in new customers. Spending time on marketing is also a great way to assess your strengths so you can draw in more repeat customers and increase your sales.
Here are our top tips:
1. Focus on the Why, Not the What
Marketing is much more than a list of prices and products – it’s the story you want to tell.
In other words, simply telling people what items you offer isn’t nearly as compelling as telling them why they should shop with you. Think of the selling points that make your shop unique.
These are a few important areas to consider:
- Selection: Do you offer a wide selection of cigars, vape products, and cigarettes? Do you specialize in offering certain types of products or have things that other shops in your area don’t have (like CBD)?
- Recommendations: Are your employees able to offer customers recommendations and guidance on what products to choose?
- Atmosphere: Does your smoke shop stand out for offering a friendly, high-class, or down to earth atmosphere? What should people expect when they step in?
- Pricing: Do you offer competitive pricing and promotions compared to the competition?
2. Know Tobacco Advertising Rules
Smoke shop owners often struggle with advertising because they just aren’t sure what they can and can’t do.
Smoke shop owners have to follow the rules laid out by the USDA when promoting tobacco products. It’s worth having a look at them for yourself, but here are some key points to keep in mind:
- You can’t sponsor events
- You can’t advertise to minors
- Many products require a prominent visual health warning
- You can’t give out free samples
Taking some time to understand tobacco advertising restrictions can help you more effectively craft a marketing strategy that works.
3. Choose The Right Place to Advertise
Good advertising does not necessarily mean more advertising. Once you have a better idea of why your tobacco shop is unique, think of what mediums (online or otherwise) will best get your message across to potential customers.
Website
These days, pretty much every business has a website. Having an attractive website can convey what your smoke shop is all about for people who find you online. Writing a regular blog also builds your brand while helping your site rank higher on Google search.A
Social Media
Social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram are a great (and free!) way to showcase your products. If you choose to go this route, make sure to post regularly to keep potential customers engaged.
Before you get started, read up on any platform-specific rules about tobacco advertising. For instance, Facebook doesn’t allow for paid tobacco ads on its platform. But there’s still a lot of interest you can generate through organic, non-paid traffic.
Email
Email newsletters are a tried and true method to keep customers up to date on your offerings. Using a point of sale (POS) system that collects customer contact information, you can set up a regular newsletter, offer exclusive discounts, and more.
Print and Television
Some smoke shops cater to an older demographic who are not as active online. Print, radio, and TV ads offer a way to reach an even wider audience. Just like everything else on this list, make sure to look up what restrictions each medium has before diving in.
Related Read: Managing Online Shopping Tobacco for Your Smoke Shop
4. Target the Right Audience
No two smoke shops are alike. Great smoke shops cater to different customers with different tastes.
So start by asking yourself:
- Who is your ideal customer?
- Who are your most loyal customers currently?
These are the types of people you should target with your marketing. Instead of taking a scatter shot, one-size-fits-all approach, try to focus more on products and marketing channels that your target customer uses the most.
5. Take Full Advantage of Loyalty Programs and Promotions
Customer loyalty programs, where return customers can earn points for discounts, is a surefire strategy to turn one-time visitors into repeat customers. Another great tip is to offer promotions like, buy one get one (BOGO) 50% off – or put together curated kits that upsell customers.
Modern POS systems make setting up customer loyalty programs and promotional pricing easy. So be creative and make sure to give your customers deals that will get them spending more and singing your praises!
Related Read: The Best Tobacco Store Customer Loyalty Program (+ How To Implement)
6. Track Data and Stay Flexible
Sometimes even the greatest, most creative ideas don’t land. On the flip side, you might be surprised when a newsletter or promotion you barely thought about ends up exploding in popularity.
This is why monitoring your smoke shop’s marketing performance is key. Using a modern POS system lets you easily pull up reports to see what your bestsellers are during any given time period. This can help you make smart decisions on what areas to focus on and what ads worked best.
Most importantly, be open to changing up your smoke shop advertising strategy if it isn’t working. The best thing you can do in the face of changing customer preferences and technology is roll with the punches.
How Digital Tools Can Help You Reach More Customers
In addition to the tips laid out above, having a trusted technology partner also has a huge impact on your smoke shop marketing. Using a POS system specifically designed for smoke shops allows you to modernize your offerings and create more opportunities to promote your brand.
When searching for a tobacco POS system, keep an eye out for the following features:
- Built-in customer loyalty
- Flexible discount and promotion set up
- Streamlined inventory management
- Sales and store performance reports
- High-risk processing and age verification scanning
Even features that aren’t directly related to advertising like automated inventory management have a direct impact on your marketing. Remember, the less time you’re spending on manual tasks, the more you can spend on attracting new customers.
Want to Master Smoke Shop Advertising?
There’s no one way to successfully advertise your smoke shop. Advertising might not come naturally to you, but getting comfortable with it is a surefire way to elevate your business, bring in new customers, and drive revenue.
To take a deep dive into the latest tips, best practices, and helpful tools to advertise your smoke shop, read our free guide, The Ultimate Guide to Effective Tobacco Marketing.
