Did you know that one of the best marketing tools you have for your small retail business is your electricity supply? It’s true, one of the best ways to turn heads and raise awareness for your business is lighting.
This spring, HALO’s First Impressions team made me more aware of the tips and tricks of in-store lighting. Here are some ideas that stand out to me.
For instance, they recommend that retail businesses keep C9 lights (the jumbo bulb Christmas lights) lining retail windows year-round. They don’t use a lot of energy but they provide a big band. Those walking or driving past your business in the evening have no option but to look.
Another team member recommended keeping lamps on each night throughout the store. Whether the lamps are for sale (think furniture, gifts, home decor, etc.) or to bring warm light to your displays, leaving them on at night will draw the eye into the store – past the windows.
Finally, while in Seattle, Washington last week, my assistant Camille and I ate dinner at Icon Grill, a nice restaurant with great food located near our downtown hotel. Camille has a background in interior design and is especially passionate about lighting. In Seattle, blown glass is a serious art form, and this restaurant had gobs of beautiful glass art globes piled up in their light fixtures and propped on columns around the room. Problem was, you couldn’t really see them – they didn’t sparkle. Camille pointed out that the lighting was misused and therefore the restaurant was missing out on one of the most memory-making assets they possessed – the sparkle of that glass. Instead, it just felt like a mish-mash of odd decor and another restaurant among many.
I’m not interior decorator or lighting specialist, but I can tell you that lighting helps you focus on your strengths and draw attention to the hard work of merchandising that we recommend. It can soften, highlight, add glow or sparkle. It can add height to a small space or define a large space. It can show off your assets and distract from weaknesses. It can draw customers – and then make their experience memorable.
As a small business owner, you would be remiss if you didn’t learn a thing or two about lighting – both interior and exterior – because it’s one of the cheapest marketing tactics you can ever employ.
