The shop window…

In today’s online world, when we hear that phrase we might think of websites, landing pages and Facebook pages.

These are the shop window to your business in the digital era.

But we do still have bricks-and-mortar retailers. And we do still have traditional shop windows. Like the one pictured here…

I noticed this as I passed a newsagents in a seaside resort. But it could have been a shop window in any High Street.

This is traditional marketing. This is old school.

The local newsagent is one of the communal hubs of any town or village. The pub and the post office are two others.

There was a time when the internet was barely known. People shopped in High Streets. People shopped in proper shops.

The newsagent was where you went for… your newspapers. Your magazines. Your sweets. Your snacks. Maybe even a cold drink or an ice cream.

The shop window was inevitably littered with small index cards, little posters, business cards and handwritten adverts. You know the sort.

TV for sale. Old sofa for sale. Car for sale. Cat gone missing. Local gardening services on offer. Need a handyman? A plumber? Repairs?

You see, the principles of marketing do not change.

You have something to offer (a TV, a sofa, a puppy).

You consider where your audience hangs out (they pop into the newsagents or pass the newsagent’s window).

You get their attention (with a card, an advert or a poster)

You tell them more about your product or service (it’s a 32-inch Sony telly, it’s a faux leather 2-seat sofa in good condition, it’s a labrador puppy six weeks old).

You provide a call to action (ring this number).

You deliver the product or service.

Job done.

The newsagent might charge you a nominal sum for the ad in the window. If you sell, you win. They win.

Nowadays people might be more likely to use Ebay, Gumtree or similar online selling sites than cards in windows. But you still see cards in shop windows. For some people, it still works.

As with anything else… test it and see.