Everyone wants to be mentioned on social media by happy customers. Unfortunately, even your loyal customers tend to breeze in, breeze out, and never share their experience with their social followers.
Here’s a strategy to change that: add a mural to your shop that will be irresistible to those doin’ it for the Gram.
Some examples:
Newport Avenue Optometry
Ocean Beach, CA
Clever use of the familiar eye emoji! And way to connect to the community of OB (the locals’ name for Ocean Beach in San Diego).
Books Are Magic
Brooklyn, NY
That’s a statement anyone can get behind – and in front of.
El Paseo Shopping Center
South Gate, CA
Bird wings or butterfly wings, no one can pass up a wings photo.
Tips for adding a mural to your business:
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- Use Google to find local street artists
Search on “street art” and the name of your town. Several articles should pop up, linking to dozens of artists. Pick one with a style you like, then contact them and find out their rates. - Tie the mural to your business, visually
Add your business name at the top, as Newport Avenue Optometry did above, or have the artist include your Instagram handle and preferred hashtag in the piece. - No outside wall space? No problem
Paint your mural on a wall inside, or even in a corner. Especially effective in that spot you reserved for new glasses selfies! - Make it interactive
Have the art encourage people to join the picture. This is what makes those wings photos so cool. And make sure there’s nothing in the way like clutter, or in the case of an outside wall, parked cars. - Don’t fear the trend
If you do something trendy like wings, and next year they feel so over, paint over them with something else!
- Use Google to find local street artists
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A mural, done right, can more than pay back its cost by inspiring priceless user-generated content that brings more people in the door. And it can make your space a happier place to be!
Does your business have a mural, or is there one drawing traffic near you? Let us know in the comments.
Peggy is the founder of The Social Eye, a social media agency for optical businesses. She led social media efforts at ZEISS Vision US for 4 years, and prior to that created digital marketing for the tech and music industries. She has far too many pairs of eyeglasses, but can always find room for one more.
We just had a cool mural done. Can’t figure out how to post it here.
Awesome, Bret! And you were smart to feature it on your Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkOc9t_HXYN/?taken-by=sports_optical_official. Looks great!
By the way, is that a vintage optical sign on your wall? https://www.instagram.com/p/BkgbD-QnEh7/?taken-by=sports_optical_official. I’d like to see a closer shot of that!