Brush up on the best practices for successfully drawing customers to your store.
Merriam-Webster defines advertising as “the activity or profession of producing advertisements for commercial products or services.” With such a broad definition and numerous facets to the sector, as a retailer, it can be challenging to know where to begin.
Cindy Um, the co-founder of Tapo Digital, a creative marketing agency that works with retailers across home furnishings, lifestyle and consumer goods, specializes in helping local and independent retailers modernize their advertising strategies. Um says: “Mattress advertising works best when it’s rooted in local insight but amplified through the right mix of digital tools.”
Below, we’ve outlined the strategies behind successful advertising campaigns from retailers of all sizes to help you craft the right approach.
Do’s and Don’ts for Ad Campaigns
Jordan Park, the chief marketing officer of Digital Silk, a Miami-based digital agency, offers some advice for successful advertising campaigns. First, know your audience. For retailers in traditional communities, channels like direct mail and local radio often outperform digital ads in both recall and conversions. Try layering channels for the best results. Park recommends combining Google Ads with social media retargeting, which significantly boosts return on investment, compared with single-channel efforts. Additionally, don’t underestimate organic visibility. Optimizing tools like Google Business Profiles and asking happy customers for good reviews can drive high-intent foot traffic with no additional costs.
Lilly He, marketing director at custom manufacturer Zintilon Co. Ltd., based in Guangdong, China, echoes Park’s recommendation: “Businesses that optimize their Google Business Profile by adding fresh photos, detailed product categories and timely review responses perform better than the competition.” Because mattresses are often purchased within a short time frame once a consumer decides to buy one, this makes Google Local Services and Google Maps ads highly effective. “When properly installed, these ads include clickable phone numbers, store addresses and directions all within the map listing,” He says.
Knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do. Park says to never run broad campaigns without clear KPIs. He also recommends always A/B testing all ads. That means comparing two versions of an ad that have one difference and see which one performs better through clicks and conversions. Be sure to segment different advertisements by location and buyer intent.
Print Advertising Strategies
The slow death of print has been heralded since the early 2000s, but it’s still alive and well. Depending on the market you’re in, print still offers advantages. He says in neighborhoods where digital saturation is not yet total, print ads in coupon mailers and local newspapers still drive traffic. Mattress retailers can also make headway with local lifestyle magazines that target specific zip codes. For those trying to sell high-end mattresses, this is an easy way to target homeowners and retirees.
Another example: For a client with an older customer base, Tapo Digital refreshed the company’s flyers with QR codes that linked to a short video tour of its showroom. It also ran Google ads that reminded past visitors about the store (in Google Ads lingo: Google Display retargeting ads) and paired those with articles about sleep health and how to choose the right mattress. “These were shared in local news publications and interest-based newsletters — nothing too flashy, just thoughtful, useful info that built trust,” Um adds. “It all worked together to keep the store top of mind in a way that felt helpful, not pushy.”
“Mattress advertising works best when it’s rooted in local insight but amplified through the right mix of digital tools.”
Direct Mail’s Comeback
What’s old is new again. “Something that was once perceived to be past its prime is now turning heads once more,” He says. With people overwhelmed by email blasts, direct mail feels fresh again. “Mattress stores are using high-end postcards, catalogs and personalized flyers to reach segmented audiences, specifically homeowners,” she says. During high promotion times like Memorial Day, back-to-school or Labor Day, these can connect with consumers effectively.
Generating Word-of-Mouth Referrals
“One of our mattress retail clients saw great results by combining old-school trust with modern tools,” Um says. To start, Tapo Digital helped them connect with their most loyal customers by asking for quick video testimonials and placing ads featuring them. The retailer also sponsored a radio segment and placed ads in a neighborhood to stay visible in the community.
“The big difference came when we paired that with Facebook and Instagram ads targeted to people nearby using those same real customer stories,” Um added. “It felt authentic and relatable. We added a simple promo code to track results, and within two months, in-store visits tripled. It showed that when you blend personal connection with smart targeting, you don’t need a huge budget — just a clear, local message.”
Leveraging Your Local Presence
Samantha Dietz, founder of The #Impactivists, a New York City-based agency, recommends a good old-fashioned block party to connect with potential customers. “Retail businesses are in an interesting spot when it comes to advertising,”
Dietz says. “Being ‘conveniently located’ no longer has the pull it once did — I mean it’s tough to beat the convenience of not having to leave your house in order to get what you need. But, believe it or not, that’s great news for you. The best way to advertise is to find ways to get your audience excited about shopping with you. Don’t sell your products; sell the experience of shopping in your store. You won’t get real interpersonal connections by shopping online, so, throw a ‘block party’ for the community with your shop at the helm.”
Custom Home Furniture Gallery, a retailer in Wilmington, North Carolina, that Sleep Savvy highlighted in a 2024 Retail Road Trip, does something similar. The store hosts an annual Customer Appreciation Day, with giveaways and discounts. It also grills out hot dogs and offers cakes and cookies for customers to snack on while shopping.
Leveraging Online Directories
Remember Yellow Pages, that thick book full of businesses and people’s contact information? Although the parent company, Yell, stopped printing the guides in January 2019, the brand has a new life online, where it serves as a directory for businesses. While you might not have thought about Yellow Pages in a while, it’s an important tool for some retailers. Mike Gustason, who owns Furniture Gallery by Mattress Mike in Santa Barbara, California, says that it is an integral part of his business. “In larger places like Los Angeles, it might not be as successful, but in smaller cities, it’s a useful marketing tool retailers could be overlooking,” Gustason says.
Driving In-Store Traffic
These days, merging the physical with the digital — aka phygital — is a must. Eric Mayrhofer, a sales and marketing manager for West Hartford, Connecticut-based creative agency Birch and Flame, shares a campaign that worked for national furniture retailer Ashley Home Store. “If your product needs to be experienced physically, advertise store visits — not just products,” Mayrhofer says. Citing a 2024 article in Sleep Savvy’s sister publication, BedTimes magazine, that 87% of shoppers still prefer buying mattresses in-store, Mayrhofer used this statistic to design a campaign. Birch and Flame ran display and programmatic ads within a 15-mile radius of key store locations — highlighting local and seasonal promotions to get people inside. The result? 38 million impressions and a 3,000% increase in foot traffic. Mayrhofer says this taps into the “see it to believe it” mindset that is particularly prevalent in home furnishings, bridging online intent with offline buying power that is a “sweet spot for efficient ad spend.”
Leveraging Influencer Marketing
Certain national retailers like Mattress Firm have big budgets to bring in endorsements like WNBA player Cameron Brink as part of its 2024 “Sleep Well” campaign. But don’t overlook the power of microinfluencers, who are defined as having between 1,000 and 100,000 followers. “Mattress stores fare better with local microinfluencers, including mommy bloggers, real estate agents, sleep consultants or health workers to name a few,” He says. “These voices already carry the trust of your community. By getting them to attempt and provide an honest review of a product, or better still, document their shopping experience, you get authentic content that sounds genuine. Best of all, such content is reusable on your own social media channels and website for added authenticity.”
There are a plethora of mediums and messages possible for successful advertising campaigns. It’s all about finding the right mix to connect with your current — and future — customer base.
Amplify With AI
Don’t forget that Artificial intelligence can be a powerful tool to help design advertising campaigns, says Eric Mayrhofer, sales and marketing manager for Birch and Flame, a digital marketing agency based in West Hartford, Connecticut. Consider using a tool like ChatGPT for preliminary market research, asking how consumers talk about back pain or other sleep issues, as well as mattress features like firm versus plush or springs versus memory foam. “Pull verbatim quotes and weave them into your messaging to speak like your customer — and sell like a pro — without a massive budget,” Mayrhofer adds.
