The old adage that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” need not—and probably shouldn’t—ring true in the retail and restaurant businesses. Why? Because customers have come to appreciate “freebies”–and are becoming far more likely than ever before to patronize establishments that offer them something for nothing than those that don’t.

Building customer strong customer relationships only starts at the point of sale. Offering digital “products” not only attract customers, but provide them with true value and, more importantly, cultivate shopper loyalty, is a great way to jump on the “free” bandwagon—at minimal cost to you for building that relationship with the customer. The simplest form of digital content is a blog, which can be set up for free using WordPress.com, Blogger.com, TypePad.com, or a similar web service. You may opt later on to use a professional design and hosting service, but even these are not unbearably expensive and are not absolutely necessary.

Once you’ve set up the blog, the investment is time to create one to three posts per week. You can include an occasional post or two about new merchandise or menu items being touted by your store or restaurant, but the bulk of the content should be more generic and helpful. For example, an apparel store owner might write a blog entry about the latest seasonal clothing trends, putting together unique outfits or even dealing with stains. A restaurant owner might share a recipe for his or her favorite homemade dish, thoughts about eating in general, healthy eating tips or the like.

If you are looking for even more ways to attract customers at little or no cost to you, we’ve got some ideas to share. Check out part two of this series to learn more.

To learn more about how to help your retail store or restaurant grow with with an point of sale software solution visit www.pcamerica.com.