Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged profit, promotions, resale shopkeeping, web on January 6, 2017|
Dear Friends,
Recently, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in social media posts, and even emails, from a variety of shops. And what’s that, you ask of me?
I see (more…)
Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged holidays, Products for the Professional Resaler, promotions, resale shopkeeping on January 1, 2017|
The best part of a new year, to me, is that fresh, crisp, BLANK calendar. I can’t wait to fill it with family birthdays, anniversaries, outings… and, in the case of my business calendar, the wonderful promotional events I will present to my customers. And those folks who are just dying to BE my customers.
A promotional event is any special happening that is not a normal part of daily business. It could be as simple as an anniversary celebration with refreshments and decorations, or as elaborate as an invitation-only after-hours seminar with speakers, special offerings, and discounts. — Resale’s Best Promotions, page 5
First, mark the “real” holidays, those events that will already be on your target market’s minds. Here’s a nice list to use. Pay close attention to the all-important Monday holidays since you might ant a little something extra on those days.
PS That same link, has “national food holidays”, which would be great, you think, if you ran a restaurant. True, but hey! Who says you can’t promote “Free Gum Drops with every purchase” on February 15, National Gum Drop Day, or offer, “Free, just stop in” peanut butter recipes in a shop-branded brochure during the whole month of November, AKA National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month?
Next, skim through some odd holidays and pencil in on your calendar the ones that might tickle your town’s fancy. Take a look at:
Now mull over which holidays will make the final cut in your shop. Things to consider? Whether it’s a theme that appeals to you, will be fun for your target customer, and whether it falls at a time of year when you NEED a gimmick. Remember, you can just use that odd day to take a quick shot of some relevant merchandise in your shop (green home decor items for National Pistachio Day or serape striped shirts for Cinco de Maio) to post on social media, without planning anything special in the shop. For other ideas, you might want to go all out.
If you can create a newsworthy happening and get the media there, the publicity will increase public awareness of your event. Be imaginative: for your Evening at the Symphony fundraiser, send out a strolling violinist to serenade the shopping center’s crowds the day
before your event, with a staffer dressed in evening clothes handing out fliers. — Page 25
Next, count backwards to get your time line for decorating, promoting and so on. Check the worksheets in Resale’s BEST Promotions to stay organized.
And don’t forget the after-event promotions that will create wide-spread attention to your shop and drive social media year-round. Find ideas for this in our PDQ.
Posted in Kudos: Ideas to inspire!, Shopkeeping talk, tagged advertising, holidays, resale shopkeeping, small business, success on December 29, 2016| 1 Comment »
I just got off the phone with a consultee whose December business was up 30% over last year. Why? Maybe because …
She’d had this suggestion on her to-do list for literally years. When she finally sat down to do it, she took a whole year’s worth of contacts and hand-wrote Christmas cards to each.
Think that there was any correlation between customers feeling cosseted, and customers coming in to the shop in December?
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If you’re in a similar fix and need to thank dozens of great customers from the last 12 months,
Go buy some, pull out your best customers’ report or email list, and go for it!
Can’t find New Year’s cards? Try a blank card that says Thank You on its front, and inside write
We want to take the time to thank you for a wonderful 2016 at [Myshop] and to wish you all the best for 2017.
Yours,
(signed with your full name, and shop name if you wish)
(Be sure to tuck your business card in, so there’s no doubt in her mind who you are!)
Now, doing thank-you’s all at once can be daunting (ask any bride.) But for a shopkeeper who’s fallen behind in her daily/ weekly sessions, a holiday’s the perfect “excuse” for sending them long after the customer’s visit, isn’t it?
Find this idea useful? Learn more:
The Importance of “Thank You” to your wallet.
Want to write notes, but don’t know what to say? Read You Can Do It.
Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged email, resale shopkeeping, starting a consignment shop on December 28, 2016|
That would be your broadcast email. It can work wonders, getting folks in to shop. But so many shops don’t promote this wonderful customer benefit as much as they could.
Would you like a template for a script you (and your staff!) can use? Here’s one.
Or you could have a prize drawing with winner(s) announced via email. Or get their email when you make customers a valued member of your FBC rewards program. Or bribe ’em: send them a coupon as their first email from you.
And, BTW, are you a proud recipient of Too Good to be Threw’s email? All sorts of news, resources, sometimes even a special offer for shopkeepers. Join here. If you don’t find our emails useful, you can unsubscribe any time. But we’re guessing you’ll love ’em.
Too Good to be Threw is the flagship site of the TGtbT Family of Sites for the Professional Resalers
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 