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Posts Tagged ‘advertising’

Before & After: Sure-fire WOM

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , , on December 9, 2012| 3 Comments »

Forlorn into For sure!Everyone loves Before-&-After photos, right? They love them SO much, they forward and share and retweet this category more than any other (well, besides embarrassing photos of celebs.) Fat to skinny. Plain to beautiful. Shabby to chic.

You name it, they love it. Their eyes dart back and forth and they think “I can do that!”

Before-&-Afters awake the dreamer in all of us.

So why not try a before and after series on your consignment shop site, blog, or even Facebook?

What, you say? We don’t fix stuff?

The heck you don’t.

Didn’t you, just today, turn a laundry basket of out-grown toddler clothes into a rack full of irresistible outfits? Or make a neutral couch (boredom city) into a showpiece in a vignette by selecting side tables, throw pillows, lamps that enhanced it? Or help a clothes maven clear her closet and (might as make the B-&-A double-barreled!) fill her purse?

So why not talk about it? Snap some Before-&-After shots? It’s

fun to do,

fun to read about,

and makes your fans feel like they’re a true part of your shop.

Photo from Apartment Therapy.

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Borrow their voice.

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , , on December 3, 2012|

Too Good to be Threw loves ban.doJust found a web site merchant to admire. Not because of their products (although I covet quite a few of them) but because of their voice.

What’s “voice”? It’s a literary thing:

“the quality that makes his or her writing unique, and which conveys the author’s attitude, personality, and character”

and man, this merchant has voice to spare! It’s ban.do. Read their about page. And their Facebook and their blog and tweets…for the VOICE.

Don’t you love them? Just feel you could be besties?

For example, if you click on one of their items and it’s sold, they don’t say “sold” they say

Sorry, somebody beat you to this one!

And here’s a quick selection of their Facebook posts, each (well almost each) written to make you want to click through to see what’s up:

Just for fun:

thumbs up if you think rainbow sprinkles make everything taste better!

we can’t stop debating who was the best dressed at the emmys last night. what do you guys think?

To sell stuff… their FB post always leads to specific product info on their web site or blog:

getting into a little bit of trouble has never looked so glamorous.

we hate to pick favorites, but we did it anyways. (leading to their % Faves, something they do on a regular schedule.)

whoever said anything about having to wearing boring colors during the fall?

and for their clearance sale: out with the old, in with the new.

And how about these? Wouldn’t you simply have to click through to their message?

we’re hiring, you want in on all the fun?

as you well know: a good secret is hard to keep. well, this secret is out!

Ready for some “voice” lessons? Cruise around their various web presences.

Are there voices YOU hear? Add in the comments, other sites/ blogs that you think do a really good job.

Save

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Spend the next 4 days convincing your shoppers.

Posted in Really good ideas, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , , on November 18, 2012| 3 Comments »

What will your shoppers be doing on Black Friday and “Small Business Saturday”? If you are like most consignment, resale, and thrifts shops,

you’re not looking forward to losing your customers

to the lure of the mall, the big boxes, and their “Gift Ideas Under $30” displays of bright glittery things.

Why? Why do you let the “no one shops secondhand for presents” belief stop you (more…)

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Tragedy or Travesty?

Posted in Shopkeeping talk, Teeny Tips, tagged , , on November 12, 2012|

Is she holding the anchovies?November 12 is

National Pizza With Everything (Except Anchovies) Day

according to Punchbowl.com, which has a treasure trove of “National Day” celebration ideas.

Now, a pizza without anchovies is a travesty, not a tragedy in truth. I will eat pizza and gladly without anchovies. But when no one’s looking, I order it with. Anchovies. Little salty fish fillets. Call me weird. Just don’t call me late for pizza.

Serving pieces are popular at thrift, consignment, and resale shopsThanks to a consignment shop that led me to this site. The shop uses these “holidays” on their Facebook page… I was hoping for some merchandise connection, like if it’s National Pumpkin day, an outfit that’s pumpkin-colored or a decorative pie plate… wouldn’t that be a fun way to have some inspiration for your blog* or your fleeting Facebook status updates?

Bookmark Punchbowl, and start writing simple little blog* entries. Or put it on your Facebook. Or on a chalkboard in your shop’s entry. Or on name badges, so your staff has something to chat with shoppers about.

Just try to connect the chat to your merchandise!

* What, Me Blog?  Yes, you can, and should, blog for your resale, thrift, or consignment shop.

Pizza hat photo from http://tamsinsilver.blogspot.com, platter from surlatable.com

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Web-Cleaning Day!

Posted in 5- Minute Fixes, Shopkeeping talk, tagged , , , on November 11, 2012|

Today’s a good day to slip into some high heels, Clean up your consignment, resale, or thrift shop web sitecinch your wasp waist into a frilly apron, and clean up the web.

 

Your web site, that is.

Here’s a series of posts here on Auntie Kate the Blog to give you some motivation.

After you’ve read the series, download our free PDF, Your Website Ranking Quiz, and see how well your consignment, resale, or thrift website is working to actually get paying customers and valuable suppliers into your store.

If you have, have had, or want to have a blog, skim over the handout from my NARTS workshop. More on blogging to get real live customers into your real live store. (Tip: Your web site is your brochure. Your blog is your magazine.)

Is your web site just too much to tackle this week (I feel the same way about my office)? Then take 5 minutes to learn how to use your email to better your business.

Or check out these Facebook-for-resale-shops tips and links.

Don’t do your own web housework? Make note of what you’d like to change, and pop it into an email to your site keeper.

What would YOU like to change about your web site? How have you been using email to boost business? What would you like to share with your fellow resalers? And just how many dust bunnies DID you slaughter?

The illustration’s from catholiclane.com but I don’t know where they got it from. She doesn’t look particularly Catholic to me.

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