Q: Dear Coach Barry: I run a small retail business in Centerville. My traffic is down this time of year, but I think I offer great items at great value during the winter. How can I keep the customers coming in to get me through the winter? – Anonymous
A: Dear Anon … Thanks for asking. If you’re going to be open, you need the year-rounders coming in all winter and spring. I suggest you work towards building a loyal following by staying in touch. The most impactful thing you can do is ‘buy’ your customer’s contact information and then use it to serve them. Suppose you offer a 10-20% discount on their next purchase if your customer gives you a phone and email address. As you collect the information, build a simple database and keep it handy in the store. After all, you can’t let people get the discount twice for giving you the same information !! Then do some simple things and use your information to get the word out.
Create a rollout of items. Introduce an item for the holidays, and tell them that there will be a companion item with a New Year’s theme for January, a Lover’s theme for February, a Spring theme for April, and a beach theme for June. Keep them coming back all the time.
Host an event with the rollout of the new items. A fashion show, or a wine tasting, or a trivia contest. Make it fun to shop with you.
Create merchandise that promotes your shop or restaurant -- How about a knit cap or tee-shirt with your logo and a clever saying. A hockey rink out of state gave away and sold boxer shorts that had “The Smell of Hockey” written across the bum. And who doesn’t have a coffee mug that says “Cuddles & Bubbles”. Most family restaurants sell shirts or water bottles with their name on it, but without a clever ‘must have’ saying, they mostly hang on the wall and get dusty. Make your advertising a collector’s item.
Thank-you cards – The last time you got one, it was probably from you mother. When did you last get one from a store or business? Wouldn’t it be impressive? Do it, and do it before your competitor does.
Call customers to say ‘thank you’ two days after they bought from you. Even if you only leave a message, think about the impact that will have. You’ll be the talk of the town.
And finally, with a data base of customer contacts, you can also do some of the techniques we talked about last month. Check out the October Flagship posting on this blog.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Marketing when you have no money !! (HACC Flagship October, 2009)
Q: Dear Coach Barry: I run a small business in Hyannis, and am looking for some low-cost or even no-cost techniques that can charge up my marketing activities. What do you suggest? – Baffled in Barnstable
A: Dear Baffled … You ask a very good question. Many businesses, especially the seasonal variety, have been hit hard. They don’t have much cash, but know they need to do something to stand out from the crowd and generate more business. But they have to watch every penny.
Any marketing technique can be effective when it has a good message and is targeted at the audience you want. If you miss these two important ideas, your marketing is wasted. So I’m going to assume that you have decided who you need to reach. Maybe existing customers to offer new services. Maybe new customers who don’t know you. Maybe year-rounders. Maybe seasonal residents. Maybe business owners. You know that one campaign won’t do a good job for all, and if you try the all-in-one campaign, you’ll probably miss the mark altogether.
As for cheap, here are two of my favorite low-cost ideas. These work best for service companies.
Email marketing – If you’ve been clever enough to gather email addresses from customers, visitors to your store, or prospects, you’ve ready to roll. For under $200 per year, you can send out email blasts using a service like Constant Contact. It’s a great way to introduce your ‘friends’ to new specials. If you don’t have the emails, start collecting them NOW.
Make a few phone calls – If you have service customers that use you sporadically or regularly, set up a list of customers to call. Do as few as 3 per day, but not more than 20 … or you’ll get burned out. And the script that can generate new business and customer loyalty goes like this…” Hello. How are you today? I’m calling to make sure you’ve been happy with what we did for you (sold to you). Do you need any more or something to go with it? Do you know anyone else who would like to know about us that I could call? Do you mind if I call back in 6-9 months again?” Trust me, for service businesses especially, this works. If you deal in one-time sales to walk-in customers, get their email or phone, and call them the next day with the same script. You’ll really stand out from the crowd.
Multi-purpose print items – Suppose you printed a 3-part card to pass out … at networking events, to your visitors, and as billing stuffers. One part simply says “Thank You” and lists all the items and services that you offer. The next part is a customer satisfaction survey or mailer to show you care. And the third part is a coupon for a new service or a card for your customers to give to their neighbors and friends. Print on a sturdy paper or card stock, perforate the 3 parts, and you’ll have a full service form for a fraction of the cost of multiple handouts.
A: Dear Baffled … You ask a very good question. Many businesses, especially the seasonal variety, have been hit hard. They don’t have much cash, but know they need to do something to stand out from the crowd and generate more business. But they have to watch every penny.
Any marketing technique can be effective when it has a good message and is targeted at the audience you want. If you miss these two important ideas, your marketing is wasted. So I’m going to assume that you have decided who you need to reach. Maybe existing customers to offer new services. Maybe new customers who don’t know you. Maybe year-rounders. Maybe seasonal residents. Maybe business owners. You know that one campaign won’t do a good job for all, and if you try the all-in-one campaign, you’ll probably miss the mark altogether.
As for cheap, here are two of my favorite low-cost ideas. These work best for service companies.
Email marketing – If you’ve been clever enough to gather email addresses from customers, visitors to your store, or prospects, you’ve ready to roll. For under $200 per year, you can send out email blasts using a service like Constant Contact. It’s a great way to introduce your ‘friends’ to new specials. If you don’t have the emails, start collecting them NOW.
Make a few phone calls – If you have service customers that use you sporadically or regularly, set up a list of customers to call. Do as few as 3 per day, but not more than 20 … or you’ll get burned out. And the script that can generate new business and customer loyalty goes like this…” Hello. How are you today? I’m calling to make sure you’ve been happy with what we did for you (sold to you). Do you need any more or something to go with it? Do you know anyone else who would like to know about us that I could call? Do you mind if I call back in 6-9 months again?” Trust me, for service businesses especially, this works. If you deal in one-time sales to walk-in customers, get their email or phone, and call them the next day with the same script. You’ll really stand out from the crowd.
Multi-purpose print items – Suppose you printed a 3-part card to pass out … at networking events, to your visitors, and as billing stuffers. One part simply says “Thank You” and lists all the items and services that you offer. The next part is a customer satisfaction survey or mailer to show you care. And the third part is a coupon for a new service or a card for your customers to give to their neighbors and friends. Print on a sturdy paper or card stock, perforate the 3 parts, and you’ll have a full service form for a fraction of the cost of multiple handouts.
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