When building your communications strategy – in trying to reach your customers and potential customers – it is critical to consider “where” these people are, and the best venue and vehicle with [...]
Overview Providing your customers with printed and digital offers to “sweeten” the opportunity to visit your location and/or buy something. See also: Details Coupons, when done properly, can be a [...]
Overview When people aren’t coming to you, you may need to go to them! An attractive mailer – could be a postcard, letter, or package – with an appealing offer is a great way to build awareness. [...]
Overview Outdoor advertising is a more traditional form of advertising / marketing. Think about all the advertisements you see walking through your neighborhood (on bus shelters) or driving your [...]
Overview Here, we’re talking about traditional print advertising opportunities. These can range from full-color, full-page ads to simple black and white classified ads. Details With so many [...]
Overview If your business is the new kid on the block, distributing fliers is an effective (and inexpensive) way to let people know you’re open for business! Within residential neighborhoods, [...]
Overview Think about how many times you’ve caught up with a friend over a cup of coffee, a cold beer or a nice meal. Now, if you look around your restaurant or cafe, I bet you’ll find that a lot [...]
Overview As a small business owner, you’ve probably faced your own busy season(s). If you’re a retailer, this can be around the holidays. If you’re a restaurant or a bar, maybe your busy season [...]
Overview Getting to know concierge in the hotels around your location is a great way to drive traffic and build awareness. Visit area hotels and provide concierge staff with business cards, store [...]
Overview To encourage visits and traffic to a slower part of the day, create special offers or events for that specific time of day. Details A daypart is a term that means “part of the day.” It [...]
Overview Engage with your local community by hosting events that benefit a charity that you care about. Have fun, and do good! Details Here are some great examples of restaurants, bars and [...]
Overview Your store products and services represent an expertise. Share that expertise with existing and potential clients through customer seminars. Details When customers better understand the [...]
Overview Game nights are fun and easy ways to encourage your customers to socialize and come together as a community. Plus, they are the perfect opportunity for you to drive traffic to your [...]
Overview Most restaurants, wineries, cafes, bars and retail stores are looking for ways to drive traffic to their location. Hosting events is a great way to drive traffic by making your location [...]
Overview Hosting in-store book clubs meetings is a great opportunity for you to expose your business to new customers and to integrate yourself as a part of the community. Details Hosting a Book [...]
Overview Hosting in-store music events featuring local musicians are a great way to connect with your community, make your location a destination and drive traffic. Ensure that the music style [...]
Overview Seasonal events and promotions are a great way to draw repeat customers like Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte. How can you get your customers excited about the change of seasons? Here are [...]
Overview People love to try before they buy! That’s why sampling and tasting events are usually so successful. No matter your industry, hosting a tasting event at your location is a great way to [...]
Overview Everyone loves trivia – where else can you put to use all those sports stats, pop culture tidbits or random science facts that you’ve held onto for all these years? Create a little [...]
Overview Nintendo’s Wii Sports games have changed the way our society thinks of video games. Games like Wii Bowling and Tennis are highly interactive virtual versions of those real-life sports [...]
Overview The practice of offering your products or services at a reduced price either by offering a percentage off (save 20%) or flat amount (save $20). As a rule, we don’t believe in offering [...]
How do you communicate with your customers when they aren’t in your store, restaurant or cafe? Do you blog? Tweet? Post on Facebook? All those formats are fine for snippets of information, but [...]
Overview A great invitation is a key ingredient for your Friends & Family Event. Details We recommend printed invitations, although if you have access to email addresses for friends and [...]
Overview Gift cards can generate significant revenue and profits. Plus, they are an easy way for your existing customers to refer new business your way! Details These days, many shoppers prefer [...]
Overview The ability for a customer to buy gift certificates and pre-loaded cards can be a substantial sales driver for retailers and restaurants. However, for many small businesses, gift cards [...]
Overview Is your business located in a shopping center, mall or other cozy community? If so, we bet you share your customers with restaurants, retail shops and other specialty stores. Giving a [...]
Overview Sending a personalized letter to your local business neighbors about your Grand Opening event is an easy way to build awareness about your new location! See the New Store [...]
Overview Are you opening the newest location of an existing franchise or business in town? Details Congratulations! If you’re opening a second (or third, or fourth) location of an existing [...]
Overview There’s no better way to build awareness and excitement for your location’s Grand Opening or Grand Re-Opening than to host an in-store event for your friends, family and new customers. [...]
Overview Providing a venue for local artists to showcase their works is a great way to not only enhance the environment of your location, but also to become a part of the local arts community. [...]
Overview In-Store Events are a great way to drive current and potential customers to your location for a festive occasion, sample your products and drive sales. Details Often, these events can be [...]
Overview Host an anniversary party for the community to thank your customers AND build awareness with potential customers. Details A store anniversary party is a great excuse to host a re-grand [...]
Overview When hosting an In-Store Artist Exhibit, it’s a great idea to ‘unveil’ the exhibit with with an Art Opening Event. This is a great way to turn your store into a destination and is the [...]
Overview Book readings aren’t just for book stores or libraries! Your retail shop or café would be the perfect location for intimate book readings. Connect with a local author and your community [...]
Overview What better way to show your customers you care about them then by planning a Customer Appreciation Day in their honor? Details First things first… when should you host your Customer [...]
Overview The holidays are the perfect time to say “thank you” to your customers and clients and celebrate! What better way to build community and drive traffic than to have a seasonal party?! [...]
Overview Celebrate with customers on a regular basis with an in-store party. This is a great way to create excitement, drive traffic and change up the daily routine for your customers and [...]
Overview Hosting an in-store poetry reading is an easy way to create a connection with your local community. By working with a local school or university (do a little research on English or Drama [...]
Overview Your store products (and services) represent an expertise. Share that expertise with existing and potential clients through in-store product seminars. Details When customers better [...]
Overview One of our favorite ways to generate ideas for blogging, promotions or special events is to reference our Marketing Holiday Calendar. The holidays to “celebrate” range from classic [...]
Overview Black Friday occurs every year on the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, and is often regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Most retailers open extremely [...]
Overview Christmas is a widely-observed holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated (generally) on December 25 by millions of people around the world. Christmas is a civil holiday [...]
Overview Valentine’s Day is observed each year on February 14. Across the United States and all over the world, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones on Valentine’s Day. [...]
Overview A Calendar Listing is an announcement of an event to media (newspapers, online, tv, radio) that publish event listings and community calendars for their readers / viewers / listeners. [...]
Overview A Media Advisory is an announcement about an event that media are invited to attend. Use a Media Advisory to alert local media about your upcoming event or grand opening. You want to [...]
Overview A Press Release is a document or “pitch letter” sent to the media to announce a grand opening, product launch, event or story about your business. Reporters and journalists use these to [...]
Overview Restaurants that offer catering, delivery or take-out services often have menus by the register for patrons to take on their way home (or, at least they should!). Retail shops, spas or [...]
Overview If your restaurant, café, spa or retail shop is located in a downtown area, or near various large office buildings, this is a great marketing activity for you. Many office buildings are [...]
Overview If you’ve ever been the “low guy on the totem pole” at a new job, chances are you’ve been designated the one to run out and pick up coffees, snacks or lunch for your whole team. Most [...]
Overview Offer complimentary products, services, or specials for employees, at targeted companies within your Trade Area, who show their work identification (badge, business card) to your store [...]
Overview Establish your location as a post-event destination in the evening to drive additional traffic. Details Encourage customers to visit your location after the local theater or movies. [...]
Overview Hosting private events for your customers can be a great way to increase revenue and add a new “service” to your portfolio. It can also set you apart from your competition – if you offer [...]
Overview Radio station on-air personalities love to get free product and service samples! So reach out to them and give them what they want! You could create fans and get on-air mentions, which [...]
Overview A radio station broadcast on-site at your location is a great away to build awareness and drive traffic and trial of your products. This is a great activity for new store openings or for [...]
Overview Local radio stations are a great way to get the word out about your location and your offerings. There are tons of opportunities for radio station promotions…from on-air give-aways of [...]
Overview Partnering with local schools is a great way to integrate your business into your local community and be part of what’s important to your customers. Schools and school programs always [...]
Overview Do you change your menu from season to season? While a complete menu overhaul may be too daunting for your small business, making small changes to your appetizers, desserts or baked good [...]
Overview Back to school shopping, conveniently coupled with tax-free shopping weekends in several states, make August and September the second most profitable shopping months of the year for many [...]
Overview For some people, nothing says Fall like a Sunday on the couch watching football. And for most of those people, football is best paired with pizza, wings, and other yummy foods. If you [...]
Overview Does your business display special merchandise or offer new menu items or products for the holiday season? Or, do you deck your store out with holiday lights and decorations? If so, [...]
Overview Adding a seasonal menu item to your offerings is an easy way to create excitement about the changing of the seasons, and could drive traffic and trial to your business. Details One of [...]
Overview A-Frame Signs are great attention-grabbing signs to use outside or inside your business to drive awareness and traffic with special messages and promotions. Details A-Frame Sign Types [...]
Overview Banners are signs that can be displayed outside of your location or inside your location to build awareness of promotions or events. Details There are many different types of banners: [...]
Overview Coming Soon signage is a great way to build awareness and excitement for your store opening or re-opening. “Coming Soon” Banner “Now Open” Banner “Grand Opening” Banner Countdown Banner [...]
Overview This is signage on major roadways made by the Department of Transportation to show what’s coming up at the next exit. If your location is near a major highway, this can be a good way to [...]
Overview Sidewalk chalk art is an inexpensive and colorful way to advertise your business’ new menu items, or new products or services to those in your neighborhood. Important: Before chalking [...]
Overview Social Media is a marketing activity that supports the strategy of creating word of mouth. It uses online tools (like blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to help spread the word [...]
Overview Did you know? A social media post that includes a picture receives 120-180% more engagement from fans than a text-based post. To ensure you take photos that are worthy of a click, share [...]
Overview Facebook is the most-used social network in the world. Did you know that over one billion people like and comment an average of 3.2 million times every day? When you have a strong [...]
Overview We spend a lot of time convincing our clients *not* to follow their social media marketing urges. Why? Because most often, they’re reacting to the social media bullies making them feel [...]
Overview Twitter is an information network that instantly connects users with the latest stories, ideas and news that other users find interesting. Users share short bursts of information through [...]
Overview If your business is located near (or on) a college campus, hosting student-centric events throughout the school year is a great way to drive traffic to your location, and be seen as a [...]
Overview Are you thinking about opening a new restaurant? Or, are you in the process of planning the grand opening of your new restaurant concept? If so, we’re sure you’ve got plenty on your [...]
