Craftsman Basic SoftwareTips
Marketing Material Tip
I recently read an article written by Joe D’Eramo, a freelance copywriter. The main takeaway from his article is the fact that consumers have one basic question when deciding to purchase a product from you. That question is, “how can your product help me?” Therefore it is important to use the word “you” throughout your marketing material and website. Consumers care less about what makes your company special and more about how you can make them feel special or solve their problems. Joe suggests looking over your current marketing material, including your website, and counting the number of times you use the word “you”. If it’s only a handful, then it may be time to reconsider how you are positioning your brand to consumers. To check out the complete article, click here.
Have you tried Groupon?
I’m sure many of you have heard of Groupon and maybe even purchased a Groupon or two before. I’m wondering if you have ever used it to generate business for your store?
If you compare Groupon to placing an ad in a daily newspaper, it is not such a bad idea. What I like about it is that any costs that are associated with your Groupon sale will likely generate a customer in your store…a customer who enters the store already committed to taking out their wallet to purchase SOMETHING.
Here are two questions:
1) Do you know how many people who enter your store end up purchasing something?
2) How much would pay to have someone enter your store with a credit card in hand looking to buy at least SOMETHING. As you know, once they are in you have the opportunity to build rapport, upsell products, share your promotions in person, and ultimately show off your selection of jewelry products.
Answering those two questions will give you a good idea as to whether or not Groupon is a good fit for your store.
To read more about Groupon, check out this article written by Beth Bond for Instore Mag: Click Here for article
The Power of Facebook
There are two main ways to connect with your customers through facebook. 1) Facebook Ads 2) Create a business page and accumulate as many friends as possible.
Both ways can be effective. Creating a page is free and is a “no brainer” for all retail companies, whereas buying an ad costs money, but is more effective than many other advertising mediums.
FACEBOOK ADS
Because of all the information that customers share with Facebook, (age, location, children, relationship status, interests, etc) for certain companies, facebook ads make it very easy to target your audience. The more targeting you can do, the less waste you have with your advertising. In addition, facebook ads cost less money than traditional advertising. This make facebook a great advertising medium for getting a high ROI. Have you placed an ad on facebook yet?
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE
The more people “like” your business page on facebook, the easier it becomes to turn your facebook fan page into an effective sales tool. There are many ways to utilize a facebook fan page to drive business and brand awareness. The most powerful aspect of the page is the ability to potentially reach thousands of your facebook fans instantly by posting something on your wall. Here are three simple ways to build your facebook fan base.
1) Make sure you have a facebook icon on your website so that visitors can click it and “like” your page
2) Add “Become our fan on facebook” to any piece of marketing material/information that you give your customers. Also add it to the signature line of your emails.
3) Utilize your email marketing program and send out an email asking people to “like” our facebook page.
Check out this blog post from instoremag.com that explains some of the power of facebook. Click Here
Valentine's Day
Are you making one last push to create Valentine’s Day sales? If you are behind in your marketing or haven’t gotten the results you’ve wanted from your Valentine’s Day promotions so far, search to see which customers purchased from you last Valentine’s day and utilize your email marketing program to make one last push by sending your customers an email reminding them it’s Valentine’s Day weekend!
Setting records in 2010 and tips for 2011
According to the US Department of Commerce, retail jewelry sales reached a record $63.4 billion in 2010. This number represents a 2.3% increase over the prior record year of 2007 ($62 billion).
So as the retail jewelry industry continues its upward swing, what are some areas that you can focus on to make 2011 your best year yet? In a recent National Jeweler article, James Alperin gives three ideas that you can utilize this year. Here is a basic summary:
1) Buy gold – Buy gold from your existing customers. It’s a win-win. Your customers get to sell it to someone they trust, instead of a some random company that they saw on TV, and you can make a nice profit.
2) Sell silver - Silver is becoming extremely popular. It may mean that your store(s) needs more customers in the door to make the same profits (because each piece of silver brings in less revenue than other products), however, attracting more customers is a good tactic for long term success.
3) Bridal – This is a great tip for those stores who have trouble stocking inventory of expensive engagement rings. Bridal lines that are now being made in alloy and cubic zirconia have made it possible to show your customers more bridal sets without spending the amount you are used to spending on stocking a large selection. Give your customers more choices and there is a good chance they will stick with you.
To read the complete article click here.