Dear Subscriber,
I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
May this Holiday Season bring to you and your family all of the joy and happiness that you deserve.
Jack Chevalier
Special Event Marketing
By Jack Chevalier
Special
Event Marketing is a very effective method of promoting your
Business and has been in practice for a while.
Create events that take cash in on the expertise of your store or your
staff. The idea is to educate your customers about a particular
subject while reinforcing the image that your business is the
place to go to for expert advice and products on this subject.
You can promote new products, services and expertise.
Your events
must be focused at getting people to make purchases. The event
itself should not include a hard sell component, but everyone
who attends should know where to find the items they need. Offer
discounts or other incentives to encourage them to buy
immediately.
Get customers
interested in events by stimulating the senses. Let people
touch, try, see, hear and smell. Showing how to use a new set of
knives? Use a PA system so everyone around can hear what’s being
said.
If you hold an
event, you may not have to go it alone. Talk with your top
suppliers about co-sponsoring an event. This can take many forms
– a clothing store can have a special designer trunk sale; a
photography store can have a special “clean your camera” day
with service reps from a particular camera maker. In some cases,
co-sponsorship will also include increased co-op advertising
funds or other supplier incentives. Speak with your suppliers to
find out how and if you can qualify for these programs.
Don’t hold
events in isolation. Advertise and promote them to drive traffic
to your store and build additional excitement around your
events. Promote them in your window displays and at your cash
register. Alert local media to get listings in “events” columns
or other mentions. Send postcards to your mailing lists. Mention
events in your ads. |
