Sheriffs, Slurpees and Your Store!

I just can't help myself. I read something--anything--and I think how it can relate to marketing. Any kind of marketing. But especially retailing.

So, in our little local Glendale News-Press (front page, color photo!) is an article on how the sheriff department has partnered with 7-Eleven to give out free coupons for Slurpees to kids who...er...transgress by letting their dogs poo in the gutter without picking it up or ride their skateboards in forbidden places. That's in place of a ticket mind you.  Ever making friends.

What a change from the days when that same sheriff's department seemed to relish making enemies of the La Canada High and private school kids in the area.  Oh, trust me. I have stories!

But back to retailing/marketing.  I got to thinking how a little honey is better than vinegar for changing behavior and how this works for employees--and yes, for customers, too. And, a really original scheme works for getting free publicity in the local press, too.  This article is proof of that!

Don't forget to associate your new scheme (you ARE going to do it, aren't you?) with another business in your area or on the Web or a charity. That's part of the fun. As an example a free Slurpee captures the imagination better than a nondescript coupon. And it's something I talk about in my A Retailer's Guide To Frugal In-Store Promotions: How-To Increase Profits And Spit In The Eyes Of Economic Downturns Using Thrifty Events And Sales Techniques...in connection with events, of course!

And isn't 7-Eleven smart! Think of all the additional traffic they'll get when these young offenders start traipsing into their store for their freebies. Bet they'll want a hotdog, too!

-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it:

Ahhh, what we can learn from other industries...

Holy moley. Talk about a smart marketing move. In The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo), I advocated watching current events and hooking them to anything in one’s book that might relate to one of them. In A Retailer's Guide (www.budurl.com/RetailersGuide) I talk about ways to promote that use charities.  

Kentucky Fried Chicken just showed us how to do both! They paid attention to one of Wade Dwyane’s tweets asking if anyone was hiring after the NBA lockout. Dwyane used to work for KFC, so they offered him his old job back. If he’d lead a team filling KFC buckets fast (instead of NBA baskets), they’d donate $250,000 to charity. This is real "In-Store Promotion!"

Geesh! That is cheap advertising when they figure how much publicity they’ll get with this masterstroke of publicity-getting! Here is the link to read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2011-07-11/kfc-offers-dwyane-wade-a-job-during-lockout?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl10%7Csec1_lnk3%7C218968 .

So you don’t have $250,000 to do something similar? You don’t need to. You just need to keep your marketing bonnet on so that when the opportunity arises, you will be there. Maybe it will cost you $5. Maybe it will be free. But when it comes, you don’t want to miss it!

-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it:

Review of Your Blog, Your Business

Other Retail Books in the Survive and Thrive Series of Books for Retailers
~A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques
~Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers: Tweaking Your Tweets and Other Tips

Reviewed by Joyce White

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's nearly three decades experience as founder and manager of her own chain of stores, a stint as a New York publicist, and as a retail consultant and journalist has laid the ground work for her award-winning, How To Do It Frugally Series; as well as this gem of a study guide, Your Blog, Your Business.

No matter whether you are an independent entrepreneur working out of a store or writer managing your own website, social networking and blogging can leave your competitors in the dust. We are no longer depending on money exchanging hand-by-hand; and even big business is now participating in networking, which is one of the most effective means of communicating with large numbers of eager customers.

Besides tips on retailing and getting and keeping customers, Carolyn hits on spicy bits about Google’s free blog, Blogger. Like people, Blogger has as many voices as there are brands of commodities needing to be sold and bought. But, if you’re new to blogging and worried about writer’s block, don’t be. Blogging is just like journaling. Journaling is like talking without being interrupted. If you can journal, you can blog. If you blog, you are a writer. You don’t have to carry the conversation all by yourself. Try some of the ideas below:

· Use guest bloggers with similar focus

· Get partners for your blog, try out permission gadgets on Blogger to let others post at their convenience

· Recycle old articles, bits and pieces, into new docs

· Use the carnival concept – of providing live links for your readers to visit  (Only get the best with the same focus as yours!)

· Outsource your blogging – trade off with other bloggers

· Suggest readers Subscribe, teasing them with whitepapers and regular gratuities

It helps businesses large or small, online or off, to set up a blog, integrate it with their other social networks like your own website, Twitter and/or Facebook. I think her most important lesson is to keep your focus on what you can do for others. Offer incentives for subscribing like white papers or eBooks, present or old.

Recycle the past into the present and give your readers a taste of what it is your selling. Even though it is human nature to want free stuff, it is important to remember, free is the gift that keeps giving back. I highly recommend this book for store retailers, beginning or experienced bloggers and anyone interested in becoming their own boss.

Five Stars for Amazon.com

~By Joyce White, Sculpting the Heart Book Reviews (www.wingedforhealing.com).

-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it:

NATIONAL STATIONERY SHOW AND GIFTS & DECORATIVE ACCESSORIES

I love the National Stationery Show. I won't be there this year, but if I were, I wouldn't miss this this event for sure! Hope my subscribers and visitors will add it to their calendar. Go by and say "Hi" to Debra Gold, retail publicist extraordinaire. She's a good one to know--a constant resource.  In the meantime, find my tweets in the right column of this blog or follow me at www.twitter.com/frugalretailing. And  you might bone up on your tweeting skills before you go by reading Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers.
Here's the media release with all the details:



WHITE PLAINS, NY, April 15, 2011…The National Stationery Show® (NSS) and Gifts & Decorative Accessories have partnered to present two Tweet n’ Greets during NSS 2011, from 2:00-3:00pm on Sunday, May 15 and Monday, May 16. Hosted in the new Social Networking Lounge on the Show floor, the Tweet n’ Greets will bring together some 2,000 NSS Twitter followers looking for a way to meet their Twitter friends in person.
Highlighting the Tweet n’ Greets will be one-on-one consultations with Twitter head of Consumer Marketing, Culture and Brand, Elizabeth Weil. She also will be available for free consultations on Sunday and Monday, from 9:00am – 5:00pm, in the Social Networking Lounge. In addition, participants can capture candid photos with their new Twitter friends in a photobooth located within the Social Networking Lounge, complements of NSS exhibitor NYC Photobooth (Booth 1530).

“Hundreds of buyers were actively using Twitter at last year’s National Stationery Show. They were tweeting about new products, great displays, events happening on the Show floor, arranging meet-ups and so forth,” said Patti Stracher, show manager. “So, the idea for the Tweet n’ Greets was natural to formally organize a time and place for buyers to meet. This year we are pleased to partner with a leading industry trade magazine to make this process easier, productive and fun.”

“The Tweet n’ Greet is a simple idea born out of casual conversation about how retailers were connecting with each other via Twitter, and wouldn’t it be great to provide them with an opportunity to meet face to face,” said Caroline Kennedy, editor-in-chief of Gifts & Decorative Accessories. “We are pleased to partner with the NSS to help provide this resource for retailers at the Show. It also gives us a great opportunity to connect with more of the retailers for whom we write every month.”
To RSVP for a Tweet n’ Greet, or schedule a one-on-one consultation with Weil, visit www.nationalstationeryshow.com, and navigate to “Programs & Events” under The Show.
The 65th annual National Stationery Show, the comprehensive source for greeting cards, social stationery and related lifestyle products, will run Sunday, May 15, through Wednesday, May 18, 2011, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The Show features nearly 900 exhibiting companies and attracts some 11,000 buyers worldwide. The Show also presents excellent educational programming, product demonstrations, engaging events, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities throughout the market week.

The National Stationery Show is owned and managed by GLM. For exhibitor information, contact Kelly P. Bristol, sales manager, at GLM, 1133 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604. Telephone (914) 421-3228. Fax (914) 948-2918. E-mail kbristol@glmshows.com. Attendee information is available by contacting GLM’s Customer Relations Department, at (800) 272-SHOW or (212) 204-1060, or by email, at customer_relations@glmshows.com. Additional information and registration is available online, at www.nationalstationeryshow.com.



-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it:

Longing to Tweet--Profitably?

So happy to tout that my article "Twitter 101" was just published in the spring issue of Gift Shop magazine. Thanks, of course, to the magazine's Poornima Apte (a dream editor to work with) and to the publisher, Patricia Norins. I know that many of you subscribe to the magazine so find it on page 136! There are lots of other great articles in it, too, including one on green gift wrap and another on online retail by Kristin Larson Contino.

PS: For the best buy in town on all three of my HowToDoItFrugally series of books for retailers including one on blogging and one on Twitter go to Gift Shop magazine’s shopping mall
http://www.giftshopmag./shop/Carolyn-howard-johnson .
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it:

New Book on Tweeting for Those with Something to Sell

Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers
Subtitle: Tweaking Your Tweets and Other Tips for Integrating Your Social Media
From the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for retailers
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Author's Blog: http://www.frugalretailing.blogspot.com/
129 pages
ISBN: 9781451546149


Originally reviewed by Aaron Paul Lazar for Amazon


Carolyn Howard-Johnson has written another excellent guide, this time it's suitable for anyone selling a product. I happen to be a writer, and learned a great deal about tweeting to improve book sales. For example, I never knew what "Retweets" were or that one could request them. Written with a straightforward, easy to read style, this is a great reference book. I particularly loved this quote "So let's think freely and with confidence that our good deeds will come back to us. If we act accordingly, we can successfully use all kinds of sites on the Web." Carolyn's positive and optimistic outlook shines through in this book - coupled with astute common sense and experience. Buy it today!

~Aaron Paul Lazar is the author of three lyrical and addictive mystery series. His latest book, FireSong, was just released as an eBook. FireSong: What would you do if your country church was hit by a rogue tornado during services? When the twister unearths the body of a missing churchgoer, Gus LeGarde is led into a bizarre underground labyrinth where he discovers the shock of his life and potential links to the Underground Railroad.



 

 
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it:

A Passion for Work

I just received my copy of the winter edition of Gift Shop magazine. Ahh, the wonderful product available! But what I loved most was the editorial from Patricia Norins, publisher. The headline was "A Passion for Work." I love that. I happen to think retailing is easy to get passionate about, especially gift retailing. Still, we sometimes get jaded or just tired and need a bit of a boost. Patricia is a master at it. And that is reflected in her magazines. The color. The care. The layouts. I highly recommend Gift Shop and its sister publications. They're better than caffeine for what ails you, your store, your career.



-----

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it:

Retail Display Ideas from Gift Shop Magazine

As a retailer who sold art for walls, I used our every inch or our wall space and know how important it is. Especially that lighting! But how I love some of these ideas, in this article from Gift Shop magazine, especially the framed silverware!


I know you'll want to check it out!

http://www.giftshopmag.com/2010/fall/display_ideas_for_gift_retail/off_the_wall_sales

I can see this idea used in a home for some kinds of collections, too.




-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it:

Branding Shouldn't Always Be About Your Store!

I thought you'd like this article on how branding ISN'T about your store. But also thought you'd want to see the National Stationery Show newsletter, Paperclips. Yes, you CAN subscribe. Free! (-:

http://www.nationalstationeryshow.com/IndustryNews/PaperclipsNewsletter/PclipsJanuary2011/tabid/263/Default.aspx#carolyn

-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it:

The Argument for Retail Social Networking

I love it when I connect with someone who is passionate about helping retailers. Today  Karen Climans contributes an article on why retailers need to do more of the freebie kind of promoting that I espouse. The books at the left are books that help retailers do exactly that!

THE ARGUMENT FOR RETAIL SOCIAL NETWORKING


By Karyn Climans

All businesses need to market! But the cost of advertising is usually prohibitive for most small businesses. So what can you do to spread the word about your great products without bankrupting yourself in the process? Read on…

Businesses used to rely primarily on traditional media (TV, radio, magazines, billboards, and newspapers). Fortunately, today there are numerous less expensive methods for promoting your product. Here’s a list of the most effective means I’ve found of expanding sales of my product, Tail Wags Helmet Covers, http://www.tail-wags.com.

The social media network is changing the marketing landscape. This is certainly true for my business. For example, one month after starting a Facebook site, http://www.facebook.com/tailwagshelmetcovers, I saw a 200% increase in hits to my web site, http://www.tail-wags.com. Today, I’ve expanded my social marketing efforts to include Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/tailwagshelmet , and a blog site, http://www.karynclimans.com/  . What does blogging have to do with my business? Blogging is one more way for people to learn about my product and me. It’s important to keep in mind that people are more likely to buy a product from a person they “know” rather than a complete stranger.
You’re probably wondering how you’re supposed to add managing your social media sites to your responsibilities of running your store, keeping your inventories up-to-date, as well as the endless bookkeeping tasks. There’s no question it’s a difficult juggle but if you keep in mind that Facebook and twitter are simply a way of maintaining an ongoing dialogue with your customers, then all of a sudden, this facet of your business becomes a priority. You might even consider hiring an extra staff person to work in the store with all of the money you’re going to save on traditional advertising in order to free up some of your time for the social media obligations.

Breakfast Television, City TV, Donny Deutsch’s Big Idea, and The Mom Show. These are all television shows that have featured Tail Wags. So am I contradicting myself after stating I haven’t relied on traditional media sources? The difference is that I didn’t pay for any of the above exposure. I pitched my product to the editors of these shows and they decided to include a segment about Tail Wags because they recognized my helmet covers as a great way to encourage the use of safety helmets (currently a “hot” topic). I’ve positioned myself as an expert in helmet safety. If you build a reputation as an expert in your field, the media will flock to you for your advice. For example, if you own a baby supply store, the media might be interested in speaking to you about the large number of recalls on baby strollers, cribs and car seats this year. Parents are desperately trying to sort out which products are safe and the media is interested in finding someone who can make sense out of this confusing and conflicting information. Are you qualified to speak on this topic?
Marketplace events are a great way to find new customers outside of the geographic reach of your store. By setting up a booth and selling your wares, you will broaden your customer base. For example, if you sell products in your store that are considered environmentally friendly, a good marketplace event would be a “Green Products” show. Our local hardware store always participates in the “Outdoor Show” every spring and they sell more BBQ’s during that week than they do all year long. Make sure you have plenty of business cards to hand out during the event so that customers can order from you in the future even if they’re not ready to buy now.

Another way to showcase your store is to participate in a local community event. Donate some products or provide a staff person to help run the event. You’ll create lots of goodwill and the event organizers will promote your business on fliers and/or their own social media sites. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.
I am confident that if you apply all of the above marketing methods to your business, you will also experience tremendous success. I’d love to hear back from you if you’ve got any further words of wisdom. Sharing ideas and strategies is a great way for all of us to succeed!

Author: Karyn Climans
Tail Wags Helmet Covers Inc., owner

Guest Blogger Information:

Karyn Climans is the entrepreneurial spirit behind Tail Wags Helmet Covers, a company devoted to encouraging children and adults to wear their safety helmets. Karyn suffered a serious ski accident but fortunately she was wearing her ski helmet. The helmet saved her life! One goal of her company is to help prevent unnecessary injuries and it is her passion for safety awareness along with her imaginative flair that the key ingredients for Tail Wags’ success.

Tail Wags Helmet Covers Inc.
235 Joicey Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5M 2V6
P: 416 482 3625
F: 416 483 8213
info@tail-wags.com
http://www.tail-wags.com/
www.facebook.com/tailwagshelmetcovers
 www.twitter.com/tailwagshelmet
http://www.karynclimans.com/

PS: This article is an example of one way that retailers can get the word out about their products through online blogs. It's all about sharing your expertise with others.

-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's FRUGAL book for retailers is A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques launched at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center. Because she is the author of the multi award-winning how-to books for writers,The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, retailers will also find essentials of writing for blogs, Web sites, and newsletters on this blog. She is the author of an award-winning novel, This Is the Place; and other fiction and poetry. She blogs on better writing at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog. Find her tweeting for retailers at @frugalretailing . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use this little green widget to let them know about it: