Baker's Dozen INDEX
13 Platinum
Retail Direct Marketing Traffic Building Ideas
Retail Direct Marketing Traffic Building Ideas
"Traffic" in marketing means people. Not vehicles.
It means visitors to your store or shop or restaurant or other retail location. Most of these same ideas apply to trade shows or other special event, both business and consumer. Where you have a booth or stand, a display of your products or services.
Here are a Baker's Dozen - 13 Platinum Retail Traffic Building Ideas - to help you gain more action with your direct marketing programs.
Idea #1. Have separate / different programs for each offer
Many retailers work with small margins. Overhead is high. Employees cost money. And when it comes to marketing and advertising they cut costs.
One way to cut costs is to combine offers into a single promotion. With 1-2-3 or more different programs jammed into the same mail piece, same brochure, same print ad, same television or radio message.
Yes, this does reduce costs. There is not doubt meshing more than a single objective costs less. And ... it also reduces response!
Why? Because your marketplace does not know what you want them to do. So frequently they do nothing!
Define your objectives clearly. And create a marketing program to meet each goal - individually.
Idea #2. Be very specific with your offer
Tell your customer what you are giving them. Be clear with your offer - and the benefits to responding now.
When you muddy the picture with a too complicated explanation you loose some of your prospects. When you present too many options on what the customer is to do ... too many steps for them to take to gain an advantage, you loose more.
If you are easy to do business with you will get more business.
Idea #3. Have a short time Limited Time Offer
For most retailers a short time frame works best to get your best response. A time like 7 or 10 or 15 or 30 days usually will get you the best results, quickest.
And no matter your product or service, a "drop-dead" date will get you more than no date at all. As people respond best with a little pressure. The fact they may loose by not responding adds to the urgency.
Use a limited time offer to get more action from your audience.
Idea #4. Free is your best offer
Unfortunately, the world's most popular word is not love. Or peace. It is FREE.
Just plain FREE is your best offer. Usually followed by FREE with any purchase and then buy one get one FREE. There are countless other offers - almost any half decent offer can work. All can be good .
Testing is essential for you to know your best bottom line offer.
Idea #5. Cross-promote for profit
Whatever you are doing, usually it can get better when you combine your promotions with others.
This means other stores and shops in the same immediate area. With your "friends", obviously, vs. your competitors.
This also means your chain or group of stores in the same geography ... get together with them and do joint promotions.
The benefit to your customers is they see you as part of a "good group". The benefit to you is you gain customers from others. Cross promotion works.
Idea #6. "One Coupon Per Customer" works
Frequently the only disclaimer you need for most basic retail offers is "One Coupon Per Customer".
Some times you don't need this much! And rarely is anything more needed to give you customer control. Plus, the results you are looking for.
Idea #7. For consumer programs - a resident list works
For business programs - a title list works.
For prospecting, to get traffic it is often not necessary to invest in a name list.
For direct mail, fax marketing, E-mail marketing.
Of course , you should address your customers as individual customers, by name ... and not "occupant" or "business executive".
This is not to say adding demographic and psychographic characteristics is wrong ... it most certainly is not. Yet, for retail prospecting it rarely pays. Why? Well, location, location, location ... that ole retail truth applies.
Idea #8. Less can be more
For most new programs a 2 color print ad, direct mail package or brochure will usually do the job.
Sure, when you roll-out to 50,000+ 4 color can frequently pay for itself. For launches and testing, do it as inexpensively as possible. You can always upgrade later.
Idea #9. With mail, print & literature a variety of sizes, shape, formats, layouts usually improves response
Your audience needs to see you in different ways. Some will respond to one approach - some to another .
For most retailers your customers are located in a reasonably compact area - a circle around the store. For you to get all you can get from this "circle", your prospects need to get a good impression of you each time you reach out.
A different look each time will help.
Idea #10. Try slow-moving-day specials
One way to draw in new prospects is to offer specials on your slow moving days. Or time of year
You've got nothing to loose - your prospects may look at "testing" you the same way. By offering prospects a special on your slowest days, you can win by increasing business. And prospects win by trying your special offer.
The first of the month, or the end, the middle of the week, or the week-end, a season of the year ... whenever you are slow use that time to prospect for more and new business.
Idea #11. Use multi-media ... print, broadcast, mail, phone, fax & electronic media
There is no best marketing tool. Each can work - each does work.
Yes, you need to learn what works for you. For most there will be more than a single tool. Many marketers will find 2-3-4-5 different mediums - each working - each paying. Some better than others - all profitable.
When this happens to you - use 'em all!
Idea #12. When you don't know all you need to know, research ... and test
In times past "test" was considered the middle name of Direct Marketing.
In more recent times "testing" has fallen into disfavor. Fewer doing it. They say they don't have money - they don't have time - they just want to go to market. No matter what. Sad.
And only the truly large marketers use research. Again, the excuse is time and money.
Yet, when you know you do not know all you need to know, to earn all you can expect to earn, you should at least test. Test offers, test audiences, test creative copy and art approaches. It pays.
Idea #13. Whatever you do - keep on doing it!
Whatever your marketing program - do it. And continue to do it .
In and out programs will hype sales for the period. Yet, you are now promoting ... fine by itself, yet not enough. One promotion leads to another to another and another.
A full marketing schedule, through good seasons and not so good, will almost always gain you more at the end of the day.
Whatever you do - keep on doing it!
That's it - The Baker's Dozen. 13 Platinum Retail Direct Marketing Traffic Building Ideas.