07/ 09/ 2008
by Maggie Flynn
I once received promotional material for a new mall that included a letter with a car key attached. The letter explained that during its opening weekend there would be a new car at the mall and my key might just be the one that opened it. Did I really believe that out of all the keys they sent out mine would be the lucky one? Not really, but that didn't stop me from giving it a shot and visiting the new mall. I didn't win the new car of course, but I did help fulfill the promotion's true purpose: I visited the new stores and went home with several shopping bags.
This is one example of promotions that go beyond the old "$5 off" coupon placed in local flyers. While such standard materials may send a few new customers your way, they might not be exciting enough to make them go out of their way to visit your establishment. Read on for some alternative methods that will pique customer interest.
Attention-grabbing giveaways
Like the example above, giveaways that involve at least one big-ticket item attract people's attention. If you go that route you might want to run a sale along with the giveaway, so that people will be enticed to spend upon their visit. If you want more of a guarantee that visitors will boost your sales as opposed to simply checking out your store, you could run the giveaway as a raffle, with each customer getting a ticket with a $10 or $20 purchase.
Special events
Sometimes shoppers mean to check out a certain store, but just don't get around to it. If you give them a specific date to put on their calendar however, they might stop putting off their visit. This is the idea behind holding special events in your store. Pick a date and advertise what you'll have. Refreshments, free samples, special demonstrations, and discounts are but a few of the items sometimes offered at in-store events.
If surrounding businesses hold special events like sidewalk sales or open houses, by all means participate. Such events require minimal marketing on your part and bring customers your way who may not have visited otherwise.
Charity donations
Many businesses advertise that for a period of time they will be donating a portion of their proceeds to a selected charity. This can be an effective way of nudging customers to make a buy they've been putting off or to feel better about spending money. It's also a good way of showing that you run a community-minded business.
Promote your store at stand-out times
There's nothing wrong with running special promotions during Memorial Day, Labor Day weekend or other popular shopping periods. While there will be ample shoppers out and about those weekends, the trick is to run a promotion unique enough to stand out from those of your competitors. However, if you wait until the weekend after Labor Day, then you may very well be the only business running a special that weekend. This can be a great strategy for making your promotion stand out.
Figuring out the type of promotion that will work best for your business will take a little experimenting. The time of year, length of promotion and methods you employ to advertise the event are all factors to consider. Keep track of your promotions and their results, such as how much you did in sales for that amount of time and how many people attended the special event. Comparing results will help you refine your strategies and find the perfect promotions to give your business a boost.
