Gift Basket Business Blog

Use Your Marketing Dollars Effectively

October 21st, 2007 at 11:54pm Lorie Obernauer

I was reading the October issue of Gourmet News and saw something that reminded me how simple it can be to use your marketing dollars effectively. “Retailers Share Marketing Tips” offers some suggestions that any of us can follow.

This is the tip: Ask all new customers where they heard about your business. Sounds obvious, but sometimes we forget to do the easiest things.

There are many ways that you might be marketing your business. Maybe you are placing ads in your local newspaper or in the yellow pages. You might be producing a glossy flyer and mailing it to everyone in your zip code. Maybe you’re sending emails to your customers. Your best customers might be telling their friends about your business. What’s important to find out is which one of these approaches works best!

For one month, have your employees ask all new customers where they heard about you. You might find out that most of your business comes by “word of mouth” and that no one saw your ad in the local paper. Once you know where you business comes from, you can target your marketing and dollars in that direction.

Read the full article for more ideas. What’s most important is to keep track of how new customers learn about you. One of my gift basket retail customers told me that she got a lot of new business when she sent a gift basket to welcome a new business that opened in her neighborhood. Customers who stopped into the new store saw her basket and liked what they saw. She now frequently sends baskets to other businesses in her neighborhood and asks that they let their customers see the design before they dive into the goodies.

I’d love to hear some more ideas about easy and effective ways you market your business.

Entry Filed under: Business Tips