Posts filed under 'Marketing'
Now is the right time to prepare for the holidays. Yes, it’s not even Labor Day, but the holidays will be here before you know it. And by preparing now, you can be ready for any surprises that may come up during the hectic days in November and December.
I just read a good article that offers six suggestions for holiday prep work that you can do right now. Read the full article for all the suggestions….and consider some of these:
- Think about the customers who you want to attract. Who bought your gift baskets last holiday season? Were most of your holiday sales made to women? to men? what age group? Use this information to design advertising materials and promotions that will appeal to those customers.
- Start looking through industry magazines and web sites to get an idea of the gourmet products that are “hot” this year. Specialty Food News is a great resource to learn about trends in our industry.
- Browse the internet and look at holiday products that are being shown by large retailers. Are you seeing certain design styles or colors?
- Confirm with your vendors that you’ll be able the items that you want to use in gift baskets will be available.
- Check with your usual shipping company to find out if rates will be increasing. Take the time to check other shippers to find out about their current rates.
August 27th, 2010
In May, 2010, FedEX Office released the results of its third annual survey of small businesses. Read the full article and consider their findings as you make your marketing for the remainder of the year.
The first interesting and encouraging finding: “almost three-quarters (72%) of small business owners say they will be the driving force behind the U.S. economic recovery in 2010″. This optimism is a real testament to the veracity of small business owners and the importance of small businesses in the marketplace.
Other provocative findings: 61% believe traditional marketing and advertising methods are more effective than web-based counterparts at bringing in customers”. And 44% of small business owners plan to grow business in 2010 by increasing communication with customers via printed materials”.
While we need to keep up with our on-line presence, don’t forget about more traditional avenues for advertising such as newsletters and direct mail.
July 15th, 2010
Mark your calendars and make your travel plans: The Ultimate Gift Show National Gift Basket Professional Convention will be held in Canton, Ohio, July 23 – 25. Don’t miss this opportunity for 13 hours of seminars, 10 hours of trade show, unlimited networking and hands-on workshops.
Check out the fantastic selection of educational seminars and workshops. Top leaders in the gift basket industry will be sharing their best ideas! You’ll learn how to organize your design room for maximum efficiency and your displays for maximum impact. Debbie Quintana, from the Gift Basket Association, will tell you how to promote yourself and your business. Learn how to expand bridal events with Mary Anne Jacobs. Get tips on managing your inventory, handling your customer service phones and much much more.
You still have time to take advantage of special registration and hotel rates. Don’t miss this premier industry event!
June 26th, 2010
We hear and read so much about Facebook and Twitter. We are advised that we should be using social media marketing techniques in our businesses. Many business owners are scrambling to get online and post, post, post! But does all this networking really matter?
Read John Jantach’s post on Duct Tape Marketing: “Why Social Media Doesn’t Matter Anymore”. To put it simply, John’s take on the issue is this: “Everything that we called social media is irrelevant and mislabed – there’s a new way of doing business and marketing for sure, but it’s a behavior and focus on customer involvement that’s become a new norm – and that’s all there is to it”.
I find this to be a very refreshing and interesting way to look at this issue. We can get so tied up in setting up our web sites, our Facebook and Twitter pages, that we may be forgetting the most important thing to do to market our businesses: find ways to create connections between our businesses and our customers….and this is often accomplished through the “personal touch”. Connecting on a personal level with our customers may still be the most important way we can acquire their loyalty.
Read the full article and weigh in with your opinion….What are you doing to make “real” connections with your customers? Maybe we should all be spending more time on “face to face” meetings with our customers instead of Facebook connections!
June 22nd, 2010
Are you ready for a challenge? Enter the Gift Basket Association Design Contest! Winners will be chosen in four categories and those designs will be featured on the Gift Basket Association web site as well as in Trends and Tips magazine.
Don’t know about the Gift Basket Association? GBA is a “community of gift basket professionals that work together to uplift the gift basket industry”. Debbie Quintina launched this membership organization one year ago, and it has quickly become an essential resource for gift basket retailers. The GBA web site offers opportunities for networking, advertising, and learning. You will learn about the latest design trends, business strategies, the newest technology for marketing and promotions, and much, much more. And GBA Talk will connect you to other professionals from whom you can learn.
Get involved and join other gift basket professionals in the “spirit of support and collaboration”.
June 15th, 2010
A newsletter can help you create a distinctive identity for your business. It’s a way to communicate regularly with your customers; let them know about special promotions, new products, and share other interesting information with them that will make them want to visit your web site or store.
I recently read an informative blog post about the importance of choosing a name for your newsletter. The writer suggested quite a few great tips for making this determination:
- Determine your focus. What do you want your customers to think about your business? What image do you want to portray?
- Think about a name that’s friendly and inviting. Keep it short, but concise so that it’s easy to remember and if emailing, so that it will fit into the subject line.
- Set your expectations for delivery. How often will you publish your newsletter.
While you’re thinking about your newsletter, check out this publication from SCORE. Author Roger Parker lists 12 steps for a successful newsletter and makes several suggestions about stylist things such as layout, spacing, columns, color and more.
May 14th, 2010
Many of us believe that email is the only way to communicate with our customer. Pick up any marketing magazine or go online to check your email and you’ll see articles about email marketing, and using social media to promote our products. There’s no doubt that we need to use new technology in our advertising and marketing efforts, but maybe we shouldn’t forget about direct mail so quickly. According to Denny Hatch, a marketing consultant who writes for Target Marketing Magazine, “direct mail is alive and well”. Full Story.
Market research conducted in 2009 indicates that approximately “75% of 18 – 34 year olds have made at least one purchase resulting from direct mail”. Author Hatch postulates that the overwhelming number of emails that we receive, including lots of spam, is actually decreasing the effectiveness of many email campaigns. And, if you ask someone over 62 years old, you’ll probably hear that they too prefer the old days: newspapers, magazines and direct mail!
I did a quick google search on “using direct mail” and found an article in INC. that while written in 2000, still conveys some good advice.
- Make sure you have a “good list”. Double check addresses and try to make sure that your mailings are going to customers who will be attracted to your products and services. “There are many ways to compile a qualified list, as simple as putting it together yourself from all your contacts and prospects. You can also buy lists from a mail house or list broker, your local chamber of commerce, and other professional groups.”
- Craft a good message. Make sure you have a strong offer (10% off is not usually enough incentive to attract new customers). Make sure your presentation matches your message (if you’re selling upscale gift baskets, a plain post card probably won’t send the right message about the quality of your products). Don’t forget to list your hours, contact information, and address.
Read the full article for more suggestions about your next direct mail campaign.
May 10th, 2010
“Lean Start-Up”. It’s a new term being bantered about Silicon Valley and it applies to any new business venture. “If it works, it will reduce failure rates for entrepreneurial ventures and boost innovation”. Full Story…
The concept of “lean start-ups” was taken from Japanese business ventures and “focused on eliminating any work or investment that doesn’t produce value for customers”. It emphasizes an early and constant focus on customers. It assumes that the product being offered is something consumers really want. It requires regular feedback regarding customer satisfaction and constant tweaking of the product. Then, more analysis of customers’ responses to product alterations. In other words, it is a dynamic, organic, process.
So how does this concept apply to your gift basket business? First, you need to make sure that the product you’re offering is something that your customer base really wants. Have you surveyed your customers recently to learn for what occasions do they buy gift baskets, and what they to hope to convey when they send a gift? Have you asked your customers about their favorite products? Then, take a look at your basket designs. Does your product offering match what they want? Use social media such as Facebook or Twitter to send mini “surveys” to your customer base and get answers to these questions.
Next, once a gift basket is purchased, do you follow up with your customer and the recipient? This is a perfect opportunity to use social media technology. Did the recipient like how it looked and enjoy the products that were included? Was your customer satisfied with the delivery time and overall service? Based upon this feedback, what could you do differently? Take the time to personally call your customer and the recipient, use text messaging, or email the recipient to get this feedback. Then make the changes you need to make to “do it better” next time!
In this competitive market, where consumers have hundreds of options for their purchases, it is critical that we run our businesses in the most cost effective and efficient manner. We can do this by making sure we are selling the products that consumers want, then making adjustments necessary to keep the customers satisified.
April 25th, 2010
A mission statement for your business defines who your company is, what you do, what you stand for, and why you do it. “It captures, in a few succinct sentences, the essence of your business’s goals and the philosophies underlying them. Equally important, the mission statement signals what your business is all about to your customers, employees, suppliers and the community.” Read more…
So why do you need a mission statement? Read my last blog post: “What’s Your Strategy With Your Gift Basket Business?”
To start to develop your mission statement, read the mission statements of other companies. Then, ask yourself some questions:
- Why are you in business?
- Who are your customers?
- What image do you want to convey?
- What products do you offer?
- What level of service do you offer?
- What roles do you and your employees play?
- How do you differ from your competitors?
Get others who are involved in your business to help you answer these questions. This may include employees, family members or friends. Feedback and suggestions from others will help you clarify what you really want to say.
Once your mission statement is written, make sure that all of your business activities are tailored so that your vision will be realized. When problems arise, just refer back to your mission and the solutions will be apparent.
April 17th, 2010
Too often, when we’re trying to tackle the everyday problems in our businesses, we immediately start thinking about solutions and strategies before clearly understanding the questions. Nick Burkholder, from First Resource, suggests that a good strategy needs to be based upon a clearly defined mission for your company. Full article…
So why is this important? And how might this play out in your gift basket business? Imagine that two business owners, Jane and Martha, meet for coffee to discuss a common issue: both want to increase their sales by 10% in 2010. Jane’s mission is to provide an extraordinary selection of baskets through on-line promotions and she receives most of her orders through her web site. Martha’s mission is to provide the exceptional customer service and personalized gifts and her business is most often based upon referrals from satisfied customers.Based on this understanding of these differing visions for success, Martha and Jane will choose very different strategies for reaching their goals to increase business by 10%. Jane will spend her marketing dollars on making her web site more user friendly, and designing an email marketing campaign that will target her specific buyers’ preferences. Martha will hire an experienced sales person and gift basket designer who can bring a new “look” to the baskets that she already offers to her customers.
Before choosing a “solution”, make sure that you and your team have a concise and precise idea of the company’s mission. Check back for the next blog post about how to conceptualize and write a mission statement for your company.
April 9th, 2010
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