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Although today is March 21 some say the first day of spring begins today. Depending on where in the world you are. However, Yesterday, March 20th, the first day of spring officially began in the US. Spring is the season of flowers, spring fever, outdoor celebrations and more. Spring is usually when flowers bloom, animals are hatched or mating begins. The first day of spring is also known as the vernal equinox (Equinox means “equal night”) – the time of year that symbolizes the change to spring. With the center of the sun positioned right over the equator, the day and night are about equal in length around the world. (Equinox means “equal night”.) From now until September, there will be longer and warmer days in the Northern Hemisphere.
Here’s Some Spring Trivia:
The ancient Greeks celebrated Mother’s Day in spring. The ancient Greeks celebrated Rhea, “Mother of the Gods,” with honey-cakes, beverages, and flowers at dawn–the earliest known Mother’s Day celebration.
Four-leaf clovers are thought to bring good luck, but there’s no scientific evidence to support that claim. Cut out some green four leaf clovers (or buy them at a specialty store such as Michaels crafts) and put “lucky sayings” on them. Include them in your business correspondence and statements.
The area along the California-Oregon border, is known as the “Easter Lily Capital of the World” because it produces 95 percent of all bulbs grown in the world for the potted Easter lily market. They produce more than 11 million bulbs annually. Send your best customers an Easter Lily or other spring flowering plant.
Did you know “Spring Fever” is a real physical condition which commonly occurs when a sudden warm spell follows a long cold period. When the temperature rises, the body has to get rid of heat; thus there’s a dilation or expansion of the blood vessels so that blood can be carried to the body surface where heat can be lost quickly. Some people experience an energetic feeling when this change happens due to the body’s reaction to the great amount of internal work going on.
Big companies recognize the benefits of marketing SPRING to their target audience with spring sales, spring promotions, longer hours and more. What could your business do to acknowledge the first day of Spring? How about a Spring Fever sale? Or a Company picnic inviting your customers to attend.
Or maybe a spring cleaning tie in with a local charity or school? Sponsor a car wash and get out there and work side-by-side with a local youth group, sports team or other non-profit organization.
If you have not yet listed your business in Merchant Circle, Spring is the perfect time to do so. http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/sponsoredListing.html.
While you’re at it find out what’s happening in the world of Business when you check out Business Week online. http://www.businessweek.com/
For other ideas to market your company, check out Quirky Marketing, 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany and Non-traditional Holidays at www.QuirkyOffer.com
March 21st, 2009
Cracker Jack’s has been an icon in snacking for more than 100 years. Did you know that today in 1912, the first prize was inserted into a Cracker Jack Box? What a marketing marvel that was! Every kid who got a box, waited in anticipation (or didn’t wait at all) as they “ripped open” the top of the box to pull out their prize.
And Cracker Jack has become a symbol for many cultural aspects of our lives such as lyrics in songs, mentioned in movies and even used as a metaphor in books.
Although Seth Godin’s book “Free Prize Inside ~ The Next BIG Marketing Idea ” is not about Cracker Jacks, rather about giving something “extra,” he certainly hit on the principles with his examples of cereal boxes with prizes inside.
So what could you “give” extra to add value to your clients today? What’s your Cracker Jack example? Feel free to share in the comments section ~ be sure to include a link to your website or blog!
Cracker Jack Legend and History:
According to legend, in 1894 a unique popcorn, peanuts and molasses confection that was the forerunner to Cracker Jack caramel coated popcorn and peanuts is introduced by F.W. Rueckheim and Brother, at the World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago’s first World’s Fair.
In 1896 Louis Rueckheim, F.W.’s brother and partner, discover the process for keeping the molasses-covered popcorn morsels from sticking together. Louis gives the treat to a salesman who exclaims, “That’s crackerjack!” “So it is,” says F.W. Rueckheim, who then has the words trademarked.
In 1912 prizes were included in Cracker Jack boxes for the first time. Since then, the toy prizes have been replaced with paper prizes displaying riddles and jokes.
In 1955 Cracker Jack begins advertising on television with the appearance of Cracker Jack on CBS-TV’s “On Your Account” which is televised to 130 stations nationally.
Source: Cracker Jack and Wikipedia
For more ideas like these, check out my new book: Quirky Marketing~ 365 Ways to Grow Your Business Using Zany and Non-traditional Holidays.
February 19th, 2009
There’s still time to get ready for a successful holiday season.
Here are a ten tips to make for a more successful holiday season.
1. Review last year’s sales records. Compare them to prior years. This will help you “forecast” what you could do this season. Has your business seen a steady increase each year. Have you had poor sales one year and brisk the next? If so, what was happening in the world? Was the economy strong or weak? Did a natural disaster affect your business? You must consider all things possible when making your forecast.
2. Check inventory. Do you have items from last year that you need to sell? Can you sell them at full-price (such as traditional items)? These do not include the trendy seasonal items that reflected the times and would be considered outdated by your customers.
3. Review the items you have pre-ordered – it is amazing how quickly we forget all those wonderful things we purchased during gift and trade shows in anticipation of a good holiday.
4. Review your notes from last year – the things you did right, those ideas for improvement for the next year and be sure to include them in your holiday marketing plans.
5. Check out your marketing and advertising from the last three years paying particular attention to the immediate past. Was it effective? Did it meet or succeed your ROI goals? Make a list of the media you want to continue and any new media you would like to try (conservatively). Start contacting the media now to get the best prices an dplacement.
6. Check web stats for best sales days, highest traffic days, conversion rates, best and least selling items.
7. If you offer more than one type of service/product, review each individually. For instance a florist might also sell plants, gift baskets, balloons, books, plush animals and other giftware. Which items did best, and which did not do well at all. This will help you buy accordingly for the upcoming holidays.
8. Brainstorm with your staff/marketing team/ management to come up with themes around specific holidays. Do you want to use eskimos in your christmas displays? Do you need candles and dreidels for your Hannukah vignettes? Are pumpkins a popular choice for Thanksgiving or fall leaves or does something else strike your fancy? Do your customers shop your store for Halloween.
9. Review your staffing from the previous year. Did you have too much or not enough staff?
10. Create a rewards program for the upcoming holidays. Rewards can range from commissioned sales, to trips, to dinners out, to movie tickets, to days off, to shopping sprees, to recognition programs. Be sure to include time for celebration where everyone can join in the fun as a group.
BONUS: Send your customers/clients a holilday card early. Don’t wait until December 10th to send a card. Send it today. I use
SendOutCards to promote my business and stay in touch with clients and customers. It is the best automated system I have found. Real cards to real people in the mail! Check it out at:
www.SendOutCards.com/Heidi Use all the things in your RETAIL REVIEW to create your holiday marketing calendar. The calendar will help you meet deadlines, update your websites, plan your open houses, place ads and create marketing materials necessary to promote the holidays to your prospects and customers. If you have the staff, give each a different area of responsibility such as window design, inside displays, overseeing of your website, etc. Be sure to look at your market and see if it has changed from previous years.
November 20th, 2008
How Cause-related marketing can grow your company and do good.
According to a report published by onPhilanthropy, cause marketing sponsorship by American businesses has been steadily rising over the years.
The potential benefits of cause marketing for nonprofit organizations include a wider audience in which to promote the nonprofit organization’s cause, increased accessibility of potential donors and supporters through a company’s customer base.
The potential benefits of cause marketing for businesses big or small include promoting your company in a positive way, improving your relationships with your current customer base, and attract your target audience. Cause-related marketing can make your company stand out from your competitors and heighten your company’s reputation within your target market.
In the ook Brand Spirit: How Cause Related Marketing Builds Brands by Hamish Pringle and Marjorie Thompson the authors say: “Nothing builds brand loyalty among today’s increasingly skeptical, hard-to-please consumers like a proven commitment to a worthy cause on the part of a company.”
Some ways you can implement a cause marketing campaign include giving a portion of the profits of sales of a product to the cause. Companies have created programs to donate a percentage of their sales to a nonprofit organization through the use of auctions. You can align your company with a cause to brand your business as the official (name of industry) of (name of cause). You can adopt a program and get your staff involved to help implement your marketing efforts such as participating in an event hosted by the cause as a TEAM effort, donating time to mentor youth in the schools or community, giving blood, to name a few.
Think BIG ~ The Let’s say Thanks Campaign by Zerox created a way for individuals across the country to recognize U.S. troops stationed overseas. By submitting a message through the LetsSayThanks website you have the opportunity to send a free personalized postcard greeting to deployed servicemen and women.
Arrow, The Authentic American Brand created the “We are Ellis Island” campaign which ito raise money to restore dilapidated buildings on the south side of Ellis Island. Through association with Save Ellis Island, the Arrow brand is committed to preserving Ellis Island with the help of the National Park Service. Arrow launched the website www.WeAreEllisIsland.com for visitors to post their family stories, share inspiring stories of hope, courage and perseverance, all in the name of living out the great American dream. When you visit We Are Ellis Island you can read thes stories and donate money to the causes Arrow has committed to donate 1% of its 2008 wholesale sales to the project. To learn more about Arrow, visit www.arrowshirts.com.
Start small ~ You don’t have to be a BIG company to adopt a cause. Just look around your community to see what the needs are, what is missing, lacking or could use a little (or big) boost in support. Check with non-profits you believe in, with local chambers of commerce, business groups, niche groups, your trade associations, ask your vendors and customers for ideas. Find out who your target audience supports and see if it meshes with your values and your company’s mission. If so, you are on your way to getting out and doing good. And it is a great way to raise your profile in the eyes of the media. A local retailer could run a promotion donating a portion of the sales goes to support a local school project that is underfunded or donating your products to bring joy to less fortunate families in your communities during the holiday season.
One success leads to others and you can build upon those to get more creative and grandiose in your ideas and strategies. After all, America’s economy is fueled by small business and the companies we keep.
September 10th, 2008
Did you know that August is National Inventor’s Month? If you are an inventor, think about some of the creative ways you can market your new product. How could you get noticed by the media, by your community and most importantly by your target market? How about Tryvertising your new product? According to TrendWatching.com, Tryvertising is, “a new breed of product placement in the real world, integrating your goods and services into daily life in a relevant way, so that consumers can make up their minds based on their experience, not your messages.” Hotels, bars and restaurants make good use of Tryvertising their products to build a customer base and instill loyalty in their marketplace.
It is also…
Golf Month – My daughter and I are taking up golf so we can Network on the Course while learning a new sport and exercising – Fresh air, exercise and meeting new people, what could be better (except maybe being served a Margarita on the beach by a handsome hunk J).
Coffee Month –Saatchi and Saatchi, the NY Advertising Agency developed a clever ad campaign for Folgers Coffee. They took Photographs of a tempting cup of coffee from a bird’s-eye view and then printed the image vinyl. These photos were then placed on top of steaming manhole covers with holes cut into the vinyl to allow the steam to rise. The effect was one of giant, hot, cups of coffee.
Hug Month – Hug marketing is the best! You can send a hug via mail, email or even give a hug in person – depending on your audience.
Romance Awareness Month – Remember the key in marketing and sales – people make their buying decisions based on emotion and back up their decision with facts. One man I know told me that every time he gets his car detailed there is a thank you note on the steering wheel of his car. And a woman who does a lot of business travel loves to go to a certain hotel because they always remember her favorite flavor of tea and have it stocked and ready in the room when she arrives and the next morning a newspaper from her hometown is waiting outside her door. How can you sweep your customers and clients off their feet this month?
To learn about these and other great ideas to market your business Grab the FREE Ebook: Your Marketing Calendar ~ Using Holidays, Events and Celebrations to Promote Your Business
August 9th, 2008
