Supporting causes
I noticed an interesting thing on Facebook today...Starbucks had a small banner ad that invited Facebook users to "Volunteer for five hours of work anywhere, and we'll give you a large latter." There were various buttons to click to pledge to volunteer, etcetera. Starbucks did something similar on election day (and sort of messed it up...they wanted you to bring in proof that you voted, and you could get a free something or other...but that's illegal. Electioneering or something. Anyway).
I like this idea....do you have a cause you care about? Encourage people to support the cause...either through their time or money...and give them a little reward or gift. It gets people in your store (especia
lly people who, for example, read at the school or walk the shelter dogs and may not go to your store).� And it makes the people who are helping out the cause feel good.
Bloglites
Retailer Stories
Convenient neighbors make a difference for Waggin Train
using fliers & handbills to generate store visits
Action Guides
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Free LinkedIn Action Guide
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Book Excerpts
Benefits to Word of Mouth Are HighMember Comments
“newsletters can provide good information about the store: for example, give subscribers first notice of any in-store events, and they will have ‘first dibs’ on signing up to attend events. also you communicate changes to your store hours or policies, to make their shopping easier and more convenient.”larry n, dearborn, mi ice rink owner
“i get a lot of newsletters from craft shops with information about new products and services. the newsletter provides an opportunity to give the dates the products will arrive and some information about price, color, etc that will be of interest to consumers. the manufacturers often will provide you this information to put into your newsletter.also, i like it when email newsletters have special offers and discounts that are available for a limited time only, and only for customers who receive email. you don’t need to have an offer in every email, once every two months could work to keep people interested.mary jane, salt lake city, ut homemaker
“we use newsletters to get information from our customers. have a poll or a survey. it can be short, and even fun: where are you going on vacation? what tv show are you enjoying this summer? then post results in a future newsletter. people love taking polls.of course, always best to use a poll topic that is of interest to your audience.our customers are into new bands, especially hip-hop. we like to poll about "who's hot" in order to let them chime in about their favorites, and it also let's us get a sense of trends.”anson l , natchez, miss clothing store
two food giants...general mills and kraft...have just started wom communities. gm is called psst...and kraft's is called first tasteandrea k, virginia beach, va, shoe store
“we partner with the local animal shelter for their adopt-a-pet program each spring and fall. we put together a “welcome to your new home” bag of food, treats and toys, which are handed out at the shelter when a pet is adopted. we include a discount coupon for their next total purchase at our store as well as their first grooming appointment.karen d, portsmouth nh, pet shop
