We're here to give you the most help, and a chance to be helpful, too.

How To Deal With A New Competitor In Your Area

6 page action guide with step-by-step step suggestions to beat your newest competitor

How to Track Your Advertising and Coupon Efforts

"half the money i spend on advertising is wasted. i just don't know which half." do you know which of your advertising tactics are working to drive sales? this 6-page action guide will help you: *understand how different campaigns work * track and monitor which campaigns are working..and which are not. * decide how to improve your advertising results * know what response you are getting compared to industry averages

5 Newspaper Advertising Myths

quick pointers for making a great newspaper ad.

Free Action Guide: Facebook

a free action guide to help you get started on facebook

How do I learn about customers?

How do I get younger people in my store?

How do I create some interesting content for my newsletter?

How do I find a good social glue for my store?

How do I create promotions that are unique and interesting?

Word of mouth

Marketing Promotions

Staff

Branding

Online marketing

Voice of the customer

Store Operations

Social Media

Targeted Marketing

Customer Rewards

Sales Strategy

Traditional Advertising

Business Analysis

Free Action Guide: Facebook

our new, free, action guide, on how to get started with facebook!

Member Comments Archive

our members share their ideas and successful solutions to growing their business

the viral garden

mack collier's social media blog for small business

small business trends

blog on small business trends

Harmony Day Spa: Advertising to Key Customer Segments

Kasey Carpenter owns Harmony Day Spa, a salon and spa located in a downtown shopping area in a small renovated warehouse that houses several clothing boutiques and a few upscale restaurants. The Harmony Day Spa offers massage, facials, aromatherapy manicures, and waxing. Harmony also has a small boutique that sells soaps, lotions, and other treats. Kasey’s clients include business women who work in the area, as well as stay at home moms, brides, and out of town guests staying at nearby hotels. Kasey advertises her spa on cable television (on networks like the Style Network, TLC and HGTV) and in the local newspaper. She occasionally runs ads on radio but finds that they haven’t worked to well for her. During the recession, she stopped her radio advertising but shifted those funds in bridal sections of the local city magazine as well as bridal inserts in the newspaper. She uses these funds to promote bridal party spa treatments, as wel l as treatments for mothers of the bride and groom. Focusing on this niche with advertising has made a difference in the spa business.

Bloglites

Penny Pinchers represent 1 in 5 of today's consumers.

Borders: Does This Retailer Think about its Customers?

Del Monte and Social Glue

Becoming an Expert source

Supporting causes

Retailer Stories

Effective marketing in one business' local neighborhood

here's how a restaurant works the neighborhood

Convenient neighbors make a difference for Waggin Train

using fliers & handbills to generate store visits

Building traffic with "community marketing": a retailer and a dog park

how waggin train came to "own" a dog park

Decisions made by one retailer for effective advertising spending in a recession

using direct mail to increase email marketing results

Strategic Patnering with a Cause at Vivendi's Restaurant

generosity marketing in the community

Action Guides

How To Deal With A New Competitor In Your Area

6 page action guide with step-by-step step suggestions to beat your newest competitor

Building a Bank of Good Will

this 5 page action guide provides proven techniques to successfully increase customer loyalty

How To Stop Losing Your Customers!

it is easier to keep your customers than trying to get new ones. so, stop losing customers! this 7-page guide will help you learn ...and most importantly how to win them back.

How to get customers to visit your store when your business is slow!

mired in a slowdown and wondering how to get more customers back in your store?

How to Create Cooperative Promotions

do you know how to go about creating, implementing and nurturing successful co-promotions? this 4-page action guide spells out the step-by-step details to creating cooperative promotions that work!

5 New Ways To Look At Shoppers

mri study identifies five buying style segments: * buyers of the best * swayable shopaholics * habitualized havers * conscientious consumers * penny-pinchers

12 Tips to help small retailers thrive in a recession

so, how do you, the small retailer, make sure your customers continue shopping at your store during tough economic times? here are 12 ideas to consider:

Moms Use Social Media

retailers encouraged to reach out to moms via social media.

You’re not Wal-Mart: And Why That’s a Good Thing

how "small" can beat the big boys

Should I have a MySpace page for my small business?

things to consider before creating a myspace page for your business

Book Excerpts

Determining where you should focus your advertising

There are different customer groups

Key customer group for growth

Demographics available on line

Customers purchase less frequently in a recession

Member Comments

“we’ve been very focused in our targeting, and are now emailing and mailing only to teachers and parents with kids under 12 to promote our store as a place for art supplies for school. in november, we’ll switch to stay at home moms and promote the store as a place to buy supplies to make christmas gifts.”kevin j, bangor, me gift store

“last summer we decided to focus on children in art. we took all items that even remotely seemed like something a child would like to work with and put them on sale. we have had weekly contests for children to participate in...a different theme each week....awarding them a small gift certificate.all of this naturally brings in parents...and we endeavor to engage them in buying their own supplies!.” hannah y, elsmwood, ct teacher supply store

i’m really focusing on referrals…i make a point to mail a postcard to former clients and ask for referrals, and send a gift certificate to a nice restaurant to every client who gives me a referral.patrick o. rapid city, sd- real estate

“we always have a large drop-box for the toys-for-tots drive in november and december. we post a running total the number of “full boxes” donated during the drive. every donor receives a free ice cream cone. our store is one of the largest collectors of toys in town for this worthy cause.”kelly p, baton rouge, la ice cream store

“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

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