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Point of Purchase Marketing Strategy
Why do you need a Point of Purchase Marketing Strategy? To take advantage of the fact that seventy percent of final buying decisions are made while shopping in the store. That’s why Point of Purchase displays are so effective. Therefore, you need to develop a good point of purchase marketing strategy. More than half of all supermarket purchases are impulse purchases. That number may not translate to every business, but it’s a behavior you need to capitalize on. Point of Purchase Displays Nearly all retail outlets use POP displays. You’ve seen them at cosmetics counters and you’ve seen them in various departments at big box stores. There are a few basic things you should consider when planning your point of purchase marketing strategy: POP Categories POP displays fall under three main categories: temporary (1 to 3 months) semi-permanent (3 to 6 months) permanent (6 months+) Temporary displays are mainly used for special offers, to promote new products and for seasonal products. They are economical and ideal for large quantity rollouts. Semi-permanent displays are often used to display mid-priced retail goods. Permanent displays are designed to be used more than once. This allows retailers to display different items throughout the year without incurring the cost of purchasing new displays. It’s important to design this type of display with versatility in mind. Locating And Designing Your POP Displays In the past, you would only find POP displays at the cash register area. Today, retailers place POP displays throughout the store with great success. Keep in mind that sales from displays with signs are twenty percent higher, even with regular priced merchandise. It’s a good idea to restrict the height of displays to preserve the vistas on the floor. Set your displays up to attract consumer attention and make sure they allow several customers to inspect the items at the same time. How To Maximize POP Sales Tied Selling: Use your POP advertising to induce customers to purchase product accessories i.e., batteries for flashlights, alarms or toys. Sell Complimentary Products: Bundle two complementary products and offer a discount for purchasing the combo; shampoo and conditioner, drill and bit set. Buy One, Get One Free Promotion: This can work with many products. Keep improving your POP marketing effort: You must constantly consider new ways to market your products. Mix up your merchandise or try a different approach; it’s hard for customers to be excited about a promotion for more than a few weeks. Use promotional items to boost sales: Include samples, coupons or refund offers on product packages to make them stand out at the point of purchase and boost sales. Consult with distributors to see what they can offer: Point-of-sale materials are often available from manufacturers. Vendors also know what is working elsewhere and can offer tips and advice or promotional items you can give away with a purchase. Consider personal experience: What appealed to you and what didn’t? Is it the display, the offer, or the product that ultimately leads you to buy the item? Use that experience in your marketing strategy. Conclusion: Point of Purchase Marketing Strategy POP marketing is gaining in popularity for three reasons. First, it’s one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing. Second, it allows retailers to reduce sales support staff to keep costs down and remain competitive. Finally, the increase in last-minute impulse buying among consumers makes point of purchase marketing more important than ever before.
Learn moreFamily Activities For March Break
March Break provides a great opportunity to reconnect with family. You don't need a big budget; children will enjoy and cherish quality family time whether it takes place at home or in an exotic location. As you plan your March Break, think about the memories you want to create; which memories from your childhood mean the most to you? If quality family time means playing games together or long evenings at the dinner table, plan your vacation to create those memories. Remember, family time begins with research and planning. Plan together. Time To Unwind What makes a good vacation? It’s getting a break from what you normally do. That’s why many people choose to travel. But you don’t have to travel great distances or spend a lot of money to unplug and smell the roses. Here’s a list of family activities for March Break to help you unwind and reconnect with family: Family Activities for March Break Take something off your bucket list. Pick something from your bucket list and make it a family March Break event. Whether it’s skydiving, hot air ballooning, downhill skiing, bungee jumping, white water rafting or mountain climbing, pick one and do it. Take lots of pictures and video to make this one a lasting memory. Pretend you’re a tourist for a few days. People often avoid local tourist attractions their city if famous for, even though it’s one of the most obvious things to do during a vacation. Why not visit local attractions like museums, historical sites or buildings, or visit a park you haven’t been to. Take lots of pictures, you’ll be glad you did. Have a bbq for the kids and their friends. Get the children involved in planning and setting up the event and invite their friends. It’s a great opportunity to introduce new foods and teach them about costs and event planning. Have a camping trip in your backyard. The worse thing about camping is packing the car before and after the camping trip. Why not pitch the tent in your backyard and enjoy some outdoor time without the hassle. If you like road trips, go for it. Google family-friendly campgrounds near me first so you don’t make a poor choice. Go for a long hike or bike ride. It’s good to get outdoors and enjoy physical activity with the family. Go for a hike or bike ride through a new or favorite trail. Have a movie night and sleepover for the kids. Extend the bedtime curfew and let the kids invite friends over for a movie night or game night and a sleepover. The friends’ parents will enjoy the break and will no doubt return the favor. Make popcorn and snacks and let the kids get the sleeping bags out for the sleep-over. Have a volunteer day. Pick a day and volunteer as a family for a local cause like a food bank or a nursing home. Or spend an afternoon cleaning up a local park or pick up debris around your neighborhood. Try it, I guarantee you’ll feel better afterward. Wrap Up – Make March Break 2017 Special Order custom stickers for the event and make it really special! Use promo code MARCHBREAK and get 20% off all orders at Stickerbeat during the month of March.
Learn moreBoost Productivity With Outlook - 5 Tips
Microsoft Outlook is one of the most popular email and calendar programs in use today. This article features 5 tips that will streamline your email workload and boost productivity with Outlook 2010 or newer versions. Outlook has several built-in features that save time and boost productivity. If you’re struggling with a heavy email load, you need to develop good working habits and learn to use some of these features. 5 tips to boost productivity with outlook 1. Use The Touch Once Technique Form the 4 D’s habit and process messages using the touch once technique. When reading through your messages, deal with each one immediately: - Do it (respond or file for reference) - Delete it (if it isn’t relevant or you don’t need to keep or respond to it) - Delegate it (forward to someone else who will deal with it) - Schedule it for a later time if it needs your personal attention at a later date (use categories and flags) 2. Automate Repeated Typing We all use the same common phrases over and over in our daily communications. Here's an easy way to automate your typing with the built-in Quick Parts feature. Anytime you write a sentence or phrase often, save it as a Quick Parts for insertion in later emails. Here’s how: when writing in the composer window, highlight the text and click on the Insert tab, then click the Quick Parts drop-down and select Save selection to the Quick Parts gallery. Anytime you start typing that phrase in the future, you will see a popup suggestion box. Select the phrase you want and press enter – that’s it. You can save as many as you need. 3. Use Quick Steps To Automate Filing And Recurring Tasks You can quickly manage your inbox using Quick Steps. With one click, you can move messages to a specific folder or forward messages to your peers or manager. You can also customize Quick Steps by creating your own Quick Steps gallery of mail actions – this can be a big time-saver for any steps you take often. Default Quick Steps Actions Outlook comes with several default actions which can easily be customized or used as is. Outlook prompts you to do this when you use some Quick Steps for the first time, i.e., you need to select the folder you want to forward to before you can use that Quick Step for the first time. The default Quick Steps in Outlook are: Move to, To Manager, Team e-mail, Done, Reply & Delete and Create New. 4. Send Messages Later Rather than schedule the activity for a later date, you can write the email and set it to be delivered at some future time. Type your email, then click the Options tab and select Delay Delivery. In the dialogue box, select Do not deliver before option and enter a time and date, then click Close. Hit the Send button and your message will be held until the specified time for sending. IMAP or POP servers must be kept open until delivery time for this to work (Exchange servers can be closed). 5. Send SMS Text Directly From Outlook You can send SMS text messages directly to contacts if you have registered with a third-party messaging service. To connect Outlook, click the dropdown from New Items in the Home tab and select Text Message. Select the text messaging service for your mobile operator in the dialogue box. Wrap Up - Boost Productivity With Outlook You can boost productivity with Outlook by using Quick Steps and Quick Parts. Use the touch once technique, and learn to customize the Quick Parts and Quick Steps features and you will drastically cut down the time you spend dealing with that heavy email load.
Learn moreCustom Bumper Stickers
People buy bumper stickers for many reasons. Besides political campaigns, advertisers use custom bumper stickers to promote things such as business events, parks, motels, hotels and popular tourist attractions. Car owners often buy bumper stickers as a memento of a memorable trip they took for a holiday. Others use bumper stickers to make a political statement or often to have fun with a funny or provocative statement. Philosophy Of Bumper Stickers Some people see bumper stickers as an invitation to interact with the outside world. In his book If You Can Read This: The Philosophy of Bumper Stickers author Jack Bowen said that bumper stickers all contain an unspoken if-then clause: If you can read this, then Imagine...” Bowen thinks this unspoken clause is what invites the reader to react to the statement or the idea promoted by the sticker. Custom Bumper Stickers Modern day bumper stickers are much easier to apply and remove than they once were. What’s more, current production methods make it possible to order custom bumper stickers in small quantities – you don’t need to order 1,000 or more to keep the price down. You can save a lot of money by ordering directly online from a manufacturer like Stickerbeat than you would by ordering through a reseller or middleman. Most Popular Bumper Stickers Here are some of the more popular bumper stickers we’ve seen over the years: I’ll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one I’m having an out-of-money experience Make America Great Again Not My President Watch out for the idiot behind me Don’t laugh it’s paid for and in front of you Famous last words of a redneck: Hold my beer and watch this Horn broke, watch for finger My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I am right I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you To err is human. To blame it on somebody else shows management potential Wanted: Meaningful overnight relationship Don't make me mad. I'm running out of places to hide the bodies It's lonely at the top, but you eat better I don’t suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it The good thing about science is that it’s true whether you believe in it or not Conclusion: Custom Bumper Stickers Custom bumper stickers are affordable and easy to order. Simply upload your artwork and we'll create a custom bumper sticker with an adhesive that makes it easy to remove and doesn’t leave an unsightly residue. You can order custom bumper stickers for your business, to show your support for a candidate or political issue, or to share your sense of humor. Our online approval process ensures you get the exact look and color you want.
Learn moreCustom Window Decals For Business
Window decals are an affordable way to transform a storefront window into a large advertising display. Whether you wish to announce a grand opening or promote a seasonal or clearance sale, custom window decals for business are an effective way to deliver your message. In addition, you can easily remove or reposition your decals if you decide to promote something different. Choose transparent decals if you would like some light to flow through. Versatility Of Window Decals Window decals are specially made to stick to any smooth surface. They can be peeled off without leaving a glue or paper residue because they’re made of a tough, tear- resistant vinyl. Also, you can order your decals with the adhesive on either side, based on your intended use: on the back so your artwork faces away from the glass or on the printed side with the artwork facing out. Custom Window Decals For Business An important part of branding is getting the word out. High visibility and repetition are probably the best ways to get your brand image engraved in the minds of your prospects. Therefore, you can make your company brand stand out from the competition by using bold and durable custom-shaped window decals. Advantages Of Window Decals Business-branded stickers give your business a clean, professional look because they appear to be etched or painted on the glass. In addition to having a sign with the name of your business, you should consider using window decals to promote your company’s branding along with a marketing message. Stickerbeat Window Decals Are: Created with bold, beautiful colors Fade resistant Can be placed inside or outside Can be printed on opaque (see-through) material Come with pre-glued backs to provide convenience in sticking and peeling Available in all shapes and sizes Customized to your needs Use on any smooth surface, wall, glass, metal and wood (indoors or outdoors) Types Of Window Decals Static Cling Vinyl: There is no adhesive on this type of decal. It is also known as window cling or self-cling vinyl. You can easily remove and reposition them. These decals can be reused several times, which makes them ideal for car and shop windows. Removable Self Adhesive Vinyl: These decals come with a mild adhesive on the back. While they can be easily removed, they are not intended to be used many times. Permanent Self Adhesive Vinyl: These stickers are meant for long-term use. They come with a strong adhesive and cannot be easily removed. They can be used in or out of doors and have a long UV life. Conclusion Custom Window Decals For Business Window decals provide an easy way to brighten up your storefront and they can be used for any marketing purpose you desire. They’re made of a tough, tear-resistant vinyl and some types can be reused or repositioned several times to accommodate seasonal messages, sales promotions or company branding.
Learn moreTrade Show Tips For Exhibitors
Many deals are done at trade shows every year. And, while we know the big booths have the edge, there are many strategies small business owners can use to get better results. Here’s our list of trade show tips for exhibitors: Trade Show Tips For Exhibitors 1. Pre-Show Marketing A lot of the magic behind successful events happens pre-show. Use social media and standard media to get the word out. Cash in on the buzz created by other exhibitors and turn the show into a major sales event for your business. 2. The Best Location You Can Afford Get the best booth location you can afford. You need to do this early because prime locations sell out fast. In fact, you may need to look one or two years down the road to get one of the better spots. 3. An Early Start Businesses who prepare for a trade show early tend to have the most success. You don’t want to get bogged down with small details right when the show starts. Get an early start on designing and building your booth. Who is going to deliver and install it? Take care of the small details early on so you can focus on making it a great experience. 4. A Big First Impression We all know first impressions matter. That’s why it’s important to use bright, bold colors and big images to make your message stand out. Besides physical size, you can make an exhibit look bigger by including fewer elements on it. Place your branding at two to three times the height of your visitors so they can see it whether they are in the booth, down the aisle or at the far end of the trade show. Oh, and don’t forget to use floor stickers to take advantage of the orienting reflex. 5. A Crowd At Your Booth People are drawn to exhibits that appear to be successful. A booth that is surrounded by people draws the audience in. Have a few staff members and their family on hand to pose as attendees during quiet moments. More Trade Show Tips For Exhibitors 6. Extend Your Reach An easy way to extend your booth’s reach is to give away highly visible promotional items. Tie them in with a draw at the end of the show to give an incentive to wear them. Branded stickers and wearables are good examples. Items like these can create a lot of buzz because the more people wear them, the more others want to. Plus, they’re a good conversation starter with attendees. 7. Form Alliances The fact that many exhibitors at trade shows have the same audience presents an opportunity. You could trade leads and contact information with any business that isn’t in direct competition with you. Partner with brands that sell different or complimentary products and services to the same target audience as you do. 8. Give Them A Taste Make sure attendees experience your value proposition. Give them a taste of what it is you do. If you’re a high-tech brand, give them a high-tech experience. If you’re known for service, be the best host at that show. 9. The Customer Experience The customer experience begins before and lasts beyond the trade show. Will they find you when they search online for topics related to your business? Does someone answer the phone when a customer calls? Do your visitors get a memorable gift? 10. Create Value What matters to the customer is this: did they find a solution to their problem at your booth? Have your best sales people on hand and make sure your staff is well-trained so they can share a few success stories about existing clients. Final Thoughts On Trade Shows Trade shows are a great place to pick up new clients and build brand awareness. You will get better results if you get an early start and have a good marketing campaign. Remember to follow up quickly with new leads after the show.
Learn moreFloor Graphics Advertising
Stickers or decals are attention-grabbers when used for floor graphics advertising. We print our floor graphics on durable scratch and water resistant vinyl. As a result, they are ideal for high-traffic areas like retail shops and grocery stores. Floor graphics marketing is an effective and affordable way to boost branding and can be used in many ways. Because we make our floor graphics with a strong adhesive, they can be applied to any smooth surface such as commercial tile, hardwood or even concrete. It’s a novel way to maximize the use of your floor space and with a bit of creativity, it will put your customers in a better mood and boost sales. Floor Graphics Advertising Is Effective Some retailers report increased sales by as much as twenty to thirty percent from using floor graphics. In addition, you should consider using floor graphics advertising because: Effective and low cost. Floor graphics are in-store signage. You can use them for short-term promotions or for longer-term signage. Eye-catching. The right graphic can be unique and eye-catching. By doing something different from the competition, you can generate a lot of buzz and this will translate into increased sales. Free marketing platform. Since you’ve already paid for the floor space, it only makes sense to make better use of it. High-quality graphics can create a unique experience for your customers. Floor Graphics Advertising Has A Big Effect Drawing your customer’s eyes down to the floor automatically focuses their attention. It engages the orienting reflex and this makes underfoot content more meaningful than other placements. You can use floor graphics to: Boost and reinforce brand awareness Boost in-store promotions Create a livelier atmosphere Floor Graphics Advertising Has Many Uses Custom floor graphics can be very effective in non-commercial settings as well. You don’t have to be selling something to take advantage of the media. Here are a few examples: Municipal activities Organizations like the local police force School events – dances, award celebrations etc. Corporate events Safety and direction in buildings Fundraising and non-profit events Floor Graphics Placement Ideas Floor graphics are often overlooked when planning ad placements and event signage. However, they can be extremely effective when used properly. Here are a few ideal placements where they will stand out: The sidewalk in front of the store or business Immediately inside the front door Placed below sale-priced items Used to create an area where customers can take selfies Floor Graphics Ideas You can use any image for floor graphics advertising; branding and sales promotions are not the only use, you might just want to create a buzz. Here’s a list of a few suggestions that are bound to attract attention and leave them smiling: Canyon Mirror Images Footprints Animal Tracks Water puddle in an unexpected place Missing floor in an elevator Optical illusion on escalator or stairs Man Hole Money Dropped Snack Foods Bulls Eye or Target Wine Corks Mud Hole
Learn moreHow To Use Social Media For Small Business Marketing
Social media presents an opportunity to engage with existing clients and a way to attract and engage with new prospects. The question is: how to use social media for small business marketing. Unlike traditional marketing, social media provides businesses a way to interact with their community online, in a public forum. That can be scary to some business owners, but it’s the kind of interaction customers want. As online relationships develop, businesses report good lead-to-close rates from their social media marketing efforts. Regardless of what it is you sell or who you sell it to, you can grow your brand and boost sales using social media. How To Use Social Media For Small Business Marketing 1 - Use social media to deliver a soft-sell message. Well-crafted tweets and posts are not viewed as marketing. Consequently, you will get more shares and retweets, both of which translate into more web traffic. 2 - Use social media to drive targeted traffic to your website. In 140 characters or less, a Tweet can drive a lot of traffic to your website. You should also post to groups on Facebook and LinkedIn to reach a larger audience. Post teasers that link to articles on your blog to boost traffic. 3 - Use social media to boost your site’s SEO. Search engines know which pages are earning traffic and which are not. While writing good content is the cornerstone of SEO, driving extra traffic to your pages with social media is a necessary part of the process. It’s a one-two punch combination that delivers results. 4 - Use social media to promote business activities. There’s no better way to leverage business activities such as a charity fundraiser or a booth at a trade show. Shares and retweets might even lead to a feature in local or national media. 5 - Use social media to boost promotions. Besides keeping your company’s name in front of potential buyers, social media is an ongoing opportunity to give clients incentives to buy. Use different coupon codes for each social channel to see which social network drives the most sales. 6 - Use social media to find new customers. You can use tools like Tweetdeck to set up streams based on hashtags. It’s a way to find people that are looking for the products and services you sell and a way to grow your followers organically. By responding to a tweet with a helpful suggestion and a link, you interact with your audience and generate sales. And don’t forget to answer questions on Quora. Links you post today will drive traffic to your site for years to come. Closing Thoughts - Social Media For Small Business Social media is a low-cost way to market your products and services. Unless you have a large budget, it’s best to pick two or three platforms that you can focus on every day. Don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to have a presence everywhere. Remember the social part and let a bit of personality shine through in your social media presence. People will resonate with the human element and the personality of your team. Lastly, be active and comment on high-traffic websites. Most comment forms allow you to post a link back to your website. It’s a way to build backlinks to your site and you’ll be surprised at how much additional traffic this will generate. Leave your comments below and share your experience. Which social media platforms work for you?
Learn moreContent Marketing Trends For 2017 – Part 2 - Interactive Content
In Part 2, we take a look at how a major online retailer uses interactive content to sell billions of dollars of merchandise every year. But first, let’s take a look at a typical online shopping excursion. Buyers don’t always know exactly what it is they want. And, even when they do, they’re usually looking for a good deal. That’s why most online shopping trips start at the search bar on Google. The Buyer’s Online Journey – Shopping For A Printer Even if you have a favorite brand of printer, you likely have a number of questions you want an answer to before you buy: - Should I buy a black and white or a color printer? - How much am I going to have to spend for a decent quality printer? - How many pages per minute should a good printer produce? - Which are the best brands? Does HP still make good printers? - Is noise still an issue? How do they rate a printer’s level of noise? - Should I buy a wireless model? These are typical questions the average buyer wants an answer to before they buy a printer. No one likes finding out the hard way they could have made a better purchase. That’s why buyers do product research and why they put a lot of faith in online product reviews before they hit the add to cart button. How A Major Retailer Uses Interactive Content Amazon has been around since 1994 and they sell billions of dollars of merchandise every year. So let’s take a look at how they use interactive content. If you look at any product page on Amazon you will see that at least one-third of the page is filled with customer reviews and questions and answers. Amazon doesn’t create that content – their buyers do. That’s important because people trust it. How do they do this? They actively solicit reviews from buyers via email after each purchase. Reviews are rejected if Amazon suspects collusion and they have recently sued thousands for posting fake reviews. That’s how important reviews are to their business model. Amazon also solicits answers to questions in the same way. Steps In Online Shopping If you’re like me, you read product descriptions and then you scroll down to the comments and review section. I start with the most recent and most critical reviews and then I take a look at three-star (and less) reviews. As I read reviews, I decide whether they appear to be legit or whether they’re posted by uninformed buyers with unrealistic expectations. Note that Amazon doesn’t suggest that we do this. We do this on our own. We’re curious and engaged and we want to make an intelligent decision. We like that Amazon doesn’t delete bad reviews. If we find enough reviews that scare us off that product, we look at an alternative product and start the process all over again, until we find a product we’re willing to buy. Interactive Content - Conclusion Comments and reviews are first-generation interactive content that has proven to be very effective. They are a natural extension to the online search people do to learn about a product before they buy. Shoppers now trust reviews more than other sources. The fact that people put a lot of effort into learning about a product before they buy presents a great opportunity for businesses to attract new clients. That’s why it’s a good idea to answer any questions buyers might have about your products in blog posts on your site. Good content will bring a constant flow of traffic. Each new blog entry creates a new way to be found online through user search. By writing about topics your customers are searching for, you attract new buyers for your products. What’s your experience? Do you trust product reviews?
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