Are you still waiting for the phone to ring?
Did you ever stay home and wait for the phone to ring? Are you running your business that way now? Are you waiting for customers to show up, call in or click “Buy Now”?
I live in a beautiful, small town that’s know as a tourist destination. We have beautiful spas, boutiques and restaurants. But as you can imagine, there are days, especially when the weather is nasty, that tourism is slow. Town is quiet.
So while I was out walking my dog in town, I stopped in to say hi to a friend. She works in a high-end boutique that sells handmade women’s clothing. I was the only one in the shop. She confided she hadn’t had a single sale that day. Not even $1.
I was really surprised and a bit freaked out, and asked, “What are you doing about it???”
She shrugged and said, “Ah well, what can you do?” But the way she said it, it wasn’t a question. It was more of a mindset, like “you can’t change the weather…”
4 Ideas on How To Promote Your Store From Your Smartphone
But I answered her as if she had really meant what she said. “What can you do?” I said,
- “You could post a picture on Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.
- You could create a video tour of your store.
- You could make an Etsy account and sell your handmade items online.
- You could email an offer to your existing customers, friends and fans announcing a “Rainy Day Sale.”
My mind went into overdrive, thinking of all the possibilities that I would do, from the store on a smart phone.
She was a bit overwhelmed at the idea of it. She said, ” Oh, I don’t do any of that stuff…”
* Flickr Image by MoShotz.
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I invite you to post in the Comment section below YOUR IDEAS on using your smartphone to promote your physical store, restaurant, or boutique.
I don’t have a store – not a physical one, so rainy days don’t matter! But I have to admit that two of those items have been on my to-do list. Great Post – we have so much control of what happens in our businesses. I try to do 5 things every day to foster new business.
Put on a pot of tea, call the bakery for a few dozen cookies (delivered, please) and email everyone in your zipcode, inviting them to afternoon tea. Once you’ve emailed, phone five of your best friends and supporters personally to cajole them to come in, so that when strangers arrive, there is a fun party for them to join.
Your four suggestions ( and there are more, of course), is what makes for a successful entrepreneur. Yay Jodi! Yay to creativity without which we could all remain in the discomfort of our “comfort zone”. There are only two real positions in all of creation. A person is either growing or dying . . .there is NO in between. . . And growth is not comfort.
While I am out shopping for clients I post pics of great interior design items that I see that are a great price & I love. I feel like they get to see the diversity of my style and may take a moment to peruse my facebook page for a while.
http://www.facebook.com/SanctuaryDesignStudio
Party is always good to bring people in your store. Enjoy tea and cookies (great idea Margaret) or serve (sparkling) wine, cheese and chocolate.
Before you spend all the bucks by your own, call other business owners to contribute some of these and get them involved.
Look for talented friends who bring even more life in the store by singing, reading poems or create pictures of happy people in the rain. And post this on your Facebook page to attract more.
Make this event to a permanent happening on rainy days so people know, it is worth to go out to your store to having fun and buying a comfort piece in bold colors.
Oh Jodi, Please give her my name and ask her to call me! I will bring my BSkinny Coffee and Tea up and we can invite people in for a tasting. Will also bring strawberries, sweetener, and Creamer. I should have thought of going up for that reason! Thanks for the idea for my business. I might also suggest that she create a QR code (extremely simple) and post it on facebook for discounts. (I will even come and make it for her!) I am just reminded of the time we had a store in a small Montana town and there weren’t any of the social media things to bring in customers, so we had an early morning pajama sale. Everyone came in their pj’s and we had a lot of laughs!
Delores
I love the impromptu food suggestions below – but I could just be hungry. 🙂
One tactic you can steal from other bigger clothing stores is having a special (note I said special, not sale – it could be a bonus instead of a discount) that is only that day. And make it good. Give those ladies a reason to stop in regularly. “I know it’s raining but I heard the special today was a must have – must run over there.”
What about starting a loyalty program and reward people for coming in regularly?
How about working with other retailers in the area to create a cannot-miss event?
Or, how about you offer limited appointments where you’ll bring a set of clothes to the customer’s house for them to try on and they can buy on the spot without having to leave the house!?
I don’t think I can top Margaret’s impromptu party suggestion!
Jodi, you have made a great case for having an active social presence and active email list. It gives you the power to “make your own weather.” Even in a small town, any business can generate a burst of excitement with something special.