|
It
All ADS Up!
Almost
any form of advertising can make a measurable difference in your
profits...
...Here
are some ways you can make a measurable difference in results from
your advertising for little or no cost —Even if you never run
a paid ad!
Let's redefine
advertising, at least for the purposes of this week's tip:
Anything you say or do to get your customer to make a purchase
should be considered advertising. Anything. So, you
really don't need to have a big advertising budget to
advertise.
 Start
With A Plan.
Anybody that spends money on formal advertising knows that you
have to start with a plan. That's how it should be with
everything else you do to get your customer to make that
purchase. Advertising materials are always available from
Hunter Douglas and Designer Blinds. Additionally, every
season Designer Blinds presents dealers with promotional
opportunities. You can make the most of these promotions by
letting your customers know and passing the savings on.
You'll earn far more money by using these promotional
opportunities as an incentive to get your customers to buy.
Materials are readily available to attract new customers, be
creative in how you use them and you'll find it may not be very
expensive at all to get the word out. If
you currently advertise in newspapers, on television or radio, or
using other media, these suggestions may help to add a little
extra punch. If you don't currently do any media advertising
these are things you can do to get started. Focus
Some Direct Mail
| Remember
those postcards that came with the Silhouette/Vignette Big
News Kit a couple of months ago? Go get them
out of that drawer you stuck them in and write a quick
message to your customers who have expressed an interest
in Vignette. The cost to you? A stamp and
about a minute of your time. Turn that in to just
one sale of Vignette window shadings and it's a pretty
good return on your investment.
Materials like these come with
many sample kits. More can be purchased if you find
it effective. Remember that customers who have
bought from you before are the most likely prospects to
buy from you again. Let them know about new products
and specials. |
 |
 |
Focus
Some E-Mail
 |
Are you
asking your customers for their e-mail addresses?
It's a great way to get your message out and it costs
nothing to send. You can focus your message to a
particular customer's needs, or you could put together an
occasional newsletter that you can send to a group of your
previous customers and prospects. |
Weave
A Web
| Are you
still talking about getting a web site? Now's the
time to finally do it. There are many inexpensive
hosting options now. There are many customers who
want to know they can reach you and a web site adds to
your credibility. You can do a simple site that
tells about you and the products you sell or you can get
elaborate as you want.
The cost depends on what you do,
but start out small and work up to a little fancier site
and it won't cost you as much as you think. Keep in
mind that there are people a few blocks away from you who
don't know you exist that will discover you on the world
wide web. |
 |
| Web
sites can be easily edited on the fly and are a great
place to put your promotional information or try coupons
that your customers can print for themselves. |
Do A
Card Trick
| Probably
one of your best advertising tools is your business
card. Why not print some stickers to put on the back
of your card telling your customers about current
promotions. You might leave a few lying around at
the beauty shop, doctor's office or just about anywhere
else you go. |
|
|
Talk
The Talk!
 Seems
like a simple thing, but it gets left out of many advertising
plans. If a customer comes in to your store and never hears
you mention a promotion that is now underway, all of your other
advertising efforts could be wasted. They need to hear it
from you and with enthusiasm. Make sure you let everybody
know something special is going on.
|
