Attention Getting

Small Business Marketing Strategist

Category: Home (Page 23 of 35)

3 Online Retailers with Amazing Blogs

September 22, 2014 /

by Gail Oliver, Small Business Marketing Consultant

Everyone keeps telling you how you need a blog as a secondary alternative to drive traffic to your online store. It can be very effective as you target your prospective market with articles they care about, and it inadvertently brings them over to your online store. But a blog is a lot of work, so don’t venture into it lightly. Some big retailers do it really well, with ideas that may inspire you.

3 Online Retailers with Amazing Blogs

1. West Elm

West Elm Blog

Home retailer West Elm has a blog called Front + Main. They cover categories their customers care about such as Food + Entertaining, Before and After Room Makeovers, Bedrooms, Living Rooms, Bathrooms, Kitchen + Dining, Handcrafted, Inspiration and DIY. But also intermixed throughout this highly visual blog are links to recent posts on some of the top home decor blogs, so they curate content as well. They will also answer design dilemmas sent in by customers, giving a personal touch to their business. All content is very attractive for social media-sharing purposes and they actively encourage the use of their #mywestelm hash tag. Front + Main looks like a glossy online magazine that successfully promotes West Elm’s products but not in a in-your-face-kind of way.

2. Free People

Free People Blog

Boho clothing retailer, Free People, has a blog but is not strictly about fashion. They have also given it its own name – The BLDG 25 – and it covers all the topics its 18 to 35 year-old female demographic likes, such as music, beauty, food, decor, DIY, and inspiration. Every Monday they offer their motivational quote (which always do so well on social media), and the blog tends to focus on the bohemian approach to life – yoga moves, granola recipes, vegan smoothies, monthly horoscopes. They only have posts about their clothing every 5 or 6 post, so again, it is a subtle way to sell to readers.

3. BHDLN

bhdln blog

For wedding retailer BHDLN, a blog almost seems a given. But how to complete with the hundreds of wedding blogs already out there? Well they offer the best of both worlds. Like West Elm, throughout their original content are posts from some of the top wedding blogs. They do promote their products, as Free People does in every 5th or so post, with the other content being articles such as wedding day make-up tips, wedding shoe guide, hot trends, as well as studio visits and interviews with some of their designers. Like the others they give their blog its own name, calling it B-Inspired, and sometimes, instead of posts, they actually post a graphic representing one of their Pinterest boards, and selecting it takes you directly to it. A great way to get more followers.

Your Marketing Take Away

  • Post content your target market cares about
  • Give your blog a name so it has its own identity
  • Encourage using a company hashtag when sharing the post on social media
  • Link right to Pinterest boards as content
  • Curate content from other top blogs
  • Only promote your products every 5th or so post
  • Use it to connect to potential customers by answering their questions

GB OliverNeed a Creative Marketing Strategy for Your Online Business? 

Check out my Marketing Services page to find a service that is right for your business, or ask for something specific at attentiongetting@gmail.com.

© 2012-2014 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. 

 

Has Your Business Jumped on the Annual “Pumpkin Spice” Trend?

September 18, 2014 /

by Gail Oliver, Small Business Marketing Consultant

As I told you in my September Marketing Insider Report, when Starbucks came out with their Pumpkin Spice Latte for the first time in September 2003, little did they know that it would set off a seasonal flavor marketing trend. As you can see from the article featured in the photo below on People.com, the release of pumpkin spice products, for a limited time each fall, is a hot trend other companies are starting to cash in on.

Screen shot 2014-09-17 at 11.38.27 AM

All Types of Pumpkin Spice Products

From vodka to hummus to chewing gum to yogurt, it seems like every food company, drink company and fast food restaurant has some sort of pumpkin spice product.

This hot trend doesn’t just have to be for food products. Candles, home fragrance sprays, makeup products, lip balms, body washes, hand lotions, even dog biscuits all have pumpkin spice offerings. Last week, just as a joke, someone even circulated a photo of a Durex pumpkin spice condom on social media (it doesn’t really exist but it shows you how hot a topic it is).

Do These Pumpkin Spice Products Sell?

You are probably wondering the business logic behind this trend, in that do these products sell well? The lattes do. Starbucks has sold over 200 million pumpkin spice lattes in 11 years and even moved the release date up to August 26th this year. As for the other products shown here, it doesn’t really matter. More than likely, these products were conceived to get into seasonal editorial, such as the article above.

These products will also get circulated on social media because it is a timely topic everyone is talking about with #PumpkinSpiceLatte and #PumpkinEverything trending on Twitter and Instagram. So in other words, at very least, it results in publicity.

Are you planning to try any of these products or offer some of your own, even if just for a limited time? I know if EOS came up with a pumpkin spice lip balm, I probably would buy a few.

What seasonal flavor trend do you think will be dominating products next month? My bet is on candy cane.

ATTENTION GETTING ON ETSY

© 2014 Gail Oliver. All right reserved.

Case Study – How One Successful Small Business Only Needs to Have a Storefront Two Months a Year

September 15, 2014 /

 

In the city where I live, every year, for just seven weekends from early October to mid November, a local couple hosts a major shopping event called The Third World Bazaar.

They reside on a few acres of farm land where they turn one of their large barns into a holiday retail space. The owners spend 5 months of the year travelling the globe buying products for the sale from artisans in countries such as Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Cuba and Vietnam. Everything from jewelry to furniture to textiles to home accessories to toys to Christmas ornaments to other unique finds. In the 10 years it has been operating, the bazaar has become incredibly popular and proves you don’t need to have a storefront year round, if fact, it might work better if you don’t.

Screen shot 2014-09-15 at 12.16.03 PM

Why Does This Business Work?
  • The owners capitalize on the key holiday buying time of the year, October and November.
  • Buyers know that the bazaar is only open during these seven weekends (Friday to Sunday), so they make the effort to get there, and they BUY, because they know that they are not coming back again for another year.
  • As they own the property and the barn, there is no rent being paid on a retail space.
  • The bazaar barely has to advertise because of strong word of mouth and customer loyalty. People know when it is coming because it is always the same time every year.
  • They have food trucks on the site, and also sell pumpkins and apple cider, making this an all-day fall event.

As I’ve said before, when something is only being offered for a limited time, it forces people to act. If buyers know a store will be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, there is no urgency.

Ways to Have a Storefront for a Limited Time

Depending on what you sell, there are certain times of the year when it may benefit your online store to have a physical store presence. If you sell swimwear, maybe that is May/June. If you sell skis, that would be December. If you selling wedding goods, January is usually prime time. Or maybe you also want to take advantage of the holiday buying season. So what options do you have?

  • Approach a popular local store about the idea of them hosting a pop-up store of your products for just a few Saturdays during your prime selling season.
  • Consider taking out a shopping kiosk in a mall. Malls are hurting right now, so they may be open to the possibility of just a two month rental.
  • See if there is any retail space in your area that has been sitting empty for a long time. Approach the leasing agent about renting the space for just a one month period.
  • Ask your local church or community center if they would be willing to let you use their facilities in exchange for a donation.
  • A lot of hotels and resorts will host local vendors on their premises at certain times of the year.
  • Some business parks will also allow vendors to set up temporary one-day events on their premises, if it is something that will benefit their employees.
  • If you can’t afford some of these options, form an alliance with other local, but non competitive vendors, about going in together.

The goal is to maximize your key selling season with both a physical and online presence that will help carry you throughout the year.

Also to Read:

© 2014 Gail Oliver. All right reserved.

Customer Success Story – Why It Pays to Get My Insider Tips!

September 12, 2014 /

Want to hear a customer success story?

One of the opportunities that was going to be in my September Marketing Insider Report was to submit your business for consideration for Martha Stewart’s American Made Award, but the deadline was too close and my report wasn’t ready yet. 

So instead, I emailed this opportunity to my customers and I am happy to announce one of my customers, Half Pint Ink Studio, has been chosen as finalist!

Screen shot 2014-09-11 at 3.56.07 PM

Customer Success Story

How Being a Martha Stewart’s American Made Nominee is Good For Business 

In November, a total of 9 winners will be chosen, one in each category, with the chance to win $10,000 cash, as well as be featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine, on her website, on her radio show and in her marketplace on eBay.

But even to be a finalist is a stamp of approval from a respected publication and something that can be used on marketing materials and packaging to gain even more credibility with customers, used to get wholesale deals, and used it to get publicity with local media. So it is an opportunity that can be leveraged for so many other aspects of your business.

Good luck, Katie!

Be Sure to Also Check Out
About Me

A 20+ year marketing professional, small business consultant, ebook author & blogger, my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012. It really does help to talk to someone who is objective to get a new, but professional, perspective. I have also written publicity pitches for clients that resulted in them being featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.

© 2014 Gail Oliver. All right reserved. Customer Success Story. 

Shop Local Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business

September 11, 2014 /

In need of some Shop Local Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business?

With Small Business Saturday just around the corner, there has been a growing momentum over the last few years to encourage consumers to shop and buy locally produced goods.

shop local marketing ideas

As a small business, are you taking advantage of the local movement?

Local customers love to support local business. Everyone has a sense of patriotism and it extends down to the city level. I don’t know how many times I have recommended this to clients. Start gaining a following and customer base locally, then leverage that success to go national, and then once you have national success, go for worldwide sales.

Your local media also loves to support local businesses. For example, one of my Atlanta-based customers took my advice and pitched a story to their local newspaper, The Atlanta Journal Constitution and got press coverage in their “Made in Atlanta” section of the newspaper, dedicated specifically to supporting local businesses.

Don’t discount your local market. They will be loyal and repeat customers and they will be more likely to recommend you to friends and family. Many popular, name brand companies started with local success, such as Starbucks, and then turned that local success into national and then international success.

3 Shop Local Marketing Ideas You Can Try
  1. Approach your local media, be it your newspaper, TV station, magazines, even radio, and see if they have a regular small business feature. They are probably even starting to think about editorial for Small Business Saturday, so your timing might work out well.
  2. Approach popular local merchants and see if they will try carrying your products in a small section of their store for just one Saturday, entitled, “Support Local Small Business“. Tell them you will bring all of your friends, family and customers to their shop that day. It could result in press for them as well (local shop supports local business).
  3. Add local labels or tags to your products (such as the logo above which you can download at my Etsy shop and use license free) so that when you sell at local craft shows or local shops, customers are influenced by the fact that your products are home-grown.
My Most Popular Posts
About Me

I’m Gail Oliver and since 2012 I have advised thousands of small businesses and I can help yours too! Be sure to see my services and products below:

 

 

 

© 2014 Gail Oliver. All right reserved. Shop Local Marketing Ideas. 

Maximize Your Social Media Strategy for Fall

September 8, 2014 /

social media strategy for fallSo what’s your social media strategy for fall?

Besides fall-related content, it can be something as simple as updating your social media banners (and online store banners) to reflect the current fall season.

It can be a valuable sales tool for your small business.

Your cover images/banners are like ads for you. You can use them to announce a seasonal sale, a new fall offering, as well as to make your shop look current and still active, particularly to first time visitors.

If you sell clothing for example, do you want customers to come to your Facebook page and see that your cover image is still showing your summer fashion offerings? It might make them think you are no longer in business, or only specialize in summer clothing.

See how these top brands below have maximized their social media cover images for fall.

Update Your Social Media Banner Images for Fall

I like how Banana Republic has used their Facebook cover image to show various clothing pieces from their new fall collection.

fall instagram

Update Your Social Media Banner Images for a Seasonal Event

September is big for back to school, and for some stores, that is a top selling time. Below, The Children’s Place, used their Facebook cover image to promote buying back to school clothes to their followers.

social media strategy for fall

Update Your Social Media Banner Images to Announce a Fall Sale

Crate and Barrel only holds their upholstery sale once a year in the fall, so they use their Facebook cover image to promote it.

social media strategy for fall

Update Your Social Media Banner Images to Show New Fall Offerings

I love how the nail polish company Zoya, used their Facebook image to show their autumn inspired line of polishes.

Update your social media for new products

Update Your Social Media Profile Descriptions

Don’t ignore your social media profile descriptions either. A lot of companies will update their Twitter and Instagram profiles, for example, to include #hash tags of seasonal trending terms, such as #NYFW2022 (New York Fashion Week), #NFL or #Halloween. Again, you can also use your profile descriptions to announce a fall sale i.e. Fall #Sale On Until 9/31/22 or fall event, i.e. See Our New Fall Look Book. 

It is so important that your business always looks current on social media. It can be easy to neglect, but since more and more sales are being driven through social media, it is a mistake to not update it for every season.

More Posts
Be Sure to Also Check Out
About Me

A 20+ year marketing professional, small business consultant, ebook author & blogger, my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012. It really does help to talk to someone who is objective to get a new, but professional, perspective. I have also written publicity pitches for clients that resulted in them being featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.

© 2014 Gail Oliver. All right reserved. Social Media Strategy for Fall. 

3 Hot Niche Marketplaces for Indie Sellers

August 27, 2014 /

 

Niche Marketplaces for Indie SellersWant to know about 3 Hot Niche Marketplaces for Indie Sellers?

These are great if you are looking for some new places to sell your products online, besides the traditional, well-known marketplaces.

You are going to see the online marketplace start to change, with more niche players emerging to help really zero in on certain target markets and demographics, and make the shopping experience faster and easier.

Below is a list of some niche-specific marketplaces that are looking for products from indie sellers.

Niche Marketplace for Indie Sellers #1: Asos Marketplace

Asos is a large UK fashion online retailer, but they also have a marketplace where independent and vintage fashion sellers from all over the world can set up a shop and get in front of Asos’ customers.

Niche Marketplace for Indie Sellers #2: Minted

Minted is a very successful online invitation retailer, but they are also constantly searching for new graphic designers to sell their stationary and art prints in their online shop. They run a number of design challenges throughout the year and sell the winning entries in their online shop.

Niche Marketplace for Indie Sellers #3: ZuLily

ZuLily has been a hugely successful “flash” sales site and they love indie sellers. While the initial focus was kids and baby clothing and products, they are now showcasing home and men’s and women’s fashion as well.

It might be worthwhile to add one of these marketplaces (if applicable) to your current online selling experience. If you can handle the additional administrative tasks that come with selling with more than one site, it is worth it to widen your distribution.

More Selling Posts
Be Sure to Also Check Out
About Me

A 20+ year marketing professional, small business consultant, ebook author & blogger, my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012. It really does help to talk to someone who is objective to get a new, but professional, perspective. I have also written publicity pitches for clients that resulted in them being featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.

© 2014-2020 Gail Oliver. All right reserved. Niche Marketplaces for Indie Sellers. 

My Killer Twitter Tip for Finding New Customers for Your Business

August 21, 2014 /

by Gail Oliver, Small Business Marketing Consultant

People are very descriptive with their Twitter profiles. Do you ever read them? Here are some examples (I have removed the Twitter names):

YouTuber | Journalist | Workaholic | Documentary Filmmaker

Small Town Gal – Sports Enthusiast – Foodie – Wannabe Fashionista

Proud Bostonian | Former NYer | Cookbook Author | Future Chef 

See where I am going here? You can find potential customers on Twitter by searching their profiles for the words that describe your target customer.

My Killer Twitter Tip

What words would describe your target customer? Write out a list of one or two-word phrases of how you think that your customer would describe themselves.

Then go to the Twitter search box and type in the words and scroll down to the bottom of the search box where it says “Search all people for”….

Twitter Tips

Now, when the list of people whose profile descriptions have these words in them appears, you may not see potential customers near the top as these tend to be Twitter user names that include these words. You need to scroll down the list to read the profile descriptions to really identify who could be a potential customer for you.

You then want to follow them on Twitter.  They get a notification that you are following them, which may peak their interest to check out your profile and see what you do.

Examples of Twitter People Search Words

  • If you sell wedding products, you want to search for profiles that contain phrases such as “getting married” or “engaged”.
  • If you sell jewelry, try searching for people whose profiles say “jewelry lover” or “jewelry junkie”.
  • If you sell clothing, search on “fashionista”
  • If you sell kids or baby products, try searching “new mom” or “mom to”
  • If you sell pet products, try “dog owner” or more specifically “pug lover”
  • If you are targeting someone who holds a specific job, enter that phrase such as “IT specialist”, “fashion blogger”, “interior designer”, “web developer”

Popular Descriptives in People’s Twitter Profiles

  • Vegetarian
  • Athlete
  • Fitness freak
  • Wine drinker
  • Geek
  • College student
  • Sports fanatic
  • Avid reader
  • Traveler

This is an effective technique if you follow Twitter profiles that are still active. The popular e-commerce clothing shop, Nasty Gal, began their huge success simply by following the MySpace pages of their target customer.

Don’t miss out on more exclusive marketing tips. Be sure to follow my blog to get new posts by email (just see the right column of my blog for “Follow” button).

GB OliverWant social media ideas exclusively for your small business? I offer a Social Media Marketing Plan for just $99 US, customized specifically for you. Contact me to discuss at attentiongetting@gmail.com or order here. 

© 2014 Gail Oliver. All right reserved.

 

4 Proven Ways to Get Customers to Buy Right Away

August 18, 2014 /

how to get customers to buy moreWant to know how to get customers to buy right away? If you want to get your customers to act quickly, sometimes you need to create a sense of urgency.

For example, the other day I filled up my cart at a particular online vendor. However, I did not place the order right away. Like most women, I started shopping around first, comparing prices, and still contemplating whether I wanted to complete the transaction. Later that day I saw two items missing out of my shopping cart. These items had already gone out of stock. So I panicked and placed the order out of fear that my other sale items would no longer be available.

Now I don’t know if this was the retailer’s intention, but it worked on me. So here are some proven tactics that you can try to get customers to act quickly:

Try a “Today Only” Sale

Whenever you run a sale, if you make it a week-long or month-long sale, people likely won’t act right away, and will probably forget about it. Today Only Sales make customers act today.

How to Get Customers to Buy

Let Them Know Only a Certain Quantity is Left

If you indicate that there is “Only 10 left” of a product, or even “Last One!” people will feel the urgency because they don’t want to wait until it is back in stock, and take a chance that it will be back in stock at all. Plus, it makes the product look popular, so the buyer thinks they are buying something that is in demand.

How to Get Customers to Buy

Identify the Last Day to Order to Arrive by Christmas

With holiday shopping around the corner, customers forget to factor in shipping time when ordering online. Prompt them with exactly how long they have to receive in time and they will decide faster, especially if the deadline is getting closer.

How to Get Customers to Buy

Make Them Aware That the Item is Not Available Again Until Next Year

This is a sales ploy Disney often uses with their DVDs, offering them for sale for a limited time only and then they are “back in the vault”. Same with Cadbury Easter Cream Eggs and McDonald’s McRib. This is a good tactic for products that don’t have a large market, but a loyal market.

how to get quick sales

The key to getting customers to act quickly is to create a sense of time urgency. If they know there is no rush and that they can take their time, they will. 

Visit my Etsy shop for planners, marketing plans, worksheets and more.

More Posts

© 2014 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. How to get customers to buy. 

How These Products Become a Dominant Brand By Specializing in Just One Thing

August 11, 2014 /

by Gail Oliver, Small Business Marketing Consultant

If you want to dominate a specific niche of the market and really establish a strong brand, even as an indie product maker, you can do if it you just do one thing and do it better and/or differently than anyone else. Here are three fairly new players that took age-old products and have quickly making them the go-to brand.

The Herschel Supply Co.

The Herschel Supply Co. is a Canadian company (yeah!) that was founded just 5 years ago by brothers Jamie and Lyndon Cormack. Named after the small west coast town where three generations of their family were raised, Herschel has quickly become the backpack to own with their modern take on classic shapes but with a keen eye for detail as you can see in the photo below (I love how their logo is front and center). They are currently being sold at major retailers such as Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, and J. Crew. 

herschel backpacksForage Haberdashery

Forage is a Philadelphia-based company (that started as an Etsy shop) that makes handmade ties and bow ties from vintage fabric. In a few short years, their neckties have become wildly popular in an already competitive market. The key was using reclaimed vintage materials to really give their ties a distinct personality. They have also been able to capitalize on the vintage fashion trends inspired by pop culture, such as Mad Men and the rustic wedding trend where bow ties on groomsmen are standard attire. Makes sense that their ties are now being sold at Anthropologie’s wedding arm, BHLDN, in addition to their online store. 

forage ties product ideas

EOS Lip Balms

EOS stands for the Evolution of Smooth and they specialize in lip balms. From the variety of fun flavors like Strawberry Sorbet and Honeysuckle Honeydew, to the cute colorful orb packaging, in just five years they have become the dominant lip balm, even though they run a little more expensive than their competitors. EOS lip balms are 95% organic, paraben-free and petroleum-free and offer SPF protection, which all plays into their success as well. You can find them pretty much everywhere from Target to Walgreens to Amazon.

eos lip balm

 

How to Dominate Your Market Segment

If you want your brand to dominate the marketplace, think about what it is that you sell. If you make jewelry, why not specialize in one necklace design in which you were the original creator. If you make skin care or beauty products, maybe all of your products are centralized around one key innovative ingredient. If you make shoes, is there one distinguishing feature you can add that no one else has, be it a style feature or a functional feature.

So ask yourself this: how can you improve upon the look, the style, the materials, the taste, the flavor, the form, the packaging, the purpose, and/or the function to turn your product into a superstar brand? These products all prove that you can take a product that has been around for decades, add a new twist, and make it a market leader.

The goal of my blog is to always inspire you to think outside of the box. If you need marketing advice for your small business, or want to even get a small business off the ground, please check out my wide range of affordable and personalized Marketing Services or my Marketing Ebooks. 

© 2012-2014 G.B. OLIVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2024 Attention Getting

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑