Huddle up Printerverse! We have been inching our way down 2020 to the goal post and the end is in sight. All of our pivoting and re-planning and prospecting has gotten us here. Good job! Now, we can kick and take our chances to score a few immediate sales before time runs out, or we can think big to win big and score some new business that will keep giving into next year.
Are you ready to run a ‘Hail Mary’ play for holiday sales
Take a deep breath and let the following marinate. These ideas are just starting points, manifest, and execute how best works for you and your vendor partners. We are going to need the whole team on the field for this!
Retail Needs E-Tail
Fewer shoppers in stores make online purchases critical for keeping retail alive. Create a ‘shop local campaign’ for as many stores that you can sign up and have them split the costs. This can manifest as a mailer, a local shopping directory, outdoor signage, and so on… tied to a social media campaign you start. Yes… YOU!
About that E-Tail…
Not all local retail stores have e-commerce or fulfillment capabilities. Can you white label and create a service for this? Make it repeatable and profitable? Keep it going all year round? Find a way!
About that Retail…
Matthew Parker and I discuss holiday shopping in this timely podcast. One of the concepts we work through is creating a ‘community Zoom’ and invite your local retailers to listen to your ideas and collectively brainstorm more to drive local holiday shopping. We discussed cross-promotion and sharing of marketing costs between shops that complement each other… this wine with this cheese and this chocolate served on this platter… available at these stores or click here to order the package. Have a listen.
The More the Merrier!
Building upon group sales so stores can share costs and therefore can AFFORD to spend money on marketing… can you create a local artisan fair in your parking lot or an accessible outdoor space? Local government doesn’t want their commercial space or associated taxes to vanish, they may be very accommodating to issuing quick permits and supporting the effort. An associated ‘shop local’ website can be created to highlight the stores that participate and feed into online ordering as well. Oh, and PS… you should have a table here, too!
Wrapping it Up With a Bow…
We aren’t playing it safe; we are playing to win. We are thinking beyond the sales game we play everyday. Everything mentioned above has an opportunity for print and several touchpoints for print/multi-channel promotion, execution, and follow-up. Working with your community, helping them connect to the results that marketing can help them achieve for their business is crucial for your business, too. Be well-rounded, bring in digital marketing partners if you need to, and keep your eye on the ball.
Not all ‘Hail Mary’ passes land, but when they do it’s a thing of beauty that is long remembered.
PS… here is a little bonus on creating a community around your business, products, and services through content and brand building. It ties in nicely for growing an audience of customer fans to cheer as you help them get a few wins this holiday season… and beyond.
PPS… Top 10 Hail Mary plays from the NFL – enjoy!
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Deborah Corn is the Intergalactic Ambassador to The Printerverse™ at Print Media Centr, a Print Buyerologist™, industry speaker and blogger, host of Podcasts from The Printerverse, the cultivator of Print Production Professionals the #1 print group on LinkedIn, Girl #1 at GirlsWhoPrint, host of #PrintChat every Wednesday at 4 PM ET on Twitter, the founder of International Print Day and the founder of #ProjectPeacock. She is the recipient of several industry honors including the 2016 Girls Who Print Girlie Award and sits on the board of The Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi and is a Member-at-Large for the Advertising Production Club of NYC.
Deborah has 25+ years of experience working in advertising as a Print Producer. She currently provides printspiration and resources to print and marketing professionals through PMC and works behind the scenes with printers, suppliers, and industry organizations helping them create meaningful relationships with customers, and achieve success with their social media and content marketing endeavors.
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