Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’
by Steve Strauss on November 17th, 2009
Q: Steve – You always seem to write about making your small business unique – so as to set yourself apart from the crowd. That seems like good advice, but easier said than done. In my case, my small business is a website, and most websites are more or less the same, so what can we do?
JD
A: What if I told you that there was a surefire way to make your website standout and POP . . . would that be of interest to you? And what if I further told you that this method is inexpensive, easily... Read more »
by StartupNation.com on August 6th, 2009
Marketing to women used to be an afterthought, like marketing to a special interest group.Today, savvy marketers understand one powerful concept—that women either buy or influence the purchase of most consumer items. Sound farfetched? According to Tom Peters (and many other writers) this is the new reality, a reality that will shape this next century and beyond. Manufacturers and marketers must take notice.
Consider these facts:
Of all consumer purchases, women either buy or influence the purchase 83 percent of the time.
Women account for 92 percent of all vacation choices.
Women are responsible for 94 percent of all home... Read more »
by Christina Lee on July 7th, 2009
Urban Outfitters’ latest efforts to target its 18 to 30-year-old hipster of a customer have gone more mobile.
The apparel, accessories and home furnishings retailer teamed up with Acuity Mobile last broaden its presence through mobile web as well as texting.
“By providing this customer experience, we hope to communicate with our customers in a targeted and relevant way,” said Dmitri Siegel, managing director of Urban Outfitters Direct, in a statement.
About 88 percent of U.S. consumers use mobile phones with text capabilities, according to the Mobile Marketing Association. But of those consumers, less than 24 percent opt to receive... Read more »
by Steve Strauss on July 1st, 2009
Q: I keep hearing that one way to make it though this recession is to advertise more – that is one thing that successful companies did to make it through previous bad economies. Is that an accurate analysis of those companies did right?
Amy
A: Advertising more right now makes intuitive sense to me, but does it make actual real business sense? Maybe, but maybe not.
Intuitively, one thing that is clear right now is that people are looking for a bargain; customer loyalty is a bit of any oxymoron as customers are generally more interested in saving money than... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on May 15th, 2009
With e-retailers expected to buy less holiday season merchandise this year because of the economic downturn, they need to sharpen their strategies in coordinating pricing promotions with available inventory, says Paula Rosenblum, managing director at research and advisory firm Retail Systems Research LLC.
“Plan a pricing strategy, plan your inventory strategy, and make sure the two are in synch,” Rosenblum says.
She adds that retailers this year, worried about overbuying merchandise in an off economic year, may experience unusually high levels of inventory out-of-stock. If that turns out to be the case, it will be even more important for... Read more »
by Steve Strauss on May 4th, 2009
Q: Steve, I appreciate all of the low-cost marketing methods you have been sharing lately. For my business, we have found that doing a lot of online social networking makes a big difference. But most of my friends who are self-employed are not doing this. I think it’s a mistake.
(Part 2 of 2)
Mike
A: Last week, I wrote about how critical it is today to have, not just an online presence, but a professional, robust, powerful Internet presence; how you need to embrace social networking, and how your website is as “important today as a business card was... Read more »
by Steve Strauss on May 1st, 2009
Q: Steve, I appreciate all of the low-cost marketing methods you have been sharing lately. For my business, we have found that doing a lot of online social networking makes a big difference. But most of my friends who are self-employed are not doing this. I think it’s a mistake.
(Part 1 of 2)
Mike
A: I couldn’t agree with you more. Did you know that more than half of all small businesses in this country do not even have a website? (Maybe the only thing worse than no website is having a bad one, since instead of leaving no... Read more »
by Christina Lee on December 11th, 2008
This holiday season, economic analysts have watched spending on luxury goods decline, deeming such behavior as one telltale sign of an ongoing recession. Meanwhile, many jewelry retailers are having previously unforeseen difficulties in selling to consumers shopping conservatively.
By the end of November, Blue Nile, De Beers, and Tiffany’s – some of the industry’s Goliaths – had all reported sales declines with the economic downturn to blame. As a result, while most other retailers reduced their yearly forecasts, others have experimented with new marketing campaigns that play with customers’ heartstrings:
Stuller
Along with its Red Box Diamond brand, this Louisiana-based... Read more »
by Leeia Ladipoh on September 22nd, 2008
Unless you’ve been hiding under a non-carbon based rock for the last five years, you are probably aware that there is a massive environmental movement under way. This movement is centered around the dangers posed to the planet by global warming, as caused by the actions of human beings.
Governments, businesses, and individuals are all on the green train, but there is a new worry on the horizon: will people eventually tire of being told what to do in order to save the planet?
There is a curve when it comes to marketing of any product or idea. First, the... Read more »
by Veronica Stone on September 19th, 2008
"There will never be a significant clothing market online," I was once told by a leading Scottish fashion journalist. "People don’t want to buy clothes unless they can reach out and touch them."
In fact, tens of thousands of items of clothing, both new and used, are traded on eBay every week. Though there are other specialist clothing auction sites available, none of them can guarantee anything like as many potential customers. Whether you represent a clothing company or are a private individual wanting to make some money out of old garments which no longer fit, eBay will often be... Read more »