Small business owners of every description are anxiously looking for a revival in the economy and facing the same problem – how to deal with the serious decline in business? The dilemma the business person faces is how to market a business when cash-flow is uncertain and resources already strained. Spending scarce dollars on ineffective advertizing can make a bad situation worse for a business.
One simple and low cost tool that may provide a solution is the internet. You’re looking at it….it has become a part of our daily lives. Today there are many ways for the small boutique owner to promote their store with virtually no advertising revenue using this powerful medium. Until the internet, access to the masses was the reserve of the big corporations. The most successful retailers had the largest AD budgets and local word of mouth following was an avenue of limited value.
With the popularity of social networking sites like Face book, MySpace and Twitter and blogging platforms such as BlogSpot and Wordpress etc., a click of the button can turn a little boutique in a small town, into the online hot-spot to find the latest trends. Setting up one or more social networking accounts for your business can be done with little effort and for no cost and this will allow you to connect with current and potential customers for your business.
OK, this is the fuzzy bit – everyone says Twitter, Facebook and blogging can work wonders for your business but how you turn these avenues to your advantage. With millions online trying to grab the limelight, how do you compete and set yourself apart? Of course it will require effort and a bit of creative thinking, but if no one is walking through your shop door right now you should afford the time.
Firstly, promoting your bricks and mortar business online is, in reality, good old fashion PR but with you in control of the information release. It will require online and offline approach that you can use to generate interest and loyalty. To throw out a few examples of how some boutiques have built a following, include; promoting give-aways, trunk shows, social/cultural events, flash-sales and fund raisers for worthy causes. Any of these can be leveraged into some good press coverage which in-turn can promote the retail boutique on and off-line. A perfect example of this is Kogi Taco Wagon here in Los Angeles. I had seen it a few times in the neighborhood and was always amazed at the crowds it attracted. It specializes in Korean/Mexican/American fusion (imagine Korean barbeque Short rib tacos and Kimchi topped Hot-Dogs for example) It is just about quirky enough to attract anyone’s attention and sure enough it has. It has been featured on local TV and had its food praised in Food and Wine magazine. It now uses Twitter to announce to its devoted following where it will be parked and when.
