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marketing tip

The importance of the new driver opportunity for newsagents

IMG_9978I am confident a survey in Australia asking people where they would purchase learner driver handbooks and L and P plates of different types would show newsagencies as one of the top destination stores, if not the absolute top. We can better own this opportunity.

I know in my newsagency most purchases of these items are destination purchases. They are a good traffic driver for us.

Thinking about this on the weekend, as a result of serving a customer, I realised we (I) do not do enough to leverage the opportunity. While we have a good range of product, in a stable location, well displayed and easily shopped, we are not promoting the opportunity outside the location or outside the newsagency.

While we could rest on our laurels and maintain good sales by doing what we do today, I wonder if there is an opportunity to increase sales of what is a staple category for every newsagency by promoting the opportunity outside the business and promoting it better inside the business through a front of store feature from time to time.

These are products people need and that, for the most part, have not been replaced by a digital alternative. They also allow us to connect our businesses to an interesting mix of people beyond what is obvious. For example, selling to new migrants presents a new opportunity. However, unless we seek they out they may not think of us.

My own plan is to run a front of store display to coincide with a promotion of gifts for new drivers, cards for new drivers as well as these instruction books and L plates and P plates. Linked with the display will be out of store promotion, on social media, connecting the learner driver and new driver opportunity in my local area with the newsagency.

I think this type of marketing, for products for which we think we are already well-known, is vital to our businesses, to shore up the community knowledge and connect with some who may not have us top of mind for these products.

Marketing like I am suggesting is inexpensive, under $10 – and well worth it even if it finds one or two new shoppers.

Whereas in the past we relied on traffic for a small number of mega categories in our businesses, today our future relies on leveraging many categories, each delivering small amounts of traffic. Promoting learner driver manuals and P and L plates is an important, if small, marketing activity for any newsagent.

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Management tip

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: the Turtles are back!

IMG_9926Are you making the most of the imminent return of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in a new movie? This photo shows the display at the counter of the newsagency. We have a range of TMNT products from several suppliers. The range is being promoted online to attract people who might not usually think of us for TMNT product.

I love the green trim used on the display, this connects with the key colour used in TMNT creative over the years.

If you are thinking this is not for you, TMNT has a broad appeal from those discovering it for the first time through the new movie to kids who started with the brand in in the 1980s through the first comic or the TV series. We are seeing people interested ranging from five (or younger) through to mid thirties.

This is my marketing tip today because some of the most successful marketing at the moment is through licences.

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marketing

Newsagency marketing tip: buying for marketing

IMG_9792 (1)Sourcing this Prince DVD reprint last week was a deliberate marketing decision. While we mourn the passing of Prince along with many, we are retailers. Key to our success is finding products to stock that people purchase on impulse. This means buying tactically and leveraging our buying through marketing. It means engaging with suppliers more likely to respond quickly to opportunities. That is what happened here with the Prince DVD, one of three Prince products on our aisle-end display.

Immediately we had secured stock of the DVD and before it arrived in-store we promoted it on social media, outside our four walls, letting people know and connecting our business with their interest to have something to remember Prince with after his passing.

Small businesses can move faster on opportunities like this than business. But we have to be proactive, we have to chase suppliers. If we leave it to most suppliers, but the time they get to us community interest is more likely to be satisfied.

My marketing tip today – react to major news stories with buying and leverage social media for out of store promotion of what you buy.

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marketing tip

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: promote what is different about your business

While it is good to see newsagents using Facebook and other social media platforms to talk about and promote their businesses, too often the pitch is for product available everywhere, including outside the newsagency channel.

Marketing most noticed is that which stands out, is different to what everyone else with a similar business is doing, unless you want to stay in the chorus and not be noticed.

My marketing tip today: promote what is unique to your business.

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marketing

Sunday newsagency management and marketing tip: being average is not a future

Last week while in Caboolture, Queensland, on business I stopped in at Revolution Espresso Lounge for a coffee. I was guided there by the excellent Beahunter app, an app where coffee lovers rate and write abut coffee shops. With a rating of 9.2 I knew the coffee would be good as Beanhunter members are serious about their coffee.

On entering the business I was immediately taken to another place. This was not your usual coffee shop. It was retro in style, completely and done well. This told me a lot about the business, what it stood for.

Inside the business there are many indicators of deliberate management and marketing decisions – the decor (floor, ceiling, wall art, seats, tables) , floor layout, music, lighting, notices on the board and the service style.

This business is anchored, true to its pitch, true to its unique selling proposition. The coffee itself was serious, full of flavour, with an excellent body, perfect. This, too, was true to the mission of the business.

This is my combined marketing and management tips today – being true to your mission, true to what you stand for, true to what makes your business unique. What they are doing at Revolution Espresso Lounge in Caboolture Queensland is different, worth the drive and worth talking about to friends – and isn’t that what we want from our businesses, to have created something customers talk about, in a good way, to their friends.

Let’s take a look inside the business. In the door and sitting down, in a comfy retro lounge chair, opposite the counter, this is what you see. See what I mean about anchoring the business in what they stand for? Look at the notices on the board, the cool retro trolley on the side of the counter.

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At the counter, in front of the espresso magazine, is a table setup with a Scrabble game. This is another cue as to what the business stands for, another way to remember the business and another way to engage with the business. These are all important factors in making this coffee shop different to the many other coffee shops around. And it has to be different as it stands alone, away from the main shops of Caboolture. You have to seek it out.

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Here is the Beanhunter page for the business that led me there. The reviews accessible from this page are excellent. Of course, as Beanhunter fan and looking out for my fellow caffeine friends I have added my review and a photo.

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There is no future in being average because average is missed and forgotten. Average is going nowhere. People don’t talk about average businesses with passion. Next time you are near Caboolture in Queensland, check out Revolution Espresso Lounge for yourself and I think you will see what I mean.

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Management tip

Changing the way we merchandise roll-wrap in the newsagency

We are having success pitching roll-wrap outside the card and wrap department in the newsagency, and outside of the card company packaging.

While the Hallmark branded box looks professional and facilitates easy shop floor placement, we wanted something different, something that made the product the hero rather than the corporate brand.

My experience is people buy wrap for the design more so than the brand of the product. So, making the product the hero was a goal for planned changes in how we pitch roll-wrap on the shop floor of the newsagency.

Here is a before picture next to an after picture:

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We have four of these stands, all placed outside the card and wrap department, each in a different location and each with carefully selected roll-wrap. We have no more than two designs in each stand. The stands are checked daily to ensure they pitch the product in the best possible light.

This work is part of a broader project changing our approach to cards and wrap, reaching out of the destination location to capture more revenue from people visiting the business to purchase items outside of the card department. The goal is to make the experience in-store more appealing and more memorable than in a traditional newsagency and certainly than shoppers see in a supermarket.

The wire stands we are using are from K-Mart and cost $6.00 each. This is a small and easy investment in a different and more visually appealing approach.

Small steps like this are important in growing sales and increasing the average spend of a shopper visit. Gone are the days of one or two big steps that can be taken to grow revenue. Instead, we are in this world of many small steps and this approach to roll-wrap is one.

If you engage with it, I hope it works for you as it is for me.

Traditionally, newsagents would ask card companies to supply all fixtures and setup the type of display I have written about here. I think this is a mistake. Own your approach. This gives you control and control is paramount. Historically, too many suppliers have had too much control over our floorspace, to our detriment.

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Management tip

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: magazine placement as in-store marketing

IMG_8983We made a crazy change to magazine placement in the newsagency on Friday last week –  placing entertainment / film magazines between car magazines and motorcycle magazines.

The photo shows the result of the move. Click on it for a bigger version.

I call this a crazy move as it is against what is usual or reasonable or expected for magazine placement in a newsagency.

I made the move to interrupt / disrupt as I know this increases the opportunity for products to be noticed. My goal is that all magazines in the display are noticed more as a result of the changed. An increase in noticing a product is the first step to increasing sales.

With magazine sales falling, anything goes in terms of placement. Now is not the time to do what is usual as that will only facilitate usual, declining, results.

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magazines

How boring is your Mother’s Day display?

What does your Mother’s Day display look like. Are you promoting photo frames, mugs, journals, bookmarks, retro magnets and coasters, tea-towels, pens, chocolates and money banks?

I have looked at several Mother’s Day displays this week in gift shops, newsagencies and even in a department store and, frankly, none was inspiring.

Where is the fun? Where is the retail innovation? Where can I see a Mother’s Day display that is different to last year and the year before that? Why is this season so boring in so many businesses?

Check out what I saw at a UK card shop when I was there in the lead up to Mother’s Day two months ago.

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This is fun. It got my attention. While not appropriate to every store, it is right for the store in which I saw it.

I think we have to challenge ourselves to be this different. We have to challenge ourselves to do something this year that is a right turn from what we did last year … if it is not too late. If it is too late, start planning now for Father’s Day. Plan to be different, to use the traffic generating season to break customer expectations, to get them looking at your business differently.

Changing customer perception is vital for our businesses right now. We have to get people seeing our businesses differently and one of the best ways we can do this is through major seasonal displays.

Sure, many customers have an expectation around Mother’s Day that we need to serve. We can do this while playing outside this expectation and shocking / challenging along the way.

So, what is Mother’s Day like in your newsagency? Are you using the season to change customer perception of your business?

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Management tip

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: use your customer display to reinforce marketing messages

IMG_8720A customer display connected to each computer at your sales counters running newsagency software is valuable in reinforcing marketing messages. As well as showing each item scanned and the total sale value, the display can display whatever you choose. In the example I have included from my business, I use the display to reinforce the message about discount vouchers that are handed to customers at the counter position, next to the display. I have had customers ask for the voucher prior to ringing up their sale – showing that some read the display, thereby reinforcing its value as of of many marketing platforms for the business.

The most effective display messages are those that are easily understood and where the displays themselves are placed such that they are not competing with too much else for visual attention.

Note: any newsagency software can offer the displaying of marketing messages on a customer display.

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marketing

The front of the newsagency this week

FYI here is the front of the newsagency as it is set for this week. Being in a busy shopping centre, our entrance is the most important marketing activity for us. We set the front of the store to attract traditional shoppers and people who have never shopped with us. Fun and optimism key messages we are pitching here.

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marketing

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: what do your bags say about your business?

Look at the bags into which you place customer purchases. What do they say about your business/ What do you put in the bags to entice customers back?

If your bags are generic, not of the brand of your business then you are not marketing your brand effectively. If the bags only have the purchases then you are missing an opportunity to entice shoppers.

If you are concerned about declining traffic and or revenue, managing bags as a marketing activity could help you improve your situation.

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marketing

Batman vs. Superman products popular for the newsagency

IMG_7674We have the Hallmark Batman vs. Superman stand on the lease line to leverage interest in the franchise following the release of the movie and the extraordinary publicity surrounding it. The stand is working along with products from other suppliers. The best way to leverage licenced product is to go deep across several suppliers. Range matters in the licenced space.

If you have the stand, place it at the door, in the window or on the lease line.

This is another good news story for engaged newsagents: leveraging a popular current licence through a range of suppliers to drive new traffic for our businesses.

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Greeting Cards

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: tell a story!!!

IMG_7721Once of the best displays at the Toy Fair from a retail perspective was this display of Hawthorn AFL merchandise at Korimco. Putting all hawthorn product together like this tells a better story to hawthorn shoppers than leaving the products in each product stand with all other AFL teams covered in each product group. Small steps honing in with a narrow focus can create a better impression. This image reflects what telling a story can look like.

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marketing

Great networking event for small business newsagents

newsXpress held the first of two national conferences for 2016 on Tuesday in Melbourne, at the MCG. 135 newsXpress members attended as well as plenty of suppliers. The conference itself followed a full day at the Toy Fair being briefed by suppliers and leveraging group buying.

While I am a Director of newsXpress and sure to speak positively about the experience, I want to take a moment to speak about newsXpress members. Their optimism is wonderful. Their engagement is pursuing new traffic and above-average gross profit is exemplary.

Retailers from businesses large and small, in the city and country, on the high street and in shopping centres, they all mixed and engaged in a series of business sessions focused back on their businesses. I want to note again the optimism at the heart of every session, every discussion.

Magazines were part of the discussion too thanks to a terrific Pacific Magazines presentation that included terrific marketing initiatives.

The mood of the room reminded me of the Barack Obama slogan from 2008 of Yes We Can. Hearing newsagents explain to newsagents about how to embrace change, the fun they will have, the success they can have, is always a thrill.

I talked with several people who have recently joined and their common comment was they had no idea what the group really did. They mentioned that it was completely different to what was expected. Having been with Newspower for years and a shareholder in Nextra prior to being involved with newsXpress, I wanted to be part of something that was different.

There is no one group for the newsagency channel nor should there be. Competition is important and healthy. To me, the most important factor is that newsagents in a group and those running a group work hard and 100% together on common goals for shared mutual benefit.

Here are some photos from the conference itself and the dinner at Bamboo House Tuesday night. The whole event was free to newsXpress members thanks to supplier funding. All interstate travellers received financial assistance for flights and hotels.

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marketing

Personalised products a smart move for rural and regional newsagencies

IMG_7786One way to maximise visitors in town and in your shop is to have products that connect them with being there. Whereas for ages postcards were the best local item, there is now a broad range of products: bags, stubby holders, magnets, hoodies, singlets, thongs, rulers, pens, pads and, yes, delicious and locally branded chocolate.

The more unique the better, especially if the products feel locally made – whether they are or not is not the point.

Nothing says you are a local business better than if you have products with the name of the town. Even locals will love this when looking for products to send to friends of to give to guests who may be staying with them.

Sourcing products that bear the name of the town of the region is a terrific way to position your newsagency as not only being locally connected but also supporting the town or the area. It shows you as being a proud local.

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marketing

We ought to support Cryptic Crosswords and other Puzzle People titles

20160319_071355I love the note from the editor of Cryptic Crosswords. It explains that while they have withdrawn from subscriptions, the title is still available in newsagents.

We ought to support Cryptic Crosswords and other titles from Puzzle People. This is a local Victorian published magazine that helps us pitch a point of difference to other magazine retailers.

The editor is supporting the newsagency channel. We should support them.

Go and grab copies of the latest issue:

  • Place it between your two top selling weekly magazines.
  • Place it on the counter as a featured magazine.
  • Talk about it on your business Facebook page – mention it is an Aussie title. Posts like this can add to the narrative that yours is a local business supporting local (Aussie) publishers.
  • Remind staff to recommend it if people ask for a crossword title.
  • Thank the editor for their support: info@puzzlepeople.com.au.
  • If you don’t stock the title, request it from Gotch.

Let’s get behind this magazine and help it enjoy a bright future and through it promote a difference between our businesses and other magazine retailers.

This is an opportunity for us to do good for us and another independent small Australian business.

Take a moment to check out their website to understand their pitch: All first-time publications Products of our compilers’ minds. They are NOT computer produced! Founded in 1989, at a time when imported puzzles dominated the local market, Puzzle People identified the need for a high-quality, locally compiled product, published on a regular and reliable schedule.

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crosswords

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: how many is too many

Stand at the entrance to your business and count the marketing messages confronting shoppers as they enter?

How many do you have?

Pare back. Choose two, maybe three, messages you want to land with shoppers. Make sure they pop. Do this by removing altogether or muting all other messages.

Too many newsagencies are so visually noisy no message lands.

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marketing

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: create a unique magazine narrative

Take a careful look at the magazines you sell and pitch titles together to create a narrative unique to your business. For example, these three vintage themed magazines can be promoted together targeting vintage lovers while the titles themselves regularly sit in different categories of the magazine department.

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One way we can grow magazine sales is to stop pitching them as traditional magazines.

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magazines

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: a store within a store for school holidays

IMG_7223I love this cubby house I saw within a toy shop in Sydney recently.  Kids see it and they run to it. They know it is there for their pleasure. Newsagents focussed on toys and other items for kids could create something similar for school holidays and promote it outside the business in the local paper, to parents groups and on social media. Having this in-store will change the feel of the shop and make your kid focus clear.

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marketing

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: merchandise products to sell

Here is a before and after photo of a display unit of cool erasers we have in the newsagency. The photo on the left shows how the product arrived in-store and was initially displayed. The product on the right shows how the same display box looks with a simple change. You can now see what this product is. That simple change alone ought to boost sales.

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We need to obsess about these things otherwise we condemn ourselves to average sales. Retail is detail. Engage in the detail and you are chasing a better result.

When I talked about this with a newsagent a few weeks ago they told me they didn’t have time for this. They were dismissing as if concerning themselves with this level of detail was beneath them. Any newsagent who wants to maximise their return will care about the detail I am writing about here.

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marketing

Sunday retail marketing tip: 8 free ways to celebrate the birthday of your business

Business birthdays are important – for you and for your customers. Embrace the opportunity for a celebration. But be sure to not make it all about making more money. Take some time to embrace the achievement and love it.

Here are my tips for celebrating the birthday of any small retail business:

  1. Setup a photoboard and invite customer engagement. Let’s say your business is six years old: ask customers to bring a photo showing then at six years of age.
  2. Setup a noticeboard. Let’s say your business is twenty years. Headline the board with: We want a list of twenty things you love about this town.
  3. Recognise local heroes. Host an after drinks night in your shop and take a moment to acknowledge and thank local heroes. The number you acknowledge should be the number of years you have been in business.
  4. Hand out a flyer listing X hidden gems of your region (where X is the number of hears you have been in business). The flyer is your birthday gift to your customers.
  5. Have cake. Everyone loves cake. If for no other reason than to get to eat cake have a birthday cake.
  6. Party favor bags. Give every customer shopping on your birthday a bag of treats and favors you have chosen to celebrate your big day.
  7. The Happy Birthday discount. Offer a big discount to any customer who comes in on the day (or through the week if you wish) and sings, at full voice, Happy Birthday. Sure there is a sales element here – but it is sure to be a lot of fun.
  8. Say thank you. In your front window, create a stunning and personal display saying thank you to the town. Do it visually, creatively and with a full heart.

A key aspect of these ideas is to subtly remind people that your business stable and can be trusted.

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marketing

Sunday retail marketing advice: be personal in your communication

Personalise your communication and help people get to know you. In your emails to customers, include your name. When commenting on your business Facebook page, use your name. Let people know who you are as you are a competitive advantage for your business.

I mention this today as I saw an email last week from a newsagent to a customer where the newsagent did not include their name on the email – there was no idea who wrote the email. Impersonal and unprofessional.

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marketing

Sunday newsagency challenge: say hello

For at least three hours this week stand at or near the entrance of your business and say hello to all who enter and thank people as they leave. Choose the busiest three hours.

Look for insights you might otherwise have missed had you not done this. Hopefully, these insights help you run a better business.

While this tip is aimed at the owners of the business, any team member acting as a greeter will reduce the opportunity for theft and increase the level of personal service provided shoppers and, thought this, overall revenue.

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Management tip

Sunday newsagency marketing tip: paint your nails

Paint your nails in a colour that is meaningful to you. It could be your sport team colours, the local school colours or colours with some other personal significance such as supporting a charity (as has happened previously).

If you usually have painted nails, what you do for this exercise must be noticeably different.

The goal is to get people talking, to raise awareness of the ‘thing’ you have painted your nails for. Hopefully, it is community group or charity that will benefit from you talking about them

The painted nails, especially for guys, ought to act like a speed hump, they ought to get people taking notice.

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marketing
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