Posts Tagged ‘In-Store Promotion Ideas’

Use QR Codes to Serve Up Product Videos to Your Customers

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Do you own a retail store or have some sort of physical location that your customers can come to buy your products? If so, how are you engaging your customers when they are at your location? Customer engagement is an absolute must for all business owners. If your customers aren’t engaged in your business then they are going to leave your store as quickly as they entered. A great “non-salesy” way to get your customers to learn more about your products is to use QR codes as a way of encouraging customers to watch product videos while they visit your store.

How to Use QR Codes to Serve Up Product Videos

qr codes in store videoDo you have any products that customers always have questions about? Do you sell technical products? Do you have products in your store that customers absolutely love and always come back to tell you about? All products have a story. All products need to provide customers with value. Some products are intuitive enough whereby customers don’t need extra information. Other products need to be explained before customers are willing to buy them. If you’re looking for ways to engage your customers when they come to your store, then why not use QR codes and product videos to do it?

Here are a few of the major steps you need to take to execute this marketing tactic in your store:

  • Find 4-5 products that you think would benefit from a little more attention and explanation
  • Shoot quick 30 second to 1 minute videos for each. Pick a topic for each. They all don’t have to be “How-To” videos or “Customer Testimonials”. In fact, it would probably be better if they were a little different.
  • Upload them to your YouTube Channel
  • Find a QR code generator that can display URLs and create a QR code for each product video
  • Print each QR code on a sign that can be displayed on or near the appropriate product
  • Start promoting your new marketing tactic online and in your store – Let your customers know how they can get access to these great new videos. Most customers will have smart phones with the capability to scan QR codes and watch online video.
  • Train your employees on how they can help your customers interact with QR codes in your store

Benefits of Using QR Codes to Serve Up Product Videos In Your Store

Using QR codes to serve up product videos to customers who visit your store can offer a business a number of different benefits. Here are a few of the top benefits of using QR codes for video marketing:

  • Increases sales
  • Engages customers while they are in your store
  • Builds a deeper relationship between you and your customer
  • Increases the customers’ product knowledge
  • Keeps customers in your store

Increasingly we are seeing businesses use technology-enabled engagement tactics to educate and engage their customers. QR codes are fun. Videos are engaging and can be educational. Using QR codes as a way to get customers to access your product videos can be extremely impactful for those business owners who implement it properly.

5 Types of Videos to Serve Up Via QR Codes

So, are you thinking that this might be a fun tactic for you to try at your business? If so, here are a few ideas for different types of product videos that you can serve up to your customers through QR codes:

  1. Technical videos
  2. Customer testimonials
  3. Fun facts
  4. How it’s made – Talk about how the materials used in the product are sourced (ie. organic, fair-trade, etc.)
  5. Product benefits

These are just 5 different types of videos that you can create, but there are probably a lot more. What you want to do is think about your products and your customers. What type of videos would your customers find most valuable? Once you figure that out, the rest is easy! ;)

Has anyone ever used QR codes to serve up product videos to your customers? If so, please share your experiences with our readers by leaving a comment below. We appreciate it!

Tags: ,
Posted in Video Marketing | 6 Comments »

Use iPad In Your Store to Engage Your Customers

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

Have you ever considered using iPad in your store to engage customers? Using iPad as a marketing tool for engaging customers while in your store is growing in popularity among businesses. You’re seeing restaurants use iPad as a menu. Airlines are using iPad to allow travelers to order in-flight meals and drinks. Lebron James recently opened a shoe store whereby 45 iPads are on display to provide product information to customers. Retailers are beginning to realize just how powerful iPad can be as an in-store marketing tool. Why not use iPad in your store?

What’s Needed to Use iPad in My Store?

ipad in store marketingDepending on what you want to use iPad for, there are different things that you will probably need to run this new marketing program. The main things that you’ll need in order to use iPad in store as a marketing tool are:

  • A new or refurbish iPad (maybe even more than 1 depending on how big your store is and what you want to use it for)
  • An iPad stand or even an iPad kiosk in order to display and secure your iPad in your store
  • Wireless internet (you can use an iPad with 3G, but we recommend you get wireless internet in your store)
  • Some people like to use a wireless keyboard to make typing easier for customers, but it’s not a necessity
  • A sign of some kind explaining anything customers might need to know about interacting with your iPad in your store

Other than the items listed above, you don’t really need anything more in order to run an effective in-store marketing campaign with iPad.

10 Ways to Use iPad in a Retail Environment

Retailers should be very intrigued by all of the possibilities that iPad offers as a marketing tool. We think that as 2012 progresses, and especially as we enter 2013 and beyond, you’re going to see more and more businesses begin experimenting with using iPad in their stores. Here are a few of the many ways we see retailers using iPad in their store to engage their customers:

  1. Use iPad as an electronic billboard – Set iPad up on a stand, or better yet, create a iPad kiosk, and display a message to your customers.
  2. Use iPad in your store to display your Twitter or Facebook page activity
  3. Use iPad as a Point-of-Sale tool
  4. Download an iPad app like OnSpot Social to collect customer email addresses in your store
  5. Collect Social Media Connections in Your Store on iPad – OnSpot Social can also allow customers to Like your business on Facebook, and follow your business on Twitter, right there in your store
  6. Show videos about your products, service, industry, or business to customers
  7. Set up an image slideshow on your iPad and display the slideshow in your store
  8. Use iPad to ask customers to answer a survey question while in your store
  9. Display a QR Code on iPad which takes customers to your website or one of your social media sites
  10. Run a special promotional offer on iPad

Who Can Use iPad to Engage Customers?

Using iPad as a marketing tool isn’t only limited to retailers. Really anyone who has a customer-base that travels to a physical location to transact business can take advantage of iPad as a marketing tool. Here are a few different ways we see iPad being used across different types of businesses:

  • Retailers can use iPad in their store
  • Use iPad to collect email addresses at your trade show booth
  • Colleges & Universities can use iPad to show High School Seniors and their families information about the school during their visits
  • Malls can use iPad to show mall information, events, store information, etc.
  • Airlines can use iPad to engage travelers during flights
  • Restaurants can use iPad as a menu or for ordering your meal from your table

The list goes on and on. What’s apparent is the iPad and other tablets are beginning to change how businesses and customers interact. Depending on what type of business you run, and what your goals are for your business, you can probably find a few different ways to use iPad as a marketing tool for your business as well.

Using iPad as a Marketing Tool

Would you ever consider using iPad as a marketing tool for your business? Here at Catalyst Marketers we think we are at the very beginning of the next BIG trend in business. Using iPad to engage your customers while they are at your location is going to be a very big opportunity for thousands of businesses around the world in the very near future. What types of things do you think you can use iPad for? Leave your comments below.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Small Business | 2 Comments »

Games that Small Business Can Use to Engage Customers In Store

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Small businesses are always looking for new in store marketing ideas to help engage their customers. Using games to engage customers while in store is one marketing tactic that can be extremely successful when executed properly. If you’re thinking about using games in store to engage customers there are a few things you need to keep in mind when choosing a game. In this article we will review how to choose a game to use in your store, and then we will list a few games that would be great for engaging your customers in store.

Choosing a Game to Use In Store at Your Small Business

Choosing a fun game for your customers to play while they are in your store can actually be a little trickier than you think. There are a few things that you have to keep in mind when selecting a game to use in your store:

  • Must be easy to understand. You don’t want to confuse your customers.
  • Time is off the essence. Customers don’t want to spend more than 2-3 minutes playing the game.
  • The prize must compensate for the level of difficulty
  • Cannot be multiplayer. The game should be able to be played with one customer and one store associate.
  • Must be FUN FUN FUN!

If you follow these guidelines when selecting a game to use in store then you are giving yourself a better chance for success.

In Store Marketing IdeasPlay Plinko In Your Store

PLINKO PLINKO PLINKO! Who doesn’t love The Price is Right?? Plinko is a fan favorite game on The Price is Right and can become a customer favorite in your store. Did you know you can buy a plinko board to use in your store? Simply search “plinko board” and you’ll see all of the different websites that sell Plinko boards.

If you use Plinko to engage customers in store, you can give one chip to customers who complete your call-to-action, as we discussed in our article “Engage Customers In Store with Games“. The customer can then drop their chip down the board and wherever it lands, he/she will win the prize associated with that column. Plinko is fun, easy to understand, quick to play, and can be played by one customer at a time.

Card Games Are Great In Store Marketing Games

Card games can be a lot of fun for customers. Card games are easy to learn, many customers will probably already know how to play. Card games can be played by one customer and one sales associate. Most card games are very quick to play. Not only that, but the cost of using card games to engage your customers is very low, as a deck of cards is only a few dollars.

WAR is a great card game to play in store. Simply deal one card to your customer and one card to your sales associate. Whoever has the highest card wins. If both the customer and your employee have the same card, they go to WAR. Again, the winner has the higher card at the end of the match. Games like WAR or High Low are great card games to play with customers in store.

Play Trivia In Store to Engage Your Customers

Trivia is another great game to play with customers in your store. You can come up with a list of trivia questions that pertain to things like:

  • Your business or industry
  • Your customers
  • Your products or services
  • The local community

If a customer earns a chance to play Trivia in your store simply pull a random Trivia question, ask the customer for an answer, and if the answer is even close to being correct, provide the customer with a prize.

All of these three games meet the In Store Game requirements that we set forth above. They are all fun and can be a great tool for engaging your customers in store.

Have you ever used any of these games in your store? How effective was it? Leave a comment below.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Small Business | No Comments »

Use Games to Engage Customers In Store

Monday, November 14th, 2011

Wireless internet. Mobile marketing. iPad, iPad, iPad. Everyone, including us here at Catalyst, are infatuated with all of the new technologies out there when it comes to small business marketing. Sometimes we need to take a step back to ensure we are focusing on what really matters, and what really matters is engaging your customers in a way that allows you to build deep relationships with them. You see, it’s those relationships with your customers that allow you to sell more products and services. Obviously new technologies like iPad allow you to engage your customers, but lets not forget that some traditional marketing tactics, combined with creativity, can work just as well.

games in store marketingHave you ever considered using games in your store to engage customers? Everyone loves playing games right? Playing games remind older customers of their childhood and obviously the younger customers are probably still playing games all of the time, so they love it too. Small Business should use games in store to engage their customers.

Small Business Can Use Games In Store

Using games in store can be a great way to get customers engaged in your brand. People who play games, especially those who win something, have a lot of fun. When people have fun and leave your store with a happy feeling they are more likely to return, as well as, tell their friends about your products and services. Small businesses can utilizes games in store in a number of ways:

  • As a reward when a purchased is made
  • As entertainment that anyone who enters your store can participate in
  • As a random prize for lucky customers (given away daily, weekly, etc.)

Use Games In Store to Collect Customer Data

If you’re going to use games in store to engage customers then you should definitely attach a call-to-action for the players. In order for a customer to have a chance to play the game, they should provide you with something. Any successful marketing tactic must have a strong call-to-action associated with it. Small businesses can use the following calls-to-action for allowing customers to participate in the game:

  • Make a purchase
  • Provide us with your email address
  • ‘Like’ us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Answer a survey question

Offer Customer Rewards for Participating in In Store Games

If you’re going to use games in store to engage customers, and you’re going to associate a call-to-action with playing the game, then you need to offer customers something of value in exchange for participating. Playing games are fun, but they are much more effective as a marketing tactic if an appropriate customer reward is offered. Small businesses can offer the following customer rewards for participants/winners of their in store game:

  • Discount on current or future purchase
  • Free prize (ie. free product or service from the business)
  • Coupon or promotion to another local business (perhaps a business that you’re running a cross promotion with)

Have you ever used games in store at your small business? Let us know how it worked for you by leaving a comment below.

In a future article we will discuss what games would work best in your store.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Small Business | 2 Comments »

Engage Customers through Social Media While In-Store

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

As Location Marketing gains steam through tools like Foursquare, SCVNGR, and Facebook Places small business owners would be wise to begin developing marketing tactics designed to engage customers while in-store. When customers are in your store you have them at Peak Attention in terms of their interest in your business. With most customers being able to access the internet from anywhere with their mobile smart phones, small business owners can engage customers through Social Media while they are at Peak Attention in-store. Now, this doesn’t mean your sales associates should ignore customers while in-store, it simply means a combined approach is now possible at a time when customers are most likely to make a purchase… By engaging customers through Social Media while they are in your store you have the ability to make a big-time impact on their purchase decision.

In-Store Social Media Promotion Ideas

In-Store Peak Customer AttentionWhen it comes to developing ideas for creative social media marketing promotions many small business owners struggle. The biggest things to keep in mind when trying to come up with creative ideas for in-store social media promotions are to keep the tactics relevant to your audience, be creative, and offer something of value in exchange for a desired action from you customers. By keeping these three things in mind, it will be much easier to come up with creative in-store social media promotions for your small business.

Here are a few in-store social media promotion ideas to get you started (these are generic ideas, which should be tailored to your small business and can even be “kicked up a notch” if you so desire):

  • Twitter Picture Contest: With mobile applications like TweetDeck, combined with mobile smart phones, customers now have the ability to instantly snap pictures with their phone & tweet them to their followers. Small businesses should leverage tools like mobile smart phones, Twitter, & TweetDeck to create a Twitter Picture Contest where customers can snap a picture of their favorite product in-store, tweet it, and receive a discount on their purchase.

  • Leave a foursquare Tip: We have written about the power of foursquare Tips for small business owners on the Catalyst blog in the past. Foursquare is a great tool for capturing customers attention while in-store. You can run a contest where every customer who checks-in at your venue on foursquare and leaves a tip will be entered into a weekly or monthly drawing for a gift certificate or another great prize. Although this promotion isn’t directly geared towards influencing a sale, it will engage customers and help you build brand loyalty. If the winner receives a $25 gift certificate, it’s likely that he or she will spend more than that the next time they come in, so it actually may indirectly impact sales.

  • Video Record Your Shopping Experience: Just like most of us have the ability to take pictures with our mobile smart phones, many have the ability to record video as well. Small business owners should leverage this by developing an in-store video marketing promotion. Small Business owners can ask customers to record their entire shopping experience and publish the video to their small business Facebook page. Each customer who participates will receive a coupon towards their purchase.

Benefits to Running In-Store Social Media Promotions

By taking advantage of one of the in-store social media promotion ideas above, or by coming up with your own in-store social media promotion, your small business will benefit a few ways:

  • In-store social media promotions can positively influence purchase decisions, which can lead to increased sales.

  • In-store social media promotions engage customers while they are at Peak Attention, which should increase the number of customers who participate. This activity is great for your social media presence and may entice more prospects to connect with you when they see how many others are actively engaged.

  • In-store social media promotions can build brand loyalty if customers see that you’re trying to provide them with value in a way that’s convenient for them.

2011 Social Media Trend: More In-Store Social Media Promotions

Being that it’s the new year, everyone is seemingly weighing in with their predictions for the upcoming year. Since a wealth of information on social media predictions for 2011 already exists, we’ll keep ours to just this one. Here at Catalyst we are currently working with small business clients on their in-store social media promotions, and we think you’re going to start to see a lot more of it as 2011 presses on. If you’re a small business owner, definitely take some time to consider developing an in-store social media promotion for your small business. We think it will help you drive sales in what looks to be another tough year for the economy.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in New Social Business, Online Marketing | 2 Comments »