How to Merchandise Your Store for the Holidays |  |
- How to Merchandise Your Store for the Holidays
- Twitter Will No Longer Let Your Followers Direct Message You
- 8 Conversion Rate Optimization Tips For Local Businesses
- LinkedIn Introduces Showcase Pages for Business
- How You Can Sell More in Less Time
| How to Merchandise Your Store for the Holidays Posted: 26 Nov 2013 04:00 PM PST
The holiday shopping season officially kicks off this weekend, and small retailers nationwide are getting ready. When you're a brick-and-mortar shop, one key to success is making your store visually appealing so it stands out from the others nearby. There's still time to make some last-minute merchandising changes that will attract passersby. Merchandise Your Store for the HolidaysFrom the Outside InGive your store an objective once-over from outside the entrance. If it's got an outside entrance on the street or in a parking lot, is the entrance clean and free of trash? Is the sidewalk swept? Does it catch your eye from the street or parking lot? If your store is inside a mall, how close do customers have to be before they notice your storefront? How does it compare to next-door stores? Does it stand out or blend in? If your signage isn't doing all it should be, now's the time to place some banners, window posters or easel displays that will really make your store entrance "pop." Window TreatmentsYour window displays need to catch customers' eyes. I grew up near New York City, where window dressing is an art. Think of a theme that's appropriate for your brand, your customers and your location. That could mean channeling the magic of the Manhattan Macy's winter wonderland if your brand is more traditional or child-focused. If you're in a Southern California beach city, you could create a "surfing Santa" theme. Or if you target Millennials, your windows could offer a snarky, humorous take on the holidays. The goal is to create something that stops customers in their tracks. Of course, you also want to make sales, so try incorporating hard-to-find, must-have or bestselling product into your displays. It's What's Inside that CountsOnce inside your store, customers should feel the same vibe they got from the window display, whether that's a carefully curated, museum-like display of a few key pieces or a cornucopia of plenty with products overflowing from every shelf and table. Even if you go the latter route, make sure your displays are merchandised to guide busy customers to smart choices. For example, group complementary products together so customers can grab and go. You might even consider displaying pretty baskets, bags or boxes nearby so customers can "build their own" gift baskets. Use signage to spell it out—don't make rushed holiday shoppers think too hard. Shelf labels or display signs that say things like "Great Gifts for Mom" or "For the Guy Who Has Everything" will help guide customers where they need to go. Sensory OverloadYour store should be a feast for the eyes, but don't forget about the other senses. If appropriate to your brand, pleasant holiday scents can put customers in a festive mood and keep them in the store longer. (Just make sure it's not overwhelming.) Background music, whether slow, seasonal, fast or energetic (think Abercrombie stores) can lure customers in and encourage them to shop. Holiday shopping can be a marathon activity, so make space for a few cushy chairs where shoppers' tired companions can rest their legs. Finally, consider a small refreshment area with hot tea, cider or lemon water and cookies or other treats to re-energize your guests. (If spillage or staining is a concern, stay away from the ooey-gooey items and stick to less risky treats like candy canes or gingerbread cookies.) And Don't Forget. . .Impulse buys next to your point-of-sale area are a great way to monetize this space. People who are shopping for gifts are usually in a generous mood and may be more willing than usual to make small, last-minute purchases. Stock this area with eye-catching, low-cost items that make good stocking stuffers or gag gifts, as well as practical extras that everyone needs such as gift tags, cards or pretty ribbons. Take a cue from Sephora stores, which excel at monetizing this space. The lines at Sephora stores can get long, but customers are usually so engrossed in the dozens of $20-and-under cosmetic treats displayed in the checkout area they don't mind waiting. Christmas Window Display Photo via Shutterstock The post How to Merchandise Your Store for the Holidays appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Twitter Will No Longer Let Your Followers Direct Message You Posted: 26 Nov 2013 01:30 PM PST
You can direct message someone on Twitter if you both follow each other. You can even direct message them, if they decide to follow you without reciprocation. But you can no longer DM your favorite Twitter guru or thought leader just because you follow their feed. For a brief span a feature that made Twitter seem more like a call-in radio program than a traditional social media network was quietly tried on for size. But Twitter seems to have thought better of it, and shelved the experiment just as quietly. Of course, Twitter had the good sense to check with you first before letting loose a deluge of direct messages from your followers, The Verge reports. A new setting appearing as Twitter introduced the program explained:
About a month later, however, the feature was gone, The Next Web reported recently. By way of explanation, the company would only point to an earlier post on the official Twitter Blog stating:
Fair enough. In truth, it’s hard to imagine how big social media magnates like Guy Kawasaki @GuyKawasaki or Tim O’Reilly @timoreilly could cope. Think of the sudden influx of direct messages from their massive Twitter followings. (The same would happen with show biz types like Lady Gaga @ladygaga or Justin Bieber @justinbieber.) Of course, with the power to choose whether or not to use the feature, there would have been positives. It could have been a great small business tool for quick and easy feedback from customers. In the end, it might have been nice to get the option. The post Twitter Will No Longer Let Your Followers Direct Message You appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 8 Conversion Rate Optimization Tips For Local Businesses Posted: 26 Nov 2013 11:00 AM PST
Conversion rate optimization is the fastest, easiest, most cost effective way to increase your website's impact on your bottom line. Even the smallest of businesses can benefit from increased conversion rates. Higher conversion rates mean more customers for your local business. There is a catch, though. The most powerful weapon in conversion rate optimization — testing — can't really be used for small websites with a limited number of conversions. But that’s not the end of the world. Most small business owners will be able to increase their website's conversions just by following these tips. 1.Hire A Professional DesignerIt might sound like a good idea at first. But buying templates, hiring your cousins or trying to optimize your own website will eventually cost you more money than you will initially save. Professional designers may have experience with literally hundreds or thousands of sites. When it comes to creating a high performance website, leave it to the professionals. 2. Change The Way You Write CopyIt's not about you, it's about your potential customers. Your customers care only about themselves. It should be the one thing you and your customers have in common. What does that have to do with copy? Everything. If you focus on your customer’s needs and how your products or services benefit them, your copy will become more persuasive. Remember to use language your customers can understand and sell the sizzle. 3.Make Your Company HumanPeople don't buy from companies, they buy from people. Make your company more human by featuring your employees on the “about us” page. Use real people, not models, for the pictures on your site. This lets your visitors and potential customers know that they will be dealing with real people when they call. 4. Localize Your ContentCustomers respond to convenience and like the idea of shopping locally in their communities if possible. This means if your business has a storefront, you want to make sure that your visitors know how convenient your location really is. (Minutes from the highway, close to the center of town, etc.) If you have a service area business (a business that provides services at your customer’s location), you need to let users know that you serve their town. You can do this by adding a service area map to your pages. Also mention your service area in your copy. 5. Display Your AffiliationsAre you a member of your local Chamber of Commerce? How about your local BBB chapter? If yes, let your prospective customers know by displaying your affiliations proudly on your website. It will help your prospects see you as a credible, trustworthy company. It will also increase your conversion rates. 6. Use Your Testimonials More EffectivelyTestimonials are incredibly important. They harvest the power of social proof and are one of the easiest ways to increase conversions. Most people don't take full advantage of testimonials. To maximize the power of your testimonials you should:
7. Create A Sense Of UrgencyWhen a visitor reaches your website, the site needs to sell that visitor on a couple of other things before it can ever generate an honest to goodness sale. It needs to sell your company, your services/products – and it needs to sell them on acting NOW. Without the last part nothing happens. So how do you create a sense of urgency? By convincing visitors they will lose something if they don't act now – special pricing, a good deal etc. 8. Keep Improving Your Web MarketingThere are no universal solutions in Internet marketing. There are only solutions for your problems, in your market that work for you right now. This is true for conversion rate optimization. Remember to accurately measure your conversion rates while you keep improving. Sales Photo via Shutterstock The post 8 Conversion Rate Optimization Tips For Local Businesses appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| LinkedIn Introduces Showcase Pages for Business Posted: 26 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST
You probably already have a LinkedIn business page. The problem is when you have more than one product, service or brand to highlight. Never fear! LinkedIn has launched a new feature called LinkedIn Showcase Pages. It’s specifically designed for businesses interested in breaking out those all important brands, products and services that deserve to stand alone. Writing on the official LinkedIn Blog, Aviad Pinkovezky, monetization product manager at LinkedIn explains:
Company page administrators can now create one by clicking on the “edit” button in their manage window and selecting “Create a Showcase Page.” Viveka von Rosen gives us a step by step guide setting up the pages here: Examples of the new LinkedIn showcase pages for products and brands from which you can hopefully gain some inspiration include HP Converged Infrastructure, Microsoft Office and Adobe Marketing Cloud. LinkedIn Showcase Page BenefitsShowcase pages benefit your business because they:
If you have one or more products, services or brands that need to be marketed and presented separate from your overall company, LinkedIn showcase pages can be an important part of that strategy. The post LinkedIn Introduces Showcase Pages for Business appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| How You Can Sell More in Less Time Posted: 26 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST Sponsored Post
Small businesses waste a lot of time selling to the wrong people. As a result, the company either does not grow or sales drop. Below are 3 ways to improve your sales yield: 1. Focus on the Right ProspectsPeople only buy when they are in pain and have money to solve that pain. Every prospect should be asked:
Many sales people make the mistake of not getting these questions answered up front and waste time with non-buyers masquerading as prospects. 2. Be There When Prospects are Ready to BuyCompanies actually don't sell their products or services, but rather customers buy from them. As a result, companies need to be there when prospects are ready to buy. They need to be found and put into the "maybe pile" when a customer is making a decision. In order to achieve this, every small business owners needs to establish long term relationships with clients by offering them valuable knowledge at least monthly that showcases the company's brand. For example, a dentist may send information on how patients should floss their teeth or a comparison of toothbrushes. Remember, this is not marketing communication that sells product, but a friendly offer of knowledgeable help. 3. Practice the Rapid Release StrategyAny company can reduce their selling time by 90% and improve their sales yield by only focusing on customers that are ready to buy. Many prospects say yes to a company and then never respond to complete the sale. These people should be contacted a few more times and then put back into the marketing funnel. Sales people waste a lot of time "hoping" these "closed" prospects will contact them and get started. They get stuck here and stop looking for new prospects to meet their sales targets. If they have not heard from the prospects after several calls or contacts, they need to be let go and move on. How does your company improve its sales yield? This article, provided by Nextiva, is republished through a content distribution agreement. The original can be found here. Sales Photo via Shutterstock The post How You Can Sell More in Less Time appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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