No doubt, you and your team review certain pages on your website more than you do others. The home page, products and services pages, and FAQs immediately come to mind as pages that typically receive plenty of marketing love.
So now, it’s time to turn your attention to those “other” pages—ones that are easy to forget about, even though they are important.
Continue reading “Website Tips: Give Some Love to these Forgotten Pages”
A great way to build brand loyalty is through customer contests. Here are eight ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
Continue reading “8 Fun Customer Contest Ideas”
Let’s face it: it was a brutal winter just about everywhere in the US. Coming out of the winter doldrums, especially at the office, is not always easy. But with these 11 tips, you can turn things around and make your office fun again.
Continue reading “How to Engage Employees: 11 Tips for Making Your Office Fun Again”
Laptops vs. tablets. Tablets vs. laptops. Ever since Apple unveiled its iPad in 2010, it’s become a hotly contested debate. Way back in 2011, Mashable reported the Forrester prediction that tablet sales would eclipse PC sales by 2015. Today, some are even saying that tablets will outsell laptops this year. And advertising growth suggests that for many, tablets are the new PC.
Regardless of when it happens, the fact is that more and more people are turning to tablets, for pleasure and for business (or both).
We thought we’d ask some business owners why they made the switch, how they’re using the tablets to conduct business, and what advice they’d offer fellow business owners who are trying to decide between laptops and tablets. Continue reading “Case Study: Why Business Owners are Ditching Laptops for Tablets”
As the marketing adage goes, it’s always easier to sell to past/current customers than it is to brand new shiny ones. The question is, how can you encourage repeat business, especially for B2C companies that depend on getting people into their stores?
Here are some examples of different brands rocking repeat business…and how your company can implement the ideas.
1. Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Days. Ben & Jerry’s sets aside a day every year and gives away its frozen treats for free as a way to “thank our customers for their support and to celebrate over 3 decades of scooping.”
Why this idea works: Um, who doesn’t love FREE ice cream? And what a great way to get people into ice cream shops where they will get the full Ben & Jerry’s experience, see all the other flavors and treats available, and be reminded why they should visit again soon.
How you can implement this idea: What product or service can you give away for free? If you have a brick and mortar storefront, consider some sort of “free” day or free combo day (for example, if you own a salon, perhaps you offer a free pedicure with every haircut booked in June).
Continue reading “Real-Life Examples of Success with Repeat Business”
The history: According to the Domino’s website, the Monaghan brothers bought “DomiNick’s” in 1960 and renamed it Domino’s in 1965. The company opened its 200th store in 1978 and its 5000th store in 1989. Its website launched in 1996, and by 2000, it 
had over 6500 outlets spread across the globe. It celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010. Today, Domino’s has over 9000 outlets across 60 countries.
The challenge: Domino’s faced a classic “perception vs. reality” issue. Domino’s was often the butt of jokes, eliciting “tastes like cardboard” punch lines. Even its convenient “delivered in 30 minutes or less” promise didn’t help much. A consumer taste survey in 2009 had Domino’s coming in dead last, tied with Chuck E. Cheese. As a result, Domino’s announced its plan to reinvent itself in late 2009, starting with its pizza.
The process: Domino’s used something that’s quite unusual in marketing and advertising: honesty. Domino’s highlighted its own weaknesses and failures, with its affable CEO Patrick Doyle leading the charge. In fact, real people from inside the company — from the head chef, to marketing folks, to delivery drivers — became actively involved in the messaging that people began seeing in 2010, starting with the “Pizza Turnaround” documentary that was posted on Domino’s new Pizza Turnaround microsite. We’ve embedded it below.
As Doyle says in the documentary, “You can either use negative comments to get you down, or you can use them to excite you and energize your process of making a better pizza. We did the latter.” Continue reading “Case Study: What Pizza Can Teach Us About Branding”
If you work in the pet industry, you know this fact is true: people love their pets and would do almost anything for them. This makes for a wonderful prospective customer base. That said, it also makes for a highly competitive industry where many businesses are vying for pet owners’ attention. Standing out can be a challenge.
Here are three ideas that can help.
1. Partner with an animal shelter and take part in adoption days. Whether you own a pet supplies store, you’re a dog walker, or you provide kitty and doggie daycare, this strategy can work wonders at reaching new customers and creating a sense of goodwill in the community. Donate some of your time to an animal shelter in your area and take part in their adoption days. This provides great exposure for your business, and it’s also a buzz-worthy event that you can promote throughout all of your marketing materials, like your website. Be sure the animal shelter has your marketing materials on hand and that they give you signage opportunities at the event. Continue reading “3 Creative Ideas for Promoting Pet-Related Businesses”
