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McCurry Associates Marketing Idea Exchange ArchivesVolume 59 - September 10, 2003
Idea #1 Good PR With Minimal Cost Jerry Harmen, Madison Photo Plus, Madison, NJ www.madisonphoto.com This idea I got from Karl Kantrowitz, Village Camera, So. Orange, NJ. When a local civic or religious organization asks for a donation or prize, Karl gives either $50 or $100 worth of 5x7 and or 8x10 prints to that group. He's very happy when people come into his store, and almost as happy when the certificates are never redeemed. Either way, he gets the publicity of supporting community organizations with minimal cash out the door! If the certificates are redeemed it usually means a new customer relationship. Idea #2 Educate Your Team, Have Fun Doing It Frank Ponder, Bel Air Camera, Los Angeles, CA www.belaircamera.com Here's one that we did that was fun... We created a scavenger hunt in the store. Since we have over 10,000 SKU's and a few departments, we decided to have a little test and have some fun. Everyone had to locate the item. Depending on the item they had to write down where they were, the name of models or brands we stocked or how much they sold for. It helped the staff realize where things had been moved and also how broad of a selection we carried. Heres our list - - -
Idea #3 John Kreidler, Cardinal Camera, Lansdale, PA www.cardinalcamera.com Here is something that is working for us. We would have a lot of people ask us for product literature for cameras. The sales staff was always telling the customers to go to the internet to get the info. I got to thinking: 1. It really does not sound like we are helping the customer be successful with their buying decision, if we are sending them to the internet and 2. They may see a better deal there or buy it from someone else just because they are on their site. So I spent 15 to 20 hours creating a Product info CD for just about every product we carry. I looked at Chris Lydles digital product CD (see www.photoimagenews.com/pie3.htm) and expanded the product info to all hard goods including some things to consider when buying and needed accessories. I also included info on our on-line processing with a link and discount coupons. I know Chris sells the CD, but we just give them away. The format is like a mini website burned to a CD and it auto starts, it will play on PC or Mac. We have been giving them out for 2 months and have given away 150 copies. We have gotten many of the coupons back and many customers returning to buy product. So it has been successful. Upcoming Imaging Industry Speaking Events with Bill McCurry We hope to see you there . . .
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