Retailing Insight Trade Magazine

MARKETING MONDAYS

Jumpstart Your Business Blog

Blogging for your business is a great way to let your customers learn more about you, create dialogue with them, share your knowledge, establish yourself as an expert, and increase your SEO ranking. So why aren’t more business owners blogging, especially when free and easy-to-use programs such as WordPress and Blogger exist? Because it takes time to come up with great content for a blog.

4 Ways to Create Your Own Buzz

How many of us check our smartphones for the news of the day, scroll through Facebook and Twitter for updates on world affairs, or use Yelp to find a restaurant recommendation?

The Power of the Hashtag

I’m introduced to a new business—or reminded of one I already like—every day, simply because of my friends’ activity on social media: liking a business on Facebook, following a brand’s Twitter feed, checking in at a store on Foursquare's Swarm app, and hashtagging photos of merchandise they bought on Instagram.

Marketing Comeback Kids

Remember when we were told email marketing would mean the death of direct mail? And Facebook posts would replace email marketing? Surprise! Both direct mail and email newsletters are very much alive and well. Actually, it’s not that surprising considering we all consume information in different ways.

If you’ve abandoned your direct mail or email newsletter, you may want to reconsider. If you still use either or both, this year’s goal is to ramp it up.

Meet the Press

Getting stories placed in local, regional, or national news media can introduce your business to a much wider audience, which can mean increased sales. Yet, many independent retailers shy away from pitching the media or sending out press releases because they’re intimidated by the process or feel it’s not worth the effort.