Great Tips For Promoting a Smoke Shop Business
It goes without saying that it is essential for businesses to promote their products and services if they wish to be profitable. However, This can be quite challenging for smoke shop owners, considering the public’s attitude towards smoking. The matter is compounded by the severe restrictions placed on advertising products in this industry.
However, this doesn’t mean that store owners can’t promote your business successfully. Here are some great strategies that will help in promoting a smoke shop business, and improve it’s in the process.
Simplifying The Shopping Experience
Many smoke shops today resemble hobby shops from the 70’s. We are in a period when most people are accustomed to the tidy, well-lit supermarket-esque stores. It might not seem like much, but making a smoke shop inviting can make customers feel at ease. Some great ideas include the use of incense, background music, and good lighting.
An overlooked strategy is to have a logical arrangement for the store’s products. It is common practice among smoke shops to have products arranged randomly, with only the storekeeper knowing the location of every product.
Go Online
Nowadays, going online doesn’t necessarily mean having a website, though it’s a part of doing so. Listing a store on Google Maps will have more of an impact on its reach, allowing local shoppers to find a given store more efficiently.
A website enables smoke shops to display their inventory, deliver valuable content, and allow users to order online. Beyond websites, social media pages enable customers to know what a business is all about. It allows the store to post videos, pictures, and stories to give potential customers an idea of the services and products they have to offer.
Using Email Marketing
Creating an email database is one of the excellent ways to get new customers and keep old ones. There are many tools available to gather email addresses from customers or potential customers. This information enables businesses to offer a discount or gifts for them on signup.
Marketing via email is very effective if used correctly. However, incorrect use of email marketing can be very potent in driving customers away. Here are some basic strategies of effective email marketing.
Provide Value:
Most people get turned off when they feel they are being marketed to. That’s why it’s important to deliver valuable content to your customers from time to time. It can be in the form of a write-up on important issues your customers might be facing.
Address Customers Personally:
Several studies have proven that emails which address users by their names are more effective than those which do not. Getting customers’ names when they sign up for your email service proves to be essential. Other data points, like their date of birth, allow marketers to send them small gifts or samples during festive periods.
Give Bonuses To Your Subscribers:
Birthdays and festive seasons are great times to give bonuses and discounts. It is advisable not to include the bonus email in the festive greetings. The email containing the bonus can be sent a bit later, with reference to whatever they are celebrating. This will ensure that you are always on their mind when they need to make a purchase.
Make Emails Appealing:
Emails should always be visually appealing to your recipients. They should not rely solely on pictures to understand a message. They should be well arranged and easy to read. Use captivating titles that will make them want to know more. Most importantly, they should be kept short and to the point. Most people do not have time to go through lengthy write-ups, so try to make your points in as few words as possible.
Always Include Calls To Action (CTAs):
Calls To Action are simply prompts that allow customers to directly access the products or services described in the email. CTAs are particularly effective for those who have an online store, but can also be used to some degree by owners of brick-and-mortar shops.
A good CTA could go like this: “Get these awesome offers immediately by clicking here”, followed by a link to the products or services. For businesses with an online store, these can provide promos with time limits.
Email marketing requires a lot of carefulness and cannot be learned overnight. However, it can increase a business’s reach.
Organize Promotion Events
Hosting events are a great way to get people to check out a store and try its products. These events do not have to be elaborate. A simple vape competition or cookout are great ideas. The options are endless; it can be a radio show, live band performance, or even a game competition like chess. Ultimately, it’s important to make sure your company’s role and presence is known.
These events are also great times to run promos, such as the classic ‘buy one get one free promos. Store owners can also offer discounts as part of the event. Another great idea for a promotion event is to allow customers to try out multiple products, and then give them discounts on the bundles.
Hire The Right Team
A store’s staff is one of its greatest assets since they will mostly be in contact with most customers. It’s not essential to hire marketing or sales gurus to build the right team. What any company needs it’s people who want to learn and grow with the business. Encouraging employees to develop skills that they can use anywhere.
Having A Store Membership
A store’s membership is a great way to keep customers coming back. This strategy is used by the largest commerce stores around the world. Basically, it involves giving customers an option to subscribe to a membership program by paying a small periodic fee (usually monthly). Members get exclusive access to bonuses, deals, discounts, and other things which are not accessible to non-members. In addition to being an additional source of income, membership programs ensure that customers remain loyal to a business.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately it’s the sum of small details that leads a business to success. Learning from other successful people, their stories, their business models, and their mistakes allows you to make better choices. It’s said that imitation is the biggest form of flattery, so combining both networking with the power of internet presence is a combination for success.