Promote, Promote, Promote

As many of you know, we have been trying to get Cafe Evoke *Coffee* Catering off the ground and going for the past 3 monhts or so. I feel that we have done a nice job in getting our name out there but at times feel that it is not working. People on our board of advisors keep telling me to keep at it and that we will catch people at the right moment one of these days. As I get the 4th letter campaign written and ready to mail, I am again having the feeling that we will not get any response. Today I was over at Business Opportunities Weblog and Dane had a great post about promoting your product -- in our case, our services. This article was written by Rhonda Abrams and originates from the Gannett News Service. Here is a list of 9 things this article says to remember: 1. Ask and ask again. If you’re a small retailer, you may be missing out on thousands of marketing dollars. Ask suppliers whether they offer co-op money to support your advertising. 2. Start small. If you’ve created a new type of pet product, it’s going to be a lot easier to land a promotion in a local pet shop than in a national pet superstore. 3. Start lining up promotions and co-op money well in advance. Promotions are decided upon many months in advance, especially at large retailers. You can’t approach a store in November or even September or October about Christmas promotions. Likewise, it takes time to get co-op money approved. Ask at least six months in advance. 4. Develop a good sales track record. Retailers only want to promote items they’re confident will sell well. Co-op dollars go quickest to those who have sold the most of a supplier’s products. This is a bit of a Catch-22, but you’ve got to demonstrate you can sell. 5. Build relationships. Get to know the people in charge of promos and co-op programs at the companies you do business with. Stay in touch with them. 6. Understand the costs. Promotions are not without costs. First, you’ll typically have to supply the retailer with a lot more inventory — often on a returnable basis or at your expense. The retailer may require a contribution for promotional or advertising expenses. 7. Support the promotion. Make sure you’re doing your best to promote the promo or special offer. Don’t just rely on the retailer. 8. Ask about off-site promotions. Some retailers participate in special sales activities off their store premises. An athletic shoe store, for instance, might have a sales booth at an event for runners. 9. Finally, don’t give up. Like all marketing efforts, success in promotional opportunities and co-op advertising takes repetition and persistence. Keep at it! This article talks about co-op advertising -- advertising or marketing activities where the costs are shared -- which I think is a good thing in the right network. Basically, this type of advertising comes into play when a larger supplier helps carrier some of the costs for others that they work with to help promote their own products. While this sounds like a crazy circle game, it can really be useful for the small business. We are now a part of the Gallatin Valley Independent Business Association (GVIBA) which has similiar program for it's members. As we continue our promotion and marketing programs, we have to follow some of the steps listed above. I think the main one to be sure to follow is the last. The more you do, the better it will be. In the grand scheme of things, our marketing costs are not going to out run our revenues. Just one party will pay for each campaign so we have to keep going on them. ..be bold Tagged: advertising, promotion, coffee, espresso, tea, bozema, montana, cafe evoke, coffee catering, gviba