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Most marketing experts feel that sales breed disloyalty while promotions breed loyalty.  To put it simply, if a store consistently holds sales, customers will wait for an item to go on sale before making a purchase.  Likewise, people who shop sales shop all the sales.  They are not loyal to any one store but instead go from store to store searching for the lowest price.

Furthermore, a series of sales will cut down the number of customers that attend each sale.  If a store has a monthly sale, people will not make an effort to get to any one particular sale - they'll just figure they can make it next month when it's more convenient.

On the other hand, promotions consistently drive customers to the store.  A department store in the mid west continually advertised sales in the local newspaper.  Traffic did not noticeably increase.  This company started to print raffle entries with the sales advertisements.  Traffic soared as people brought in their raffle entries.  The traffic translated to sales as people purchased both discounted and full price items. 

Raffles are a common form of promotion, but they are not the only form. Here are a few specific ideas for promoting your beading business.

Bead stores and websites can have design contests.  These contests are especially effective if customers  vote for the winning entry. 

People who hold bead parties can make small inexpensive beaded items, such as key chains, to give away.  These promotional items can be presented to the winners of fun party games.

Bead stores can give lessons or lectures on beads.  They can also  have an exhibitor demonstrate bead making.

Websites can include instructional content on beading.  Varying the content will encourage return customers.

Bead stores and individual beading artists can host beading bees.

The list of promotions are endless.  They can often be  done with a small cash outlay -  some require no cash outlay at all. 

The key to planning your promotion, as well as any other aspect of your business, is to inventory your assets (e.g. you would need a large space to hold a beading bee), evaluate your strengths (how good are you at crowd control?) and most importantly know your customers.  The best promotion will be tailor made to fit both your business and your customer base.
 

Is there an aspect of marketing that you'd like to see discussed?  
Would you like to share some of your marketing knowledge with other beaders?  Click here to email your questions or article proposals

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