New England Retailers Think Spring: 4 Marketing Tips

The weather is getting nicer in New England – daffodils are blooming, the sun’s out, and New England retailers are looking to capitalize on increased foot traffic and the nice weather to bring new customers into your stores.  Below, please find some fun promotional ideas that can help drive marketing momentum for your store.

Nail Mother’s Day with Giveaways

Mother’s Day is a perfect time to promote a giveaway.  Giveaways are an easy way to attract new customers and can pay off big-time even if the prize is fairly valuable.

Begin promoting your Mother’s Day giveaway in town, with sidewalk signage, on social media, and anywhere else you reach your customers – think newsletters and personal Facebook pages, too. You may also want to put a package together with another related retailer (spa, specialty cheese shop, yoga studio, photographer) so the prize package is even more attractive, and each participating retailer is promoting you and the giveaway to their audiences as well.

Require anyone registering for the giveaway to give you their phone number, email, birthday, and other information to grow your future marketing efforts. Mother’s Day is a great time for New England retailers to up their customer list and introduce your brand to new audiences.

Start a Social Media Contest

Highlighting sales, deals, discounts, and promotions on your social media pages is clearly important – but hosting a contest can up engagement significantly.

The best thing about social media contests is that you don’t have to create much content – the goal is to get your customers sharing photos of themselves on social media using the hashtag you designate – and then resharing any of your posts that feature their photos.

Whatever you do, make it attractive for people to share and help spread your business name.

Run Spring-Themed Promos and Deals

Don’t be afraid to get cute with spring puns and plays on words. In fact, embracing your bad jokes can be endearing – and memorable!

If you have the ability to do so, move outside – sidewalk sales grab attention and are proven to increase traffic for New England retailers on nice, sunny Spring weekends. Make a great sign and think about having a staff member greet customers out front.

Don’t Forget Local Holidays/Events

Sure, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July are important marketing events. But what about local organizations, events, and observances?

Farmer’s markets, city festivals, and fundraisers for local schools and sports teams are great ways to give back to the neighborhood and reach new customers in your local area. With the beautiful weather back, many people come out for the springtime events. Participating in these is great for business and fun to do as well.

Great Product Mix

New England retailers with a fresh new mix of product are going to have a great spring/summer season. Please ensure that you are meeting with your brand reps and attending tradeshows regularly to find new lines and delight your customers with something fresh.  NEAC’s Signature Shows feature up to 50,000 square feet of exhibit space and hundreds of brands.  Mark your calendar for the next one!