• PRIVATE EVENT
• 4 DAYS ONLY
• TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS SPECIAL OFFER BEFORE THE PUBLIC DOES
• BIGGEST IN OUR HISTORY

It is easy for us to rattle off this language because we make messages like this every single day.  It is the norm in retail and especially furniture retail.  But what if there was a medium where you didn’t have to show your offer unless the customer willingly opted into your message?

That medium has been created and it is Facebook.

Before we rattle off how to combine direct mail messages and Facebook together to create sales, let’s identify what Facebook is and how it can help your business:

• There are two types of Facebook:
  • Personal Profile:  A personal profile is where you as a user sign up, divulge your information as you see fit, interact with friends that you have willingly accepted and have the ability to post, comment, like and message your friends and they can do the same with you.
  • Business Page:  A business page is where a brand, place or business creates a sharing site that allows personal profile users of Facebook to interact, share and engage with that entity by “liking a business”.  The business will be able to communicate with that personal profile only though the business page channel.
  • Facebook is powered by applications:
    • Most likely those reading this blog have a smart phone or know someone who has a smart phone.  At it’s core smart phones are basic operating devices that can call out and receive messages over a mobile network.  With the power of data connection these phones can enhance their capabilities by adding applications to the phone (games, email, news, etc).
    • Facebook’s operating software is enhanced the same way.  A basic Facebook page has the following features:
      • Wall
      • Pictures
      • Info
      • Reviews
      • Discussions
      • Links
      • Videos
• As a Facebook user or business page, you can enhance your environment for you (personal profiles) or your fans (business page) by adding applications that help achieve enjoyment (personal profile) or create opportunities to capture information and sell (business page).

Remember the statement, “But what if there was a medium where you didn’t have to show your offer unless the customer willingly opted into your message?”  Applications on a Facebook page have an exciting feature that will allow you to create direct mail messages that will allow you to create a captive audience.  As a business page owner you can have “Non Fans” see one image on your business page while your fans see another.

So, how can this drive results to the retail level?  Two Ways:

1. A Facebook fan on average spends $71.84 more than non-fans.  They are 41% more likely to continue using your brand and 28% more likely to recommend your brand to their friends and family(according to a July 2010 Syncapse Study).  As a result create offers that push a direct mail recipient to your Facebook business page where they can receive an additional offer just for liking your page.
2. Run value added offers/incentives that can only be driven through Facebook such as Room Makeovers, Ugly Sofa Contests, Fantastic Friday Deals or Deals of the Day which offer value to the customer on top of the current promotion you are already running.

With all of these great things there are some serious pitfalls that must be taken into consideration:

1. If you aren’t ready to have a conversation or hire someone to have the conversation then you are wasting your time jumping into this medium.  Just like when you open the doors to your store you open yourself up to customer praise and criticism with each up, the same thing applies to Facebook business pages.
2. At the first sign of trouble do not crawl into a shell and forget about this new medium.  One slip up is not going to equal disaster.  Pick up the pieces and learn from the mistakes.  I know this seems repetitive but we believe this is the future and you don’t want to be the last one looking in.

In this series we explored the following media’s and how you can use that media to create a synergized marketing plan.

Newspaper and QR Codes

Insertions and Website

TV and Twitter

Direct Mail and Facebook

Be sure to visit our website, twitter and Facebook for live updates throughout the week pertaining to retail, marketing and all of these topics on a regular basis.

1. It was far better five years ago
2. In-store traffic was better
3. I made more money
4. Product today sells less today than it did 20 years ago
5. Operating expenses are higher today that they were 20 years ago

The common concern we hear as an advertising agency is that traffic is down. However, close ratios and average tickets are still on par with what they were 20 years ago and in many instances, they’ve even increased slightly.

Which brings us back to our original question, “What’s UP with UP’s today?”

There are some key identifiers we need to take into account when we evaluate today’s traffic verses the traffic from five years ago:

1. Independent retail as a whole has improved and made online marketing a top-priority, or at least a part of their overall marketing mix. As a result, consumers now have the opportunity to shop before they even step foot in the store.
2. The evolution of online commerce has increased throughout the last five years.  As our business friends at the Lively Merchant pointed out in a blog post in January of 2009, “if you aren’t doing something about this situation right now, you are throwing money down the toilet!”
3. The wrath of public opinion can spread faster that it could five years ago. In 2006, Facebook’s viral presence spread to the general public as a means to connect, interact and share.  Online vehicles such as Yelp, InsiderPages and Google Places were just coming to fruition.  Back then, dirty sins and skeletons in the closet could stay hidden since word of mouth couldn’t travel fast enough – but now it can.

So now we know the difference between today’s UP’s verses the UP’s of yesteryear. But what do we do as an industry and marketers to make more money?

In opposition to the three key identifiers listed above, here are three tactics to figure out where your traffic went and how to get it back:

1. Study your analytics. Have you figured out what your consumer is looking at on your Website?  What items they are searching for? Where did they enter and where did they leave? Located in this avalanche of data is the information necessary to grab traffic and keep it on your brand.
2. Sell Something Online. Notice we don’t say sell everything online. Try to sell something online.  Maybe simple accessories? Warranty plans? Service plans? Try to convert your online traffic into sales. Study your local market and if they’re selling items online, sell items they don’t sell.
3. Study Up on Your Profile and Others. Take the time to “Like” all of your competition’s Facebook pages. Read their profiles on Yelp!, InsiderPages and Google Places. See what customers say or don’t say about your competition. Afterward, make various messages showcasing where you outdo your competition. Differentiate yourself from your competition, or they will win.

These are great tactics but they’re not surefire ways to succeed.  You cannot measure nor combat what you don’t understand. Because of this, we’re offering a one-time needs analysis of these profiles and your analytics in these areas. We will offer surefire, actionable items that you use to convert your UP’s into sales that keep going UP, UP and UP.

Fill out the following form to schedule your needs analysis and an R&A representative will be in contact with you within 2 business days.

Home Furnishings Industry Conference Launches Sweepstakes

The Western Home Furnishings Assn. and National Home Furnishings Assn. have launched a sweepstakes for paid travel to the 2012 Home Furnishings Industry Conference.

The contest takes place on Facebook and in the High Point Market Retailer Resource Center for an all expenses paid trip to the HFIC in Palm Springs,
Calif. Participants can enter a business card into a drawing in the Retailer Resource Center during market week, or they can visit the HFIC Facebook
Page to enter online. The contest will run for 10 days, Oct, 21-31, 2011, with a winner being announced on Nov. 1.

WHFA and NHFA have teamed up with R&A Marketing, a Columbus, Ohio, marketing and advertising agency focused in furniture marketing,to help bring this promotion onto Facebook. R&A has developed numerous Facebook applications that allow retailers and businesses to bring interactive promotions to their Facebook page. One out of every eight minutes is spent on Facebook by its 750 million-plus active users, creating a powerful tool for businesses to utilize and make more money. “Social media, and especially Facebook, has become such a vital part of successful marketing programs, that it just made sense to use the power of Facebook for the HFIC contest,” said Kevin Doran, vice president of R&A Marketing.

With a theme of California Dreamin’–Gaining the Edge, the 2012 Home Furnishings Industry Conference will show attendees how to gain a competitive edge in today’s marketplace while following their dreams to build a better future for their business and the industry. Education will be created to meet the needs of all attendees; retailers, manufacturers and services providers. The two-and-a-half day event features more than 24 educational sessions, a product showcase offering exclusive pricing from top industry manufacturers and service providers, a fun filled golf tournament and networking opportunities throughout.

To enter, visit the HFIC Facebook Page and click on the sweepstakes tab on the far left side. All you need to enter is your name and e-mail address. Business-card entries also will be accepted in the Retailer Resource Center during High Point Furniture Market.

During High Point Market, R&A Marketing and WHFA teams also will be asking retailers questions, “What’s your California Dream?” and “How do you gain the edge?”. Responses will then be posted to the HFIC Facebook page.

For more information on the Home Furnishings Industry Conference, e-mail Cindi Williams, or call 916.784.7677.

• Only 9% of adult Americans use twitter–so do not feel left out.
• The Average Twitter user has 27 followers.
• 25% of all twitter accounts have ZERO followers.
• 40% of twitter accounts have never sent a single tweet.
• Only 18% of twitter users tweet more than once a day.
  • Data courtesy of RJMetrics and EMarketer via Hub Spot

Based off of that data, you are probably wondering “Is this really a good media for me?”. At this present time, does the answer yes and no sound wishy washy enough? Here are some interesting facts regarding those 9% of adult Americans on Twitter:

• The majority of US Twitter users are ages 18-29 (a segment of population most retailers are not getting now).
• 1/3 of Monthly Users are ages 25-35 (again a segment of population most retailers are not getting now).
• Twitter users are more educated verses the national averages.
• Twitter users as a result of education have higher incomes than national averages (good for retail).
• They tend to be early adopters of products and services verses national averages.
• However, they spend equal the amount of time watching TV verses the national average.
  • Data courtesy of Edison Research, PEW Research Center via Hub Spot

I want to cover that last statistic regarding the amount of time a Twitter user spends watching TV. Due to the abundance of smart phones and lap tops it is very easy to watch TV while browsing online. A Nielsen report that came out in March of 2010 found that 60% of all households use their computers while they are watching TV. Six out of every ten people use their computer while watching TV.
As a result, we believe, you have the ability to talk in real time to your customer if you deliver the creative necessary to that target audience.

So, how can this drive results to the retail level? Two Ways:

1. Use the statistics that you know that 60% of your targeted audience during your TV commercial is watching television and drive them somewhere. Especially since we know twitter users follow national averages in amount of time daily spent watching TV and exceed national averages by double the amount of time spent online we can continue the conversation. In continuing the conversation it allows a potential for a transactional relationship to occur which bolsters success.
2. Your twitter portal generated through your current TV buy will allow you to begin extracting customer data and trends from the age brackets of 18-35 which are going to be the next big generation of the consumer infrastructure. Using this target audience as your case study to merchandise and brand your store correctly will give you a leg up in the next big generation race.

With all of these great things there are some serious pitfalls that must be taken into consideration:

1. Figure out what your twitter voice is going to be on the front side before you begin driving people to your portal. If you have not established what you are going to say and how you are going to say, you are going to spoil the potential that you just created.
2. It has to be helpful and thought provoking. Remember that we know these potential followers are more highly educated than the average American which ensures they may have higher expectations of us. As a result we must not only talk the talk, but walk the walk.
3. At the first sign of trouble do not crawl into a shell and forget about this new medium. One slip up is not going to equal disaster. Pick up the pieces and learn from the mistakes.

Over the next four weeks we are going to be exploring the following media’s and how you can use that media to create a synergized marketing plan.

Week 1: Newspaper and QR Codes
Week 2: Insertions and Website
Week 3: TV and Twitter (this week)
Week 4: Direct Mail and Facebook (next week)

Be sure to visit our website, twitter and Facebook for live updates throughout the week pertaining to retail, marketing and all of these topics on a regular basis.

If you have been a retailer for over 10 years you know one thing…This was the king pin to generate traffic and sales. Due to the abundance of demand, the cost of freight and the success of the newspaper it was an easy to produce, cost effective method to tell your story. It was a no brainer to do an 8 page flex catalog or an 8 page tab because you knew it would drive the results.

As for today? It cost a lot to print. Freight is really expensive. The newspaper is not as successful and as a result the have jacked up their prices for insertion. What does that leave us? It cost us more to even try to get the results we used to get and we all know we ain’t getting the results we used to get.

How do we maximize this eye catching vehicle the most cost effectively way possible that will deliver us results? Let’s take a look at some stats first:

This is actual data from two retailers that we work with. This shows their daily website traffic over a 30 day period. Take a look at the circled spikes in traffic and what happened on those days in the local media to help increase:

38% increase in website traffic on average on insertion dates

30% increase in traffic on insertion dates

What happened on those days where traffic increased? The best and worst part about this? There was no intention or purposefulness to drive them to the website. It just happened that way. Imagine if we would of used this vehicle to reach our audience to drive them to an online portal where they can get more than a 4 page tab or single sheet?

Could we:
• Capture Email Data?
• Show more product than we could imagine?
• Increase our social media presence?
• Give them an additional offer and incentive to buy?
• Used less space but get a bigger result with a solid call to action?

So, how can this drive results to the retail level? Two Ways:
1. A more concise message and call to action will then lead them our our virtual store. This lead in will help tell our story in a more cost effective manner than ever before while still capturing the customer.
2. If we drive them to the website we can track the effectiveness of our campaign which in turn allows for accountability and adaptation to occur. Those two “a” words in themselves allow retail to get better and sales to climb. You can’t change what you don’t know. How good was your last insertion? You got numbers to prove it?

With all of these great things there are some serious pitfalls that must be taken into consideration:
1. Do not just insert in what you used to insert. There are multiple vehicles available today that can allow you to distribute to a more targeted audience for a smaller cost investment than the paper. As mentioned during QR Codes, if the newspaper is still a draw, use the newspaper. If it is not a draw…don’t think you are going to be the magic bullet that makes it draw again.
2. It has to help the consumer. Just because you can get website traffic to justify your cost what are you offering the customer when they land on your website or landing page? Is there value for the customer or is the value for you to show numbers. Choose wisely. The customer will choose you only once.
3. The creative must be good. The language must be concise. Your message must stand out from any other message in your marketplace. And there better be synergy between what they see in their hands and what they are going to see on the screen.

Over the next four weeks we are going to be exploring the following media’s and how you can use that media to create a synergized marketing plan.
Week 1: Newspaper and QR Codes
Week 2: Insertions and Website (this week)
Week 3: TV and Twitter (next week)
Week 4: Direct Mail and Facebook (two weeks)

Be sure to visit our website, twitter and Facebook for live updates throughout the week pertaining to retail, marketing and all of these topics on a regular basis.

I wish I could jump into Mad Men and introduce the concept of a QR code into their print media.

Even though there is not an audience in front of me, I can hear the collective “What?” or “Silence” resonating through the monitor right now in my general direction. Do not fear, I am going to explain what a QR code is but I would first like to explain what it can do.

A QR Code can allow for proof of a medium working or not working. A QR Code can qualify a customer to determine if we want to approach them into buying goods and services from us. A QR Code allows a standard 3×10 newspaper ad to become an eight page tab, 30 page catalog or an easy entry way into our online store. A QR Code allows for actionable results—something most medias fail to deliver.

Now, if I could jump into Mad Men and deliver that sort of medium to their print, they would have clients lining up out of their door and happy clients showing proof of their advertising initiatives.

So, it can prove something, now the concept of what it is? Basically a QR code is an application driven function used in smart phones. That is the tech speak. The real world speak: You take a photo of it and it drives you to a website/landing page using your phone.

You create a code at one of thousands of websites and it can relate to a specific page on your website or another site entirely.

How can this drive results to the retail level?    Two Ways:

1. You have now made your newspaper ad an entry way to an endless amount of content all related to your brand and your product/service. A 3×10 Ad can now become an entry way to view your entire product catalog online, specific bargain reduced items that change on a consistent basis which would mess up print schedules or a way to make your ad stand out verses your competition because you are hip and cool.

2. A medium that is already struggling just found a way to be scrutinized with measurable tracking or a cost reduction in space to still get the messages out you want to give. A lead generating device that entices email sign up, Facebook users to fan you or twitter followers to follow you.

With all of these great things there are some serious pitfalls that must be taken into consideration:

1. If the Newspaper in your market is damaged beyond repair, a QR code in your ad is not going to save it. It’s not your job to fund the newspaper. It’s your job to use the paper to bring you results.

2. It is not a substitute for professional, creative crafted collateral. Buying a 3×10 ad that only has your locator information and a QR code is not going to satisfy the ROI you are expecting on your newspaper ad. Remember everyone does not have a smart phone. And of those that have smart phones, many at this point are not aware of what a QR code is.

3. It has to help the consumer. Just because you can get website traffic to justify your cost what are you offering the customer when they land on your website or landing page? Is there value for the customer or is the value for you to show numbers. Choose wisely. The customer will choose you only once.

Over the next four weeks we are going to be exploring the following media’s and how you can use that media to create a synergized marketing plan.

Week 1: Newspaper and QR Codes (this week)
Week 2: Insertions and Website (next week)
Week 3: TV and Twitter (two weeks)
Week 4: Direct Mail and Facebook (three weeks)

Be sure to visit our website, twitter and Facebook for live updates throughout the week pertaining to retail, marketing and all of these topics on a regular basis.

Okay, let’s apply this to retail today.  Imagine running an insert today exactly the way you would have run it twenty years ago.

I believe we can all agree that this insertion today would not deliver us the traffic and business necessary to drive home business.  But it still had its place in our history.

Let’s do another scenario.  Imagine running an insert today with all of the technological advances:  digital photography, four color printing, in store offers, etc.

Again, I believe we all can all agree that this specific advertisement could drive home business.  It looks hip, modern and stylish.  It fits today’s look but it is not appealing to the changing demographic.  But it still uses an older medium that used to work and it looks great.

Let’s look at one final scenario.  Run that exact same insert today but take all of the new elements involved in the consumer market place today.  Include a call to action to visit the website to view additional offers, visit Facebook to receive tips, trends and offers, and create matching creative across all of your channels.

All of a sudden you have not neglected the base of customers who still need what used to work but you have found a way to synergize the new with the old.  You have begun talking to your entire customer base, not a portion of the customer base.

It’s not about sticking with what used to work.  It’s not about using what is new, fresh and exciting.  It is about finding the proper mix of media to help drive home results to your business.

Remember 75% of all consumers are online everyday—not 100%.  66% of all consumers spend less than 3 hours online every day.  It’s not the final solution.  It is part of the solution.  The right synergy of media’s can deliver success to your bottom line.

Over the next four weeks we are going to be exploring the following media’s and how you can use that media to create a synergized marketing plan.

Week 1:  Newspaper and QR Codes (next week)

Week 2:  Insertions and Website (two weeks)

Week 3:  TV and Twitter (three weeks)

Week 4:  Direct Mail and Facebook (four weeks)

Be sure to visit our website, twitter and Facebook for live updates throughout the week pertaining to retail, marketing and all of these topics on a regular basis.

In my previous blog, we discussed the benefits to both online and offline marketing methods. In this blog, we will discuss using both offline and online strategies that will help bring your company success. Sounds impossible, but it’s not.

Potential clients will always look you up online after meeting you via meetings, networking events, direct mail, etc. For starters, it helps them to legitimize your business. They might see your TV ad and it will prompt them to check you out online to see what you are really about.

A few facts to ponder:

• Marketers reported an average improvement of close to 50% for personalized multichannel campaigns over traditional campaigns. – InfoTrends (2007)
• 62% of online campaigns are seeing an increase in return on investment when combined with offline marketing such as direct mail. – Omnicon Media Group (2009)

When combining the two strategies, it’s proven that you will generate more leads and have a higher and faster response rate.

One successful strategy is to use offline media to direct customers to responding online. Customers love the look and feel of a nice direct mail piece, but they want a quick and easy way to respond. This is where online marketing comes into play. Use the direct mail (offline) marketing piece to direct customers online, to your company’s website, Facebook page or a special landing page. According to PODI.org (2006 data), 42% of direct mail recipients prefer to respond online and 25% of direct mail recipients will only respond online.

Some would argue, well, if they are looking for us online, then we should only be online. While I understand the thought process behind this, there are always two sides to an argument. I would agree that yes, it makes sense to be online if they are looking for you online, but how will they know to look for you if they haven’t heard of you before? And how will they hear about you if you are only online? People still watch TV, people still read the newspaper and magazines to some degree, and people still read snail mail.

As you can see, people are using both online and offline medias to get their information, and the best thing for your business to do is to hit both offline and online strategies as I’ve mentioned above. By using offline media to direct customers to online media you are making the best out of both worlds.

(They do not have to work against each other but can work with each other to equal success)

One of the many tasks that all retailers are facing is how to utilize both online and offline marketing tactics in their overall marketing strategy, thus helping increase their sales.

There are numerous benefits to both offline and online marketing. Online marketing allows you to more accurately target your designated demographic, while offline gives you a more general demographic. Online turns your store from an 8 – 5 store into a 24-7 store. Online removes the personal customer service, while offline allows you to connect with the customer, thus building trust and more likelihood of repeat business.

While there are numerous pros and cons to both offline and online marketing, the best approach is to use them together.

So where are your customers? Online? Offline? BOTH! So how do you target them? Well, for starters, you need to put yourself in their shoes. Think of what your habits are – do you still watch the evening news? Do you still get the newspaper? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then most likely your customers are answering yes as well. Meaning that you still need to market to those traditional media sources. Many customers will see something offline. They will then research it online, and then they will buy it offline. Resources show that roughly 70% of customers will use online resources to research a product that they will buy offline.

So how does a retailer use both online and offline marketing? By integrating all their resources – for example, take a look at your ad budget. What percentage of it is used for online marketing? If the answer is less than 10%, then you are not full integrating online marketing into your overall strategy. Once you are integrated, the next step is using both offline and online strategies to bring your business success, which I will discuss further in my next blog.

One of social media’s best qualities is content: creating it, sharing it and engaging with it. Quality content will inspire, inform, educate or even entertain your customers (and if you’re really lucky, it does all four!). So if you’re looking to engage with your customers to keep them coming back for more, follow the tips below to implement social media cohesion.

Establish Your Brand Voice
Brainstorm and establish your social media presence or identity before you set up a Twitter account or Facebook page.

Ask yourself the following questions to help identify your social media presence:

• Do you want it to be strictly a selling tool?
• Do you want it to build you life-long customers?
• Do you just want to have fans and followers and don’t care what comes from it?

Decide what your brand stands for and how you want to portray that on your social media platforms.

Focus on Your Topic
Frequently, people forget exactly what you say in your social media content. However, they generally remember the topics you talk about the most and your subject matter of expertise – assuming you focus on one.

This is why an effective online branding strategy should write, talk and share about topics related to your business and industry. Doing this will reinforce your weight as an expert on that topic. That’s not to say you should never post about anything else, but keep your subject matter close to your area of expertise to reinforce your image as a leader in that area.

Get to Know Your Fans
People become fans of your page for a reason. They didn’t happen to “like” your page just because they thought it looked cool. They want relevant and expert information from you. So go ahead and give them what they want! Talk about what you know. Talk about what you have been doing for the past twenty years. Show them you’re the leading voice of authority in your industry!

Update moderately
Don’t get caught in the overload zone. Once your fall into this trap, it’s hard to escape. Overloading your followers and friends with too many updates will annoy them and can cause them to unsubscribe. However, it’s important to update moderately and steadily to help keep your brand fresh and reiterate your brand personality among your customers.

Need help getting your social media back on track? We can help!

Call us (888-225-0776), Facebook Us, Email Us, Tweet us, or visit our website to get in touch with the social media experts at R&A Marketing!