By now, your store is set up to capitalize on all sorts of Niche Products, right? Green products, new products, safety products...you've got it covered!
There is one final niche that I am going to talk about that you may not have considered marketing for and that may encompass any of the previous three ideas.
Current events.
Now, I realize that I am stretching it a bit here, to say that current events could possibly be a “niche product”, but hear me out.
You maybe aren't going to exactly sell current events, but you sure can use current events to sell any niche
products you have on your shelves right now.
Let's delve into it a bit, shall we?
First of all, people, by nature, love gossip. Whether you are male or female or willing to admit it or not, people love Hot Gossip. Current events serve as a popular and socially acceptable form of gossip. You can consider them on a local, national or even global scale and, if the topic is hot enough, it will be spread with gusto — just like high school kiss 'n tell.
So how can you capitalize on current events? Well, you have to keep aware of what is going on around you, first and foremost.
If you can do that, you are well on your way to being THE place people go to talk about the newest trends while they fill their baskets.
Start a “Did You Know” flier that you can print out on your company printer and tuck into customer bags as they pass through your tills. Make sure your staff knows what's up that week and encourage them to verbalize the Hot Topic to customers as they browse.
Did you know this was the warmest weather Example Town has ever had at this time of year? In all of history!? You might want to grab one of our fun float umbrellas and some extra sun tan lotion!
Did you see the front page in the Example Times the other day? Frogs are becoming endangered so quickly scientists are saying that a new species disappears every day!? Its so sad; I'm glad Critter Skimmers are one of our biggest sellers! Have you got one for your pool yet?
Did you know my daughter told me that over 50% of her graduating class has you shop at a plus size store for their grad dresses!? I have a feeling we are going to be selling a lot of water weights this year!
Be creative. Play on the social conscious. Play on emotions. Make people feel like the HAVE to get what you are selling, or else the news is going to be about them! Solve the problems they don't even know they have. Because we are talking about current
events, I have to tell you that this kind of “Niche” is greatly enhance by social media networking.
if you are focusing on Heat Pumps because your state just hiked up the price of gas, your store will become famous if you can use a few strategic headlines thrown out to your Twitter followers, your Facebook fans and your Blog readers.
Get on Craigslist and post a group discussion if you don't have a blog. Or use the Events section to announce your special training session on “Reducing Water Born Diseases in 3 simple steps.”
If you really don't do online marketing, you can use signage instead. Do it Guerrilla style to keep your expenses under control by getting your employees to decorate a poster board with a Headline like “Do you know how to save neighborhood pets from drowning in your pool, while your on vacation? Ask us about the Pet Ramp!
Be creative, but stayed informed!
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