The appeal of live blogging is easy to understand. Retailers hosting events (i.e., sales, charity events, holiday specials) want to make the most of them, which can now include sharing the experience online. This marketing strategy offers an opportunity to position your company as an engaging thought leader, a valued resource, and a fun, lively place to shop. Giving people a peek behind the scenes can also result in some highly coveted earned media coverage.

Live blogging may also be easier than you think. There are great tools out there that make things easy to set up. Software platforms like CoverItLive and ScribbleLive allow for an online experience that replicates the interactive experience of a panel Q&A or roundtable discussion, and most options are inexpensive or free. Blogging content management systems like WordPress often include plug-ins that allow for speedy blogging during an event as well. And of course, there’s also the option of simply using Twitter.

Live blogging can take place over the course of a short, one time only event, or it can be an essential part of a larger happening. One great example on the grander scale was Chicago Ideas Week, held in October 2011. The seven day event was designed to bring together the best and brightest minds from around the world. On Twitter, search for the #CIW11 hashtag resulted in scores of tweets about the discussions occurring simultaneously all over town. All it took was the creation of a hashtag and a little encouragement on Twitter to get users talking about it.

While live blogging can be an effective, cost efficient way to extend influence in social spaces, efforts should be managed with care. Recognizing the considerable marketing potential of live blogging and tweeting events, brand managers are often tempted to jump in without considering a few essentials: tactics, strategy and logistics. Consider the following factors to successfully harness the brand building power of live blogging, become a thought leader and generate lots of media attention:

1) Staff appropriately. Active engagement depends on having the right kind of person behind a brand’s social media presence. Your brand’s “Wizard of Oz” should be enthusiastic, knowledgeable and have a penchant for detail. People want to engage with and listen to brands with personality, and whose interests are perceived to be in line with their own. Small business owners, sometimes you are the best for the job! After all, who knows your business better than you do?

2) Promote. Publicize that your brand will be attending and live tweeting an event via your social channels and website(s) leading up to the event, including regular reminders as the event approaches. Don’t forget to follow up with an in-depth blog post for those who missed it live.

3) Plan ahead. Ensure you’ll have reliable technology in place no matter where you’ll be live blogging from, including access to steady WiFi or 3G service if needed.

4) Mix it up. Include photos, direct quotes from customers, and even a short video in your coverage. It will make the audience feel more connected than merely following a stream of text.

5) Feel the flow. All things in moderation, social media included. Keep your posts concise, share only the most important parts of the event, and leave readers wanting more (perhaps persuading them to drop by the store). Make an outline of important happenings at the event beforehand, to keep you on track. Most importantly, listen to feedback from your followers for future live blogging events.

Jacqueline Zenn is Social Media Strategist for SociaLogic, a social media marketing agency in Chicago.

1) Wall Decals and Graphics. Wall decals can transform a space from boring to impressive. Consider the merchandising possibilities for placing goods on a giant image; sell more sleeping bags with a beautiful outdoor scene, more guitars with a picture of a raging arena crowd, or more basketball shoes with intense dunking imagery.

2) Floor Decals and Graphics. Floor graphics can serve two important purposes: promoting a message or providing helpful directions. Place messaging for a sale or special event underfoot, and it will be hard to ignore once it catches a customer’s peripheral vision. Color-coded lines or section numbers on the ground provide direction and free up wall space for other messages. Floor graphics are safe, durable and removable.

3) Window Decals and Graphics. Window decals allow you to use more of the customer-facing real estate available in many places. Consider vinyl decals for seasonal messaging instead of messy paint jobs.

4) Digital Signage. Digital signage is the ultimate long-term signage investment. There is an up-front cost for the display unit and software to manage the content, but over time it saves money and time in printing and re-printing materials. Digital signage is dynamic and easy to change, making it ideal for places that frequently change messages. There are many options available, from single units that run on flash drives to thousands of screens with content managed through a central location.

5) Go Green with Solar Powered Signs. Solar powered signs help save money and the earth. Installing solar power cells and a battery on an exterior sign allows it to use natural resources rather than electricity. Advances in technology have made these units smaller and less noticeable. A solar power unit can keep your sign illuminated 24 hours a day, or it can be programmed to turn on and off with business hours.

Drue Townsend is the Senior VP of Marketing for FASTSIGNS® International, Inc, a visual communications services provider with more than 530 locations around the world.

Driving Sales in Small Storefronts

However, there is more to the equation for success and survival. As USA Today explains, “While many small stores have a special cachet, they typically lack the resources of their larger competitors. Stores that don’t place big bulk orders miss out on hefty discounts. Smaller shops’ often tighter return policies and less convenient hours add to the challenge of competing with chains.” While unique and unusual merchandise might draw customers to your storefront, below are some tactics to help drive the sale home:

Focus on personal service. According to the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer, a survey conducted in the U.S. and nine other countries, “70 percent of Americans surveyed are willing to spend an average of 13 percent more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service.” Confirming this, a nationwide survey conducted for the Consumer Reports July 2011 edition reveals that, “64 percent of respondents said that during the previous 12 months they had left a store because service was poor, and 67 percent had hung up on customer service without having had their problem addressed.” The survey also reports that, “65 percent felt ‘tremendously annoyed’ about rude salespeople.” In addition, 56 percent were bothered by having to take multiple phone steps to reach the right place. You could seek out numerous consulting firms that offer you and your staff training in quality customer service, but a few simple steps in polishing up your demeanor and service may be all you need to boost sales.

Play up community impact. According to the Northwest Earth Institute’s Choices for Sustainable Living, “A dollar spent at a locally owned store is usually spent six to 15 times before it leaves the community. From $1, you create $5 to $14 in value within that community.” Yet retailers can’t expect customers to support their buy local campaigns without verification that the retailer they are supporting is in fact an active, involved and helpful member of the community, local and worldwide. There is value to incorporating a ‘giving back’ strategy and approach, not as an add-on to how you run business at key parts of the year (the holiday season), but rather by fully integrating ‘giving back’ as a way of doing business. While most independent retailers have only enough resources to give back to their local community, that is enough and speaks highly of any retail brand. ROI can’t always be measured in terms of dollars and cents. Philanthropy provides broader benefits, such as earning goodwill with future long term customers, attracting new customers to the brand, and PR.

Tap into social media. Businesses and independent retailers have a legitimate place on Facebook. With 600 million members, Facebook promises more than friend requests and fan bases, acting as a marketing tool to access the millions of shoppers that login on a daily basis. Gigya, a Software as a Service (SaaS) technology company, integrating online businesses and social networks, released a white paper on the three best practices to ensure expected ROI from Facebook. The goal is to create a customer experience that reflects your brand, and Gigya’s researchers believe this is possible with the following practices:

1) Integrate Facebook features into your website design. You don’t necessarily need to send your customers away to be social.

2) Incorporate ecommerce and social best practices both on your site and on Facebook.com. Keep the browsing and shopping experience consistent on both sites, making the customer feel as if they are viewing an extension of your company website.

3) Close the loop to enable seamless shopping. Understand the power of the “Like” button. So what if online viewers like your product and they’ve let everyone know on their Facebook wall? The important question: Did they buy the product? If you are looking to make money, this is the question you have to answer.

Don’t give up on traditional. There remains a traditional form of marketing that doesn’t involve tech tutorials or search engine optimization (SEO) know how. In-store marketing provides the opportunity to present a clear and direct message to your target customer, the one already walking your aisles or approaching your checkout counter. Are you doing all you can to entice the customer at the point of purchase? Although merchandising displays are important, in-store marketing is more than product setup. In-store promotion can have an interactive feel as well, such as having experts on-site to give advice and staff presenting product demonstrations. You can also enhance your ad campaign by displaying ads on-site. With these in-store promotions you may not only change a shopper’s perception of a product, but change their purchase behavior as well.

As we move into a new year with new possibilities, brick and mortars trying to keep Main Street thriving need to be different. The ways to express and promote your unique business are unlimited, but as an independent you want to remain true to your customers. It’s the look of the shop, its character and your character that draws them in.

• The launch of www.RetailMeansJobs.com, breaking down the retail industry’s economic impact by state and congressional district.

• Advertising in print, radio and online markets.

• Social media campaigning through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

• A viral video campaign to highlight the “Faces of Retail.”

That viral video campaign is now organized to be the result of a nationwide video contest entitled, “This is Retail.” “We’re on a hunt to find the best retail stories in America, from marketing geniuses to customer service superstars to small business owners, who are the fabric of every local community,” says NRF president and CEO, Matthew Shay.

How to Participate

Retail employees or business owners must submit a two-minute video sharing their retail story, which can highlight anything from the positive impact it has on shoppers to how an initiative within the business will help generate new jobs to boost the economy. All video submissions will be accepted during the dates of March 5 to March 16.

Viral Video Payouts

A panel of retail executives will narrow the videos down, featuring finalists on www.RetailMeansJobs.com. Winners will then be chosen based on votes. During NRF’s Washington Leadership Conference in May, a third place winner of $10,000, second place winner of $15,000, and a first place winner of $25,000 will be announced.

For more information visit www.retailmeansjobs.com/contest.

Check out our Industry Headlines for more NRF related news, studies and contests.

Mobile Purchases You Should Stock Your Shelves With

Here’s the top 10 most popular mobile purchases:

• Event tickets and daily deals: 38 percent of mobile device owners have made these purchases (tie)
• Apparel or accessories: 36 percent
• Travel; physical copies of books, video games or movies: 33 percent (tie)
• Consumer electronics (TVs, etc., but excluding mobile phones): 32 percent
• Flowers and gifts; toys: 30 percent (tie)
• General services (photo printing, shipping services, etc.): 26 percent
• Consumer packaged goods; sports and fitness: 25 percent (tie)

To read more about Jumptap’s study, click HERE.

The truth is online retailers are the ones who have better access to customer data, including how long a shopper lingers on one category or product page, what items receive the most clicks, and how each shopper came to access the online store. Analysis of this data then helps the online retailer decide what products to increase inventory on, what marketing channels have been successful, what items to start marking down, and more. However, with the help of biometrics, brick and mortar merchants aren’t relying on their sales numbers at the end of each quarter, hoping to turn around their luck in the next.  “Right now physical stores are only looking at dollars per person, dollars per store, and ignoring big problems until the numbers come in,” says Lora Cecere, an analyst at Altimeter Group in San Mateo, CA.

Biometric Technology for More Detailed Shopping Analysis

While some may perceive the approach of using hidden cameras as an intrusion of privacy, Bloomberg.com explains, “Since the 1970s, consumer behaviorists such as Paco Underhill have followed shoppers around stores and documented their behavior. By the 1980s, Underhill’s firm Envirosell was using hidden cameras to observe shopper habits.” Consumers may have heard of mystery shoppers performing undercover research of a store’s customer service, but shouldn’t be surprised if the retailers have also implemented undercover shoppers to evaluate consumer behavior (you never know who is in line next to you).  However, retailers nowadays don’t have to hide cameras, as many customers expect to see them in store to monitor shoplifting. If retailers use the cameras to track how people move around, how long they stand in front of displays, and which products they pick up, it is an added bonus and profitable data for the store owner.

Other technology perhaps not as familiar to consumers is facial recognition software. Bloomberg.com notes, “The software doesn’t identify a person, but it would give retailers a better handle on customer demographics at specific stores and help them gear promotions to age and gender.” For instance, the data collected from such software has begun to refute conventional wisdom, like the fact that retailers often put high-margin merchandise near the store entrance, believing shoppers would more than likely take a look. Many did not.

Another technology providing retailers knowledge about their browsing costumer base are heat maps. Bloomberg.com explains, “The data is presented in two ways: a ‘heat map’ that assigns colors to stores depending on traffic and an ‘affinity map’ that allows retailers to click on a store and determine the probability of a shopper who went their visiting other stores in the mall.” While these maps are many times applied to larger shopping venues such as mall and outlets, they could potentially be useful for in-store data research. The resulting data could help with product placement throughout the store.

To learn more about these individual technologies and their current uses in many retail shops, click HERE.

Big box retailers will have no problem meeting mobility demand, as they are well prepared with large marketing budgets and personnel. Independent retailers, however, who have their money tied up in inventory usually find themselves with a much smaller marketing budget and more often than not, do-it-yourself (DIY) campaign projects that take up time and resources. However, as these retailers finish out the fourth quarter and prepare their 2012 business and marketing plans, m-commerce is being discussed as an indispensable necessity to successfully communicate and connect with consumers. And while not everyone is digitally savvy and well versed in mobile technology, it’s mobile content creation solutions such as Magmito that help those entrepreneurial, DIY retailers think beyond their brick and mortar storefront to consider a world of mobile possibilities.

Magmito Makes Mobility Real for Independent Retailers

As the content creation site boasts, “Magmito is a mobile application generator that is easy-to-use and helps its users produce rich and engaging eco-apps that can be viewed on any mobile phone, from Android to iPhone and everything in between.” Targeting the DIY community and small to mid-sized business (SMB) users, Magmito enables anyone to create rich and engaging apps to promote products, services, events, etc. For free app development, your Magmito app will be required to feature unobtrusive advertising relevant to the target audience. However, for the low cost of $99, Magmito offers an interactive app free of ads, and affordable for those tight marketing budgets.

To Download Click HERE

Magmito’s coined “eco-apps” are economical (to produce), ecological (saves trees) and are an integral part of the mobile ecosystem. Apps can be created and published in just a few hours, and updated with new specials as often as needed. They can also easily be distributed through auto-generated QR Codes, popular app stores, Facebook, Twitter, SMS, email-to-mobile and more, depending on a retailer’s marketing plan. Magmito delivers apps both as a native app or Web app for all J2ME, Android, Windows Mobile and Blackberry devices. IPhone users automatically get an enhanced Web App version, avoiding the Apple approval process.

For more information:
DIDMO USA
Naples, FL
Tel.: 239-963-9396
Fax: 203-286-1961
Email: angelo@didmo.com
Website: www.didmo.com, www.magmito.com

Small Business Survival Strategies

Focus on personal service. According to American Express Global Customer Service Barometer, a survey conducted in the U.S. and nine other countries, “70 percent of the Americans surveyed are willing to spend an average of 13 percent more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service.” Confirming this, a nationwide survey conducted for the Consumer Reports July 2011 edition, reveals that, “64 percent of respondents said that during the previous 12 months they had left a store because service was poor, and 67 percent had hung up on customer service without having had their problem addressed.” The survey also reports that, “65 percent felt ‘tremendously annoyed’ about rude salespeople. And 56 percent felt that way about having to take multiple phone steps to reach the right place.”

You could seek out numerous consulting firms that offer you and your staff training in quality customer service, but a few simple steps in polishing up your demeanor and service may be all you need in boosting sales.

1) Smile when greeting a customer. In person and on the phone, customers know when you are are genuinely smiling, as well as genuinely concerned about their wants and needs.

2) Never judge a book by a cover. Regardless of your customer’s age or appearance, keep judgement out of the store. The only differences you should acknowledge are  the different shopping needs of your customers.

3) Find out if you don’t know. You don’t need to have every answer. However, if a customer asks you a question you don’t have an answer to, you should try your best to find out.

4) Learn to read body language. Body language is worth a thousand words. If your customer appears pensive, perhaps they have a question, giving you an opportunity to ask.

5) Smile while saying goodbye. Even if your customer walks out without a shopping bag in hand, he or she leaves with the impression of your welcoming and friendly attitude. That impression might be what keeps them coming back.

Play up community impact. According to the Northwest Earth Institute’s Choices for Sustainable Living, “A dollar spent at a locally owned store is usually spent 6 to 15 times before it leaves the community. From $1, you create $5 to $14 in value within that community.” Yet retailers can’t expect customers to support their buy local campaigns, without verification that the retailer they are supporting is in fact an active, involved and helpful member of the community, local and worldwide. There is value to incorporating a ‘giving back’ strategy and approach, not as an add-on to how you run business at key parts of the year (holiday season), but rather by fully integrating ‘giving back’ as a way of doing business.

While most independent retailers have only enough resources to give back to their local community, that is enough and speaks highly of any retail brand. ROI can’t always be measured in terms of dollars and cents. Philanthropy provides broader benefits such as earning good will with future long term customers, attracting new customers to the brand, and PR.

Tap into social media. Businesses and independent retailers have a legitimate place on Facebook. With an unimaginable 600 million members and a more routinely visited website than Google, Facebook promises more than friend requests and fan bases, but also acts as a marketing tool to access the millions of shoppers that login on a daily basis. Gigya, Software as a Service (SaaS) technology company, integrating online businesses and social networks, released a white paper on the three best practices to ensure expected ROI from Facebook. The goal is to create a customer experience that reflects your brand, and Gigya’s researchers believe this is possible with the following practices:

1) Integrate Facebook features into your website design. You don’t necessarily need to send your customers away to be social.

2) Incorporate ecommerce and social best practices both on your site and on Facebook.com. Keep the browsing and shopping experience consistent on both sites, making the customer feel as if they are viewing an extension of your company website.

3) Close the loop to enable seamless shopping. Understand the power of the “Like” button. So what if online viewers like your product and they’ve let everyone know on their Facebook wall? The important question: did they buy the product? If you are looking to make money, this is the question you have to answer.

Local and Small Business Campaigns to Be Aware of

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), has developed a program called the New Rules Project to help bring fresh new policy solutions to communities and states, ensuring that they are designing rules as if community matters. The ILSR also promotes that retailers looking to be advocates themselves in the independents movement should participate in buy local campaigns, proactive opportunities to combat legislation, and rebuilding local economies.

The focus of Independent Retailer Month (July 2011) is on all independent retailers, regardless of what products they sell. Among the benefits of participation, local retailers received the opportunity to have their products featured on Independent Retailer Month’s website homepage, and were a part of a widespread media campaign. The initiative is inclusive of everyone that has some form of recognition for independent retailing, in the hope that Independent Retailer Month will become the umbrella for all, in the USA as well as globally.

Two new campaigns also joining the bandwagon this holiday season are “Shift Your Shopping” and “Small Business Saturday.” Small Business Saturday returns for its second consecutive year, on Nov. 26. American Express is looking to make this annual event a success, providing retailers with tools that will help generate ideas on creating in-store offers and build an online presence to rally customers. A limited number of American Express cardholders will once again receive a $25 statement credit if they register their cards and use them at participating small businesses on Nov. 26. The Shift Your Shopping campaign, launched this November 1 and is a coalition of over 38,000 locally owned, independent retailers across the United States and Canada dedicated to encouraging the purchase of holiday gifts from independent businesses, flea markets, and mom and pop stores.

Joining AMIBA in the Movement

As AMIBA says, “Sometimes seemingly small acts have an impact bigger than you ever imagined. Take family spending. You may think you’re just fulfilling your family’s wants or needs when you shop or dine out.” But the choice of where the money is spent makes a big difference in anyone’s community. Participants of the event are not required to be affiliated with AMIBA, but should use the following steps to participate:

1) Download the campaign materials

2) Inform AMIBA that you are participating

3) Join AMIBA’s IBAs, kindred organizations, individual community-based businesses, independent trade associations, and motivated citizens everywhere in unchaining their communities and themselves.

AMIBA will provide participants with all the campaign information and materials (logos, templates for promotional items, press release, and more) needed.

Small Business Saturday Initiative Promotes Indie Sales

Last year, New York City became the first city in the country to endorse the nationwide initiative, two days after Thanksgiving. Launched at New York City Hall by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and American Express Chief Executive, Kenneth Chenault, the objective was to get consumers shopping at their locally owned, independent businesses. To boost interest in participating among small businesses and consumers, American Express offered $100 worth of Facebook advertising to 10,000 business owners who signed up for the program. The company also gave a $25 statement credit to 100,000 card members who registered their card and used it at a small business on the day of the initiative.

Once again, American Express is looking to make this annual event a success, providing retailers with tools that will help generate ideas on creating in-store offers and build an online presence to rally customers. A limited number of American Express cardholders will once again receive a $25 statement credit if they register their cards and use them at participating small businesses on Nov. 26. And for those independents wondering, “Will I see a significant increase in my sales on this day by participating?,” international customer service expert and author of the book, The Greet Your Customer Manual, Laurie Brown, says, “Small businesses can truly capitalize on Small Business Saturday by following a few important steps.” American Express is supporting the initiative and providing the initial tools to make the event a success, but the retailers must do their part.

1) Provide exceptional personal service. While the big box stores may have the lowest prices, the small businesses can provide the kind of unique personalized service that customers really want and need.

2) Create a party atmosphere. Make the day seem like a special event in your store. Offer “treats” your store would not normally offer customers, such as cookies, hot cider or even a cup of cocoa.

3) Go the extra mile. Offer free wrapping or have someone help the customer get their packages in their car. If you don’t have what the customer is looking for make a few calls to see if you can find it.

Brown adds, “The real opportunity of Small Business Saturday is in being the opposite of what customers experienced on Black Friday. Customers likely dealt with disengaged, overly tired, stressed out employees who couldn’t care less if they were there.”

To learn about other small business holiday shopping movements, click HERE.