i really like yelp.  in fact, i always look up restaurants, shops, and even dentists and doctors before visiting.  yelp helped me find people to work with for my wedding.  yelp always helps me choose a hotel when i travel.  yelp is great at tracking down an outdoor restaurant/good for groups/kids welcome/within 5 miles.  or whatever else you’re looking for (plus they tell you you’re looking sharp and i like that too).

so make sure that your business is on yelp!  if it’s not – just add it (it’s free!) and you can write your own first comment (go ahead – tell em’ it’s you).  then monitor your listing regularly.  when someone writes a glowing review – thank them.  when someone sheds your business in a not so flattering light – write them and apologize.  let them know you want your clients to have a positive experience and you’d like to invite them back when (X has changed – whatever that is)**.   

**this actually happened to me – i felt horrible after someone said they had a bad experience with a “not so nice” owner (ME?  not nice?).  so i wrote her and told her how sorry i was and that i must have been in a horrible mood or something.  she then wrote back apologizing to me and said it was she that had been in a really bad mood.  and then she changed her review. 

the point is:  yelp is a pretty big deal for a lot of people.  and there are ways you can take advantage of an opportunity to talk to your clients in a new medium.  it’s all free too!!  of course, you can also pay for an ad – which i did and felt was money well spent (although i don’t know what the current rates are!).   but seriously, if you’re not on yelp – check it out.  there’s great info for business owners – and you may find it personally useful as well!

by now, i think it’s safe to say that every store has a website (if you don’t – contact Bella Cosa Design pronto!!).  many of you also have facebook, twitter, enews or blog accounts to communiate with your clients.  and hopefully in most of these instances, you include photos of your merchandise.  it’s crucial for people to be able see visuals when you are aiming to taunt the virtues of your wonderful items.

but alas!  where do you get photos?  if you’re lucky, from the designer/creator.  they are generally professionally photographed and look appropriately amazing.  otherwise, break out the camera and hope for the best.

though i have a love for photography, it’s something i have yet to dive deep into (yet – that’s on the list).  so my photos of “new arrivals” and “kate’s affection” items at my former boutique were always a little lackluster.  especially the jewelry.  so hard to make it sparkle!!  the lighting was never right.  it just didn’t do anything justice.

before & after my tabletop studio

that is – until i bought my tabletop photo studio!!  these are really awesome.  they come with a little box to provide that seamless white (or other color) backdrop, lights, tripods, and a few props.  learn a few tips on how to properly use your camera and you’re in business!  you can go low -budget  (like me) or if you really want to ramp up – you can easily spend $500+ on a really nice studio.  they have all different sizes depending on your primary use as well.

now – what about apparel?  well – unless you’re selling merch on your website and need to do the whole shebang with models, etc, i suggest that you use a good quality dress form or friends/clients to take photos of clothes.  get the best lighting possible and keep the background solid & simple.

any great photo tips out there from people who know more than me??  please comment and share your tips!

i was consistently inspired by my merchandise when i owned ooma.  i’d delight in the arrival of new boxes from the UPS man (seriously – it never got old) and would immediately have visions of what activities the ladies may partake in while wearing these new items.

perhaps they’d sip mimosas on a poolside deck while wearing a seersucker sundress?  perhaps they’d wear their tallest, sexiest boots while devastating a man with a mere glance in this slinky sweater dress.  it seems that any gal wearing this top is inviting a kiss from a stranger….

you get the drift.  i would immediately conjure up scenarios of what would happen if someone was wearing this (and it’s always been how i get dressed!).

so i decided to create name tags for my wall racks.  i’d make small, simple signs that indicated what i thought about the clothes hanging below.  clients just adored them!  they’d always comment on what they read – some were kitschy, some were flirty and some were just fun.  they always told a story in just a few words and usually generated a conversation.

signs are also great for suggestions (how to wear/use an item), telling stories (short bio on a designer),  and creating categories that make it easier for people to shop (casual, seasonal, etc).

it’s as simple as printing out words (i’d use a design or colored paper) and placing them strategically.  frame them, tape them, pin them, hang them  - whatever works for you.

i already kinda like Mailchimp better than VR. the interface feels friendlier and there’s loads of cool functionality that i dig. plus, i like that the chimp agrees that i’m looking sharp today (Yelp often thinks this too).

lists were incredibly easy to uplodad and easily collected from a variety of places with a click of a button (from email accounts, excel, etc).

campaign set up includes the ability to add Google Analytics (cool!) and your choice of tracking options. 

design is super easy.  i was pleased when i uploaded my logo header and voila!  the colors from my header were automatically added to the body of the email.  pretty!  adding text was limited to fonts on hand (not many choices) and preview upload was slow…but…

the preview was worth the wait.  it showed a bar across the top that indicates a good width.  mine was too big to read in standard emails – so i re-did my header.

omg – it’s sooooo sloooooooow.  so far – this is my biggest complaint.

when i was ready to send the email – i noticed you can buy an Inbox Inspection - which tests your email through over 30 email clients, spam stuff and even spelling/coding errors.  this might be a good idea if you are getting a lot of unsubscribes or your open rates are lower than average.

so how much does all of this cost?  if you send less than a 100 emails (6 times a month) – it’s free!  after that you have monthly fees ($10 for up to 500, $30 for up to 2,500….you can see all the fees here) or pay as you go (not that great of a deal).

ok – just sent my newsletter and was pleasantly surprised that i could quickly add to my facebook, twitter and other social media accounts.

Finally, the reports were easy to read – nice graphs & pie charts and info about how your open & click rates compare to industry average (mine made me feel very good).

let me know what your favorite e-news service is  – or if you have any thoughts in Mailchimp.  so far  – this is my fave.

i had the pleasure of (briefly) attending the 3 year anniversary party of one of my favorite Portland boutiques this evening:  Mabel & Zora (and a hearty congratulations!).

the party looked to be well-attended and the ladies were doing some serious shopping.  the service was impeccable, the merchandise was gorgeous and well-stocked, and the wine & cupcakes were sweet.

here are a few of my observations as to why this party was a success (other than it’s a popular store!):

goody bags were distributed to the first 25 guests

• this filled the store with guests right off the bat  – creating great energy
• the bag was filled with discount coupons from other like-minded & neighborhood stores – a great way to spread the love

there was a drawing for really cool prizes every 1/2 hour – but you must be present to win

• keeps people exactly where you want them:  shopping in your store (sadly, i had to leave to put my son to bed)

 

a hot item - denim – was 15% off.  not too big of a discount from the stores perspective (i’m sure they made up for it in volume ) but for merchandise that rarely goes on sale – this would be where i’d buy it!

the party was also on the same night of a monthly street fair - which draws a pretty large crowd.  all in all – a great way to celebrate, market the store, and hopefully generate a whopping amount of sales!

tell me about events & parties you’ve thrown – how have you made them work for you?