Marketing Advice By Business Type
Marketing a Surf Shop
The value and earning capacity of a surf shop largely depends on the quality of its marketing efforts. But great marketing takes a lot more than hanging a shingle and hoping for the best.
For every surf shop winner, there multiple surf shops struggling to survive.
In some businesses, marketing takes a back seat to sales and operations. That's a mistake because without marketing, your brand messages aren't being heard. On the upside, great marketing is a real possibility for a surf shop willing to adapt its strategy to the demands of the marketplace.
Encourage Word of Mouth Referrals
Industry-leading surf shops rely on a certain amount of word of mouth marketing buzz to communicate brand values and product messaging.
As a rule, your marketing strategy should include mechanisms that encourage meaningful brand conversations and spread the good word about your business. Mind you, there's a difference between word of mouth marketing and viral marketing -- if word of mouth marketing is a new concept for you, you might want to hire a marketing consultant.
Improving Customer Loyalty
Customer loyalty provides the backbone for business growth. In growth-minded surf shops, premium mailing lists from list providers can help expand your customer base. To encourage customer loyalty, you'll need to tap into deliberate mechanisms that incentivize customers to reward your brand with repeat business. In many cases, online channels can be leveraged to create innovative customer loyalty programs.
When It's Time to Rebrand
Rebranding can be the cornerstone of a successful marketing strategy. But unfortunately, many business owners choose to rebrand simply because they aren't sure what else to do. That's not how rebranding works. Instead, rebranding should be performed for the right reasons. In a surf shop, owners are often inspired to rebrand after analysis has demonstrated that the current brand is losing its impact in the marketplace. If rebranding is unavoidable, it's important to update the brand while maintaining the elements that make it recognizable to consumers.
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