We Need Better Marketing
Marketing an Art Supply Store
Promotional tactics for art supply stores are exceptionally diverse. But in our experience, there are a handful of tips and strategies that will deliver the best return for your marketing efforts.
A snazzy logo, glossy brochure and must-have brand merchandise mean nothing apart from a robust marketing strategy.
It's not hard to convince most business owners that marketing plays a vital role in strategic planning. But in a zero-sum economy, there are winners and losers -- and here are some of the things that will help keep your art supply store ahead of the competition.
Hiring A Marketing Firm
Many art supply store operations turn to marketing firms for guidance. Unless you have a marketing background, you won't be able to touch the ROI you'll receive from a professional firm. Does a marketing firm cost money? Sure, but not as much as you may think. When it's time to look for a marketing firm to represent your art supply store, experience should trump other considerations. Avoid young marketing firms staffed exclusively with inexperienced hot shots. Novice marketers bring a lot of passion to the table, but they also tend to embrace high-risk marketing strategies that lack the payoff you'll get from an established firm.
Newsletters
Newsletters can pack a promotional punch. How? By subtly using information to promote the benefits of your products and services. We've seen a lot of company newsletters over the years, and the best ones use a thought leadership strategy to advance key value propositions and raise the company's profile as a dominant presence in the industry. These days, art supply stores rely on newsletters as cornerstones of a deliberate PR and marketing strategy, combining print and online distribution channels.
Mailings
It makes sense for art supply stores to participate in direct marketing. A coordinated mailing campaign raises your company's profile and draws new customers into the business. Third-party providers have a reputation for generating accurate mailing lists that can be sorted to accommodate niches and subsections of the market. Despite the added upfront expense, premium mailing lists are a smart investment if for no other reason than their ability to generate higher conversion rates.
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