Advertising & Marketing

5 Tips for Turning your Website into a Sales Machine

Written by in Advertising & Marketing, Featured Stories, Technology
May/June 2013 Furniture retailers can benefit greatly from mobile marketing and the mobile revolution if they have a grasp of how mobile technology is affecting consumer behavior. If you’ve taken the digital plunge and are driving traffic to your website, don’t let the trail end there. Take a hard look at your website. Is it optimized to lead qualified buyers to your physical location? Can consumers... Read More

Quick-Fire Marketing: Relational vs. Transactional Advertising

Written by in Advertising & Marketing, Featured Stories
I am sure you’ve heard of relational and transactional advertising, but have you really thought about which is best for you, the retailer? Deciphering the difference is the first of many steps to growing your business through advertising. Let’s examine both types a little closer. Relational advertising deals with relationships. It is based on brand loyalty, not on price. This type of advertising allows... Read More

In-Effektiv Leadership: Ikea Leadership Study

Written by in Advertising & Marketing, Case Studies, Leadership, Top Stories
May/June 2013 A brisk Saturday morning trip to IKEA generates many feelings:  A strenuous feeling—after you’ve just finished lifting one of their 30 lb. (yet environmentally friendly!) floor rugs A diabolical feeling—after you receive the receipt (“I bought 16 items for only $39.28… really?”) A feeling of self-disgust—after you realize you forgot to bring your own shopping bag for those 16 items.... Read More

The Furniture Shopper’s Path to Purchase

Written by in Advertising & Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Customer Experience, Technology

5 Steps to Profitable Mobile Marketing

Written by in Advertising & Marketing, Customer Experience, Technology
April 2013 In previous articles, I’ve discussed the rapid expansion of mobile technology and what questions to ask in devising a mobile advertising strategy. A key takeaway is that customers with smart phones are “on the go” and looking to buy quickly. The Search Agency found that 1 in 4 paid clicks in the United States in Q4 2012 came from smartphones and tablets (mobile devices). Our data shows... Read More

Don’t Aim for Consistency, Aim for Cohesion in Social Media

Written by in Advertising & Marketing, Customer Experience
April 2013 Don’t Aim for Consistency, Aim for Cohesion Social media’s most appealing abilities revolve around content: creating it, sharing it and engaging with it. Quality content will inspire, inform, educate or even entertain your customers (and if you’re really lucky, it does all four!). So if you’re looking to engage with your customers, to keep them coming back for more, follow the tips below... Read More

An Old-Fashioned Barn Raising—Online

Written by in Advertising & Marketing
feb-mar-cover
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube… How do you nurture relationships in business and in life? You show up. You show interest. And you keep doing it over and over. Social media is the same. It’s about investing in relationships. Trouble is, with so many social media channels it’s easy to get sucked into them all—posting, tweeting, updating, commenting, posting again. Whew! Step back, breathe... Read More

Is your store ready for the mobile revolution?

Written by in Advertising & Marketing, Technology
mobile-marketing
Don’t get run over by your competition! What does your website look like on a mobile phone or tablet? Find out, then hop in the driver’s seat. The opportunity for retailers is clear: You and your products must be easily found in your local marketplace by an increasingly mobile customer base. Are you ready to be a first mover in the mobile marketing revolution, or are you poised to be road kill on... Read More

Forgotten Advertising–The Press Release

Written by in Advertising & Marketing
Have you ever run a promotion that had to do with raising money for a charity or supported a local school? How did you advertise this? Did you think about writing a press release to get the word out? A press release or a news release is a written announcement directed at members of the news media about something claimed as having news value. Press releases can clear away the clutter and become a powerful... Read More

Marketing Your Relationships

Written by in Advertising & Marketing
Relationships are essential in developing a successful brand. Relationships matter to marketing and can help your business find new customers by strengthening the relationships with your current ones (hello, word of mouth!). Here’s how to strengthen your current relationships and build new brand advocates: Keep in Touch Just like when you start a new romantic relationship, communication is key. Keeping... Read More