Opening a offline business, any good grand opening tips?

GenBucks · 2005-03-26, 05:40 PM

I'm getting ready to open up a sportscard / hobby shop in my town. Only shop for 20 miles. Any good tips on the grand opening, etc.. marketing, etc?

stuveltje · 2005-03-26, 05:50 PM

news papers, flyers and all that stuff

Ramster · 2005-03-26, 06:02 PM

Have a sale!

Seriously, print is the best for a new store. Radio is out!!! (Until people actually know who you are and where you are). Print is better as they can take the address and store name with them.

I wouldn't plan to run any type of a big opening as far as spending money goes on advertising. What you sell isn't TVs where people will come in just to get the great deal. Some still will but not huge numbers.

Best advice I can give you for a store like that would be to use classified ads. Many people look there for antiques, sports cards and other things like that. Also the smaller bargain type papers too which run classified and things/items for sale. Small ads are cheap and very effective.

MrMaryLou · 2005-03-26, 08:11 PM

Hire an old timer to sign some autographs at your grand opening

RawAlex · 2005-03-26, 09:04 PM

Like ramster said: run some classified ads with some of the stuff for sale, and when people call, let them know you run a store and they can come down to meet you there. You might even sell a few things a little under market value, but require the sale gets completed at the store as a commecial transaction. That can help you get some people into browsing mode (and people rarely come alone).

if you can, try to come up with an angle that your local news might want to clamp onto. Visits by "name" people are always good, especially if you can arrange for those people to be available for your local media for a few minutes. TV only needs a little time to make a decent story out of it.

Alex

Useless · 2005-03-26, 09:58 PM

Everyone loves free hot dogs.

docholly · 2005-03-27, 09:47 AM

Open at 1201am with a 24 hour D & D marathon. Send press release out to all the local new entities. + all of the above..

if you are in a major metro area (does look like if you are the only one for 20 miles) post on your local Craiglist.org.

|cool|

SirMoby · 2005-03-27, 09:51 AM

As RawAlex points out, you want to be on the local news because that covers print, TV and radio, it's free and the word of mouth is much better then in regaular advertising.

Do something that hasn't been done before, roast a pig, get the high school marching band organize a charity event at the store. Something that's unique and stands out. You didn't mention anything about your location but if there's lots of foot or auto traffic get something that will attract attention.

dareutwo · 2005-03-27, 11:58 AM

Don't spend more than 500.00 bucks.
Word of mouth and print ads. Unless you have lot's of bucks to simply throw away, Grand Opening bash is pointless in my opinion.
The object is Sales... not promotions.
Local weekly papers, trade mags, very targetted ads.
Just like this biz - ROI - track everything.

koolkat · 2005-03-28, 03:56 PM

Give the first $1000 you make to KoolKat!

JK... best of luck with the new venture!

Certifiedbitch · 2005-03-29, 03:40 AM

flyers and free stuff are always the best highlight of grand opening.

ecchi · 2005-03-29, 04:48 PM

This may seem like a silly idea but read the story beneath it before you dismiss it.

Get an open top truck or trailer, put a band on it, lots of big adverts for your store, and drive them around town playing loudly.

Many years ago a branch of a new video shop chain opened up down the road from where I had my video shop. It was a newish chain over here, and as there was already one other video shop (which was a branch of a long established chain) just down the road from me, so I was not worried. They used the band idea (in this case it was on an open toped London bus).

The result: I was was out of business within a year, and they swallowed up the other chain soon after that. And if you need more proof of the effectiveness of that method, the video chain that used it to push new stores was unknown at the time, but I guess you will have heard of them now, it was Blockbuster.

2005-03-26, 05:40 PM	#1
GenBucks Rock stars ... is there anything they don't know? Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 17	Opening a offline business, any good grand opening tips? I'm getting ready to open up a sportscard / hobby shop in my town. Only shop for 20 miles. Any good tips on the grand opening, etc.. marketing, etc? __________________ Kegan - Director of Marketing/Sales ICQ: 316-046-431 GenBucks Weekly Paying Cash Program

2005-03-26, 05:50 PM	#2
stuveltje Live and learn. And take very careful notes! Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Sunny Holland Posts: 6,157	news papers, flyers and all that stuff __________________ Canadian Sexlinks - submit Erotica search -submit

2005-03-26, 06:02 PM	#3
Ramster Life is good Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 11,867	Have a sale! Seriously, print is the best for a new store. Radio is out!!! (Until people actually know who you are and where you are). Print is better as they can take the address and store name with them. I wouldn't plan to run any type of a big opening as far as spending money goes on advertising. What you sell isn't TVs where people will come in just to get the great deal. Some still will but not huge numbers. Best advice I can give you for a store like that would be to use classified ads. Many people look there for antiques, sports cards and other things like that. Also the smaller bargain type papers too which run classified and things/items for sale. Small ads are cheap and very effective. __________________ Pornstar Legends \| Live Cam Model Shows \| Hungarian Girls Skype: robmurray999

2005-03-26, 08:11 PM	#4
MrMaryLou i fucking told i type to fucking fast wtf Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: New York Posts: 11,247	Hire an old timer to sign some autographs at your grand opening __________________ <a href="http://www.greenguysboard.com/onthebench/">Join Me For On The Bench </a>

2005-03-26, 09:58 PM	#6
Useless Certified Nice Person Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Dirty Undies, NY Posts: 11,268	Everyone loves free hot dogs. __________________ Click here to purchase a bridge I'm selling.

2005-03-26, 09:04 PM	#5
RawAlex Took the hint. Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,597	Like ramster said: run some classified ads with some of the stuff for sale, and when people call, let them know you run a store and they can come down to meet you there. You might even sell a few things a little under market value, but require the sale gets completed at the store as a commecial transaction. That can help you get some people into browsing mode (and people rarely come alone). if you can, try to come up with an angle that your local news might want to clamp onto. Visits by "name" people are always good, especially if you can arrange for those people to be available for your local media for a few minutes. TV only needs a little time to make a decent story out of it. Alex

2005-03-27, 09:47 AM	#7
docholly Nothing funnier than the ridiculous faces you people make mid-coitus Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Sin-City USA Posts: 4,973	Open at 1201am with a 24 hour D & D marathon. Send press release out to all the local new entities. + all of the above.. if you are in a major metro area (does look like if you are the only one for 20 miles) post on your local Craiglist.org. \|cool\| __________________ Support Indie Porn Sites OMGoddess You know you need some Bling!!

2005-03-27, 09:51 AM	#8
SirMoby Jim? I heard he's a dirty pornographer. Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 2,706	As RawAlex points out, you want to be on the local news because that covers print, TV and radio, it's free and the word of mouth is much better then in regaular advertising. Do something that hasn't been done before, roast a pig, get the high school marching band organize a charity event at the store. Something that's unique and stands out. You didn't mention anything about your location but if there's lots of foot or auto traffic get something that will attract attention.

2005-03-27, 11:58 AM	#9
dareutwo You can't disprove anything with evidence that doesn't exist Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: NW Minnesota - pop 865 +/- 1 Posts: 2,038	Don't spend more than 500.00 bucks. Word of mouth and print ads. Unless you have lot's of bucks to simply throw away, Grand Opening bash is pointless in my opinion. The object is Sales... not promotions. Local weekly papers, trade mags, very targetted ads. Just like this biz - ROI - track everything. __________________ This is me Mark's-Links

2005-03-28, 03:56 PM	#10
koolkat Remember to rebel against the authorities, kids! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: SC Posts: 401	Give the first $1000 you make to KoolKat! JK... best of luck with the new venture! __________________ Harry Beaver's Lodge

2005-03-29, 03:40 AM	#11
Certifiedbitch You can now put whatever you want in this space :) Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 547	flyers and free stuff are always the best highlight of grand opening. __________________ www.idealbandwidth.com Hosting Solutions Starting at $18 per Mbps ICQ: 223-034-292 siena@idealbandwidth.com

2005-03-29, 04:48 PM	#12
ecchi Banned Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: About to be evicted!!!! Posts: 4,082	This may seem like a silly idea but read the story beneath it before you dismiss it. Get an open top truck or trailer, put a band on it, lots of big adverts for your store, and drive them around town playing loudly. Many years ago a branch of a new video shop chain opened up down the road from where I had my video shop. It was a newish chain over here, and as there was already one other video shop (which was a branch of a long established chain) just down the road from me, so I was not worried. They used the band idea (in this case it was on an open toped London bus). The result: I was was out of business within a year, and they swallowed up the other chain soon after that. And if you need more proof of the effectiveness of that method, the video chain that used it to push new stores was unknown at the time, but I guess you will have heard of them now, it was Blockbuster.