• Home
  • Author: Caleb Lucas
Inblog

Go with the Digital Flow

How many channels are you currently utilizing to market your stores? Digital marketing changes and grows quicker than your front lawn that one time you decided not to mow before it rained. How does a person keep themselves relevant with all of the frenzied evolution in the market they occupy? Omnichannel marketing. That’s right. Omnichannel. This isn’t a supervillain with a bone to pick with Spiderman, nor is it the newest rival to that TV shopping network everyone’s grandmother loves. Omnichannel marketing is simple in that it refers to creating marketing touchpoints that work together on every available channel. You don’t necessarily have to be on the leading edge of the digital marketing spear, but making sure everything you do is being done well and meshes nicely is crucial to getting a foothold in your niche. Here are some examples of the different channels we offer that blend together better than a DQ Blizzard: Podcasts and Live Video Facebook and Instagram SMS and Email Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes (Just wanted to make sure you’re still paying attention) Social media…

Logo-text-trending-now

Trending Now: March

It’s happening, folks. The Brits are after us and they aren’t even trying to hide it. Over the past month, I’ve seen quite a few articles that compare how Americans do things in the kitchen to that of the Queen’s underlings. As a side note to this clash of UK and USA culinary delight, March brings with it a flurry of recipes that date back to cobblestone covered streets in Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. (I know, Ireland is neither part of the UK, nor is it British. Though Northern Ireland is. Don’t @me.) These recipes and traditions, along with some new fuel to the Revolutionary War fire, all top the charts for what’s trending through March. Nothing Particularly Healthy Unless you’re into that “good clean livin’” part of life, as you should be. Corned beef hash, corned beef and cabbage, corned beef and corned corn. It’s all out there, just take a few antacids before you fall too far down the rabbit hole. So many recipes this month seem to revolve around the idea that Irish folk only eat…

laptop on desk, marketing presentation on screen

Content Marketing Trends

If you haven’t started planning how to deliver quality content to your customers this year, let’s get started on a quality plan of attack. What people want to see and what is needed for them to become or stay customers is a topic that is ever-changing with advances in technology and how people view information. Communicating with people is almost too easy in today’s digital marketing world, but communicating effectively can still be a task that many retailers don’t know how to carry out. Create a plan, stick to it You didn’t fall off the turnip truck yesterday, you’ve been doing this a while. Whether you believe it or not, physical and digital marketing are very similar. It’s very likely that things you’ve done in the past from a physical marketing perspective can be effective in the digital realm, with a bit of polishing. Look to what has been effective for you previously, find a way to get that content into a digital jumpsuit and fire away. Did you have beautiful displays that attracted customers, that maybe you could transform…

shopper, produce, digital monitor

Digital Not-So-Underground

So, you’ve taken the plunge and installed some digital signage players in your stores. Awesome, you’re like, my favorite. If you’ve gotten your monitors hoisted up over the deli counter, gotten someone to hang them with (at least) a good amount of duct tape and you’re ready to start using them – I’ve got some tips for you. Your first task should be setting a few goals. I know setting a goal to set goals sounds like something your high school counselor came up with on their lunch break, but it’s important! You’re setting those monitors up for a reason, so make sure that reason is something you keep an eye on to make sure you’re close to fulfilling it. Next, make sure your monitors are a good distance from your customers. Basically, if everyone is leaning forward and squinting like they just caught a lemon juice blast to the eye, you’re doing it wrong. Make sure the screens are high enough that they aren’t in the way, but low enough that they can be read easily. Content. You have…

Coffee beans

No Beans About It

Cup of Joe. Java. Jitter Juice. Coffee. America’s obsession with coffee dates back to the world’s largest cup of tea, The Boston Tea Party. Soon after the steeping of Boston harbor, Americans began drinking coffee as a sort of patriotic expression and coffee mainstays such as Maxwell House started popping up across the map. Teddy Roosevelt is said to have coined the Maxwell House catchphrase, “Good to the Last Drop” and was rumored to consume a gallon of coffee each day. Amateur. Coffee exports total $20 billion annually, with the leading consumer of coffee worldwide being the Netherlands. South America produces the largest amount of coffee beans and the United States is responsible for over $5 billion in annual retail coffee sales. Now that our history and economics lessons are over, let’s take a look at one of the newest craft trends in America, third wave coffee. Where do you stop for your morning blitz of caffeinated bliss? Some people grind their own beans, much to the chagrin of anyone sleeping within a quarter-mile of their kitchen, some folks are…

angry emoji, smart phone, wooden table

Text Message Marketing: What NOT to do.

Text has become such a success for retailers reaching and retaining customers that we’ve found some great examples of senders who are working hard to do a terrible job at it. That’s right, not everyone is as good at writing puns as you are  and they’re really making a mess of this whole thing for the rest of us! Here’s a list of some of the ways you can help these people destroy the text message marketing industry: Using all Caps – USING ALL CAPS IS A FANTASTIC WAY TO SOUND LIKE AN ANGRY DAD TRYING HIS BEST TO RUN HIS DAUGHTER’S PROM DATE OUT BEFORE THE DANCE. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE NO ONE EVER SIGNS UP FOR YOUR TEXT PROGRAM, DO THIS. Emojis – Nothing screams “awesome savings” like having to read broken copy mixed with crying faces and pictures of martini glasses. I’m sure that the quaint old couple who hasn’t the slightest idea what an emoji is will enjoy their new-fangled smart phone vomiting side-eyes and pray hands while they parse through what could’ve been…

Grocery store, drink cooler, food racks, deli counter

It’s More Than a Store

Recently, I’ve been diving into the different ways retailers work to expand their business into new areas. I’ve found that stores are purchasing or building their own convenience stores to chase millennials out of their hiding spots, retailers brewing their own beer, even a store with a dog park attached to it. Whether you want those punk millennials to bring Fido to your Qwiki-Mart or not, there’s something special to consider when thinking about your favorite grocery store. From rural “Who-knows-where”, Idaho to (*Gasp!) New York City, grocers are seeing that their stores and satellite locations are becoming more than just a place to snag dinner ingredients and dog food. Grocery stores provide social meeting spaces and give people a place to express themselves via the food they eat and make. People drive more than ever now, the average daily commute is 25 minutes! People are taking the opportunity to explore stores that offer craft beer and hard to find deli selections, even if it means traveling to a town that looks as though all three of its dwellers are…

outdoors, two hands and a paw

Sub Woofers

Having children is a natural progression for most people. Find a job, find a significant other, have an extravagant wedding or two and, finally, expand the franchise with a few kids. For Millennials, a new trend in this cycle is emerging. Millennials are subbing in woofers for kids at a staggering rate. A study from Gale, a business solutions agency, shows that 44 percent of individuals from the most glorious of generations view their pets as practice for eventual child rearing. The Washington Post reported that three-fourths of people in their 30s own a dog or a cat. What does this mean for retailers? Kibbles are worth their weight in gold. Seriously. These dog and cat owners are looking for healthy, high-end foods to pamper their puppers and grandpa’s bag o’ biscuits isn’t making the cut. From Netflix documentaries that uncover unhealthy and sometimes dangerous truths about popular pet food brands to transitions to raw food diets for pets, dogs and cats are trending out of the “temporary part of our lives” category and tracking their dirty paws all over…

Not Your Average Pit Stop

Who doesn’t love a good gas station hotdog? For a lot of people, the answer to that question is, “Umm, ME. I don’t love a “good” gas station hotdog.” For Millennials, the gas station and convenience store niche is booming. Whether it’s due to the actual convenience of these stores or changes in who does the shopping in their households, 11 percent of food purchased by everyone’s favorite generation is from their favorite gas station. Getting Fresh Grocers are taking note of this trend and moving to acquire, construct or otherwise cobble together their own convenience locations in order to attract this notable percentage of shoppers. With an emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetable purchases, including the odd and questionable snack-sized sushi sighting, retailers are seeing increased snack traffic through the hours of 3p.m. and6 p.m. This has led to greater selections of fresh food and pre-packaged options for folks looking to satisfy their post-lunch/pre-dinner cravings. Party at the Fuel Pumps, Bro Aside from upgrades to grocery selections, these locations are also adding a bit of flair to the mix.…

Smartphone, Laptop, notebook and pen on desk

Tonight’s Top 10 List: Benefits of Text Message Marketing

Have you ever received a voicemail that should’ve been a text? Frequently, people respond to the reception of a voicemail with, “Why didn’t you just text me?” This type of response can be linked to the ease of text messaging, the short attention spans we all now enjoy and the frustration that goes along with that little notification you MUST get rid of when receiving a voicemail. To better understand how text messaging can impact your retail goals, here’s a list of the top 10 benefits of Text Message Marketing. Instant Deliverability What’s better than instant gratification? Cracking open a soda and hearing that fizzy pop is the only momentary lapse between purchase and satisfaction. The same is true of Text. The average time between message send and delivery is 7 seconds. Only Professional Bull Riding (If you haven’t seen the film 8 Seconds, you’re missing out.) and the occasional microwaved snack can get close to those numbers. Flexible Platform There’s nothing worse than limitation. With Text Messaging, you’re able to craft messages to YOUR standards, with content that YOU…