Category Archives: Products

What Is A Good Idea For A Motorcycle Holiday Party?

Products, Publicity,

We want to host a party to say thanks for the business. We own a motorcycle shop. I need ideas for party invitations too. We are a small store, with Harley Davidson only 2 miles away. Harley has parties all the time, its very hard to compete as I’m sure you can imagine. We want to have these folks for dinner and special pricing if they want to shop while they are here.

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Have a xmas bike parade. Outfit bikes with 12v xmas lights and have an informal ride through town, ending at your shop for eggnog, etc. Of course, if their bike doesn’t have lights, sell them at the shop. The ride will catch the eye of pedestrians, and also can garner some great free PR in your local newspaper.

How Can I Market Custom Designed Cribs?

Products, , ,

We are a small furniture manufacturing company with an output of +/- 100 baby cots per month. We recently had to withdraw from our contract with baby outlets as we could not compete with import prices. Our product can however carry itself if we can reach the end user which naturally are pregnant women but is unsustainable with shops needing to mark up 120%. How do we reach our target market with low volumes of this type? Opening a shop or advertising in every magazine is out of the question because of low volumes. Do we need to rethink our business or just get out?

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A website is ideal for this.

List your products on eBay, Amazon, etc. You’ll be stressing what makes your cribs unique. Get great close-ups photos of your cribs (including some with happy babies/parents around it).

List your products in online baby catalogs (search online for “baby catalog”). Offer to drop ship the cribs for the catalogs.

However, if your direct-to-consumer price still is higher than the outlet stores, you’ll need to focus on what makes yours better. Position your crib as a high-end model and prove it. Prove why it’s better than all the others.

How Can I Make Money With An Idea For An Invention?

Products, Starting Out, ,

I have this idea for a great invention but I don’t know were to start, tips?

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Right now, you have only an idea, which unfortunately isn’t worth anything.

If your invention is something tangible (a product), then before you spend any time trying to build it, first see if the idea has already been patented (Google Patents or USPTO Office). If it hasn’t been patented, then your next step is to build a prototype. Either do it yourself, hire someone, or convince someone to help you create it. If it doesn’t do what you want, keep iterating.

If you have an idea for a new graphic/logo/book (intellectual property), then create it and copyright it. That will protect the words/images.

If you have an idea for a new process (way of doing something), then you’ll need to first confirm that your process works. You won’t be able to patent it (you can patent the algorithm if it’s part of something tangible).

Once you have tested your idea, then you’ll want to decide what to do about it. Patents are useful if you have the money to protect them (in court) and/or you want to sell the idea to someone else. Otherwise, simply build it and realize that the more people that see it, the greater the likelihood someone may want to copy it. However, people will only copy it if it’s something that’s already making money or they can figure a way to get it to market easily.

Eventually, you may want to create non-disclosures, etc. For more information, I recommend the book: Patent It Yourself.

How Can I Better Advertise A Clothing Sale?

Products, Publicity,

I’m faced with the challenge to think of a creative way to promote a sale of my retail products. I want to give the 2nd item off a purchase at a cheaper price (e.g. buy 1 and get the second at 20 or 30% off).

I have thought of conventional means of communicating this.: “Buy more save more”, “More savings with us”, “Your brand, your savings”, but I am searching for a more creative message.

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The key is in the value of the 2nd item. Offer to donate the 2nd item (buy one and we donate one) to a homeless shelter, orphanage, etc. Your client gets PR + a potential write-off, the shopper gets their product (and feels like they helped), and the non-profit can help with the advertising as well.

If the product’s price point is high for the demographic (adults, teens, etc.), you can try another direction. Create a matching service for people who want to buy 1 of the item. You’ll match them with someone else who wants to buy 1, they both get their item for less, and once again you’ve got the opportunity for goodwill + PR. It requires additional work on your client’s behalf, though.

What Is A Good Tagline For A Custom Ski Boot Liner?

Names + Taglines, Products

I am launching a retail, after market ski boot liner into the ski rental market (called “Zip Fit”). The biggest problem with renting equipment is fitting boots. This boot liner is a custom fit, that will be better than most anyone’s own ski boot. So we have a new paradigm in the ski rental market. I am looking for a tag line for this product. The boot liners key features and benefits are warmth, comfort, performance and custom fit.

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Give Your Old Liners The Boot

Ski Easier and More Comfortably

Your Ski Boots Are Worth Zip

Your Ski Vacation Is Worth Zip

How Can I Attract Buyers To Order My New Baseball Caps?

Products, , ,

I have tried just about anything and nothing seems be be working. Calling to ask for an appointment to show them the product line, trade shows, sending in samples. Buyers never return phone calls. At the trade shows the buyers only see their existing clients they have an appointment with and totally ignore the new companies with new products. My website doesn’t get any traffic either. Someone at the show suggested hiring a celebrity but as we found out they are extremely expensive and hard to get. I am thinking of joining a networking association in hopes to find some leads.

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The buyers you’ve been meeting simply aren’t interested in what you’re selling. This could because: 1) they don’t like your product, or 2) they don’t see a demand, or 3) they don’t like your presentation.

You have a number of approaches:

– Create a demand. Skip the buyers, sell direct to sk8ters and the rest of your target demographic. If you start getting sales, then buyers may follow.

– Improve your presentation. Your website seems to appeal to teens. Why not brand special caps for different college campuses? High Schools? Beach communities? Bars? Adult Sports Teams?

– Improve your product. Ask the buyers what they think about your product and listen. Do they like the price? Style? Uniqueness? Message?

I don’t think a networking assn will help – you haven’t yet identified what you need (other than sales). As for your website, if you’re not getting traffic, then you haven’t figured out what people are searching for and wading into those waters. MySpace would be a natural community to hype your hats and build traffic.

What Should I Give Away At A Senior Expo/Trade Show?

Products, Services,

I am getting ready to order the marketing giveaways (pens, brochures, etc.) for a senior expo/trade show. The booth will be for a Skilled Nursing Facility. What have you found to be the best economical and productive form of giveaways?

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Unique and useful gifts. I would think about pens that are easy to hold with arthritic hands, brochures printed in larger fonts for older eyes, new pill holders, and and other things that make an older person’s life a little bit easier

Rather than focus on the giveaways, make sure that your booth clearly markets what makes your facility different/better than the others. Train your staff to reinforce this message. Marketing materials (including giveaways) should likewise reflect the message.

How Can I Promote A New Book?

Products, Publicity,

My company is now in the process of launching a new book. They asked me to help them think of ideas to launch this book and I need some help. We plan to release 2,000 copies to local bookstores and do some book signing. I’m planning to make a marketing plan for this project. But until now I don’t know how am I going to promote the book to its target market.

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What’s the goal of the book? To make more money? To get PR for the author? To inspire others? Is there a desire to tie this book into a back-end seminar or coaching service?

If you want to sell books to make money: ensure you at least follow the traditional route. Get an ISBN. List it on Amazon.com, Google Books, etc. Create a website for the book. Get it reviewed (not necessarily by professional reviewers – it could be friends, people mentioned in the book, etc.) and publish the reviews.

If you want to garner PR: send out the book for free to all your existing clients. Give it away to all new contacts that you make both online and in-person (meetings, shows, etc.). Give copies to local service organizations to give away.

If you’re simply trying to inspire: Donate all profit will be donated to a charitable cause (and follow through). Ideally, make it clear that the book is being paid for out-of-pocket and ALL revenue (not just profit) will be donated. Have the charitable cause(s) help do PR to their mailing lists.

If you want a back-end product/service: Make sure that the book has a “contact for more information” page at the end. With each book sale, give the purchaser a free ticket to an upcoming workshop (or even, 2 tickets!). At the workshop, provide real value, and upsell another workshop, DVD, coaching group, etc.

How Can I Market Sensuality Products?

Products, Publicity, Starting Out, ,

I have recently signed up to do home parties for a new business called Sensuality. It is similar to Fantasia (same concept) with different products. We do same sex parties, couples parties….anything! Fantasia is so well known that it has been very hard to get our name out there. The person who created the business is doing well with her website and also writes a sex ed column for the local paper. But how can I market myself?? I also have a background in the sexual health field…this is something unique that Fantasia doesn’t have…All my friends have already had parties so…word of mouth hasn’t started to work yet. What can I do in the meantime?

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If your products are simply different (you didn’t say, “better”, “higher quality”, “USA Made”, “Hypoallergenic”, “guaranteed”, etc.) then you need to focus on your differentiator: your background in sexual health.

Your approach can be: “Instead of simply buying gimmicks, let me teach you a fun and better way to achieve long-lasting intimacy using our products.” The key is teach / intimacy. Your insight is what will draw people in. The products you sell will be the revenue stream.

Offer paid classes in your area. For the price of the class, attendees get a full-priced credit from your catalog (i.e., if your class costs $25, give them $25 towards the purchase of your products). You’re creating additional value, rather than simply having a free class (which is perceived as a non-value).

Your intimacy classes (for women/men/couples) could be offered through your local Yoga studio, Gym, Personal Trainer, Beauty Salon, Nail Care Studio, etc. Basically, places where people who care about their appearance go. If there’s a romantic restaurant in your area, consider co-marketing with them (use their back room during a slow day). Your local hotel/motel that has conference facilities would be a good bet (once you have advance sign ups, to avoid paying a lot out of pocket).

As you do your presentations, start recording them. They can naturally become a revenue stream in their own right.

If you can’t give up $, then co-market:

If you do your presentation in a music store, and hand-pick music selections to go with your products.

…in a wine shop, choose wines based on personalities, positions, etc.

…in a video store, choose movies that are couple-friendly.

…in a gelato store, choose sensuous flavors.

You get the idea.