How Do You Promote Your MI Store?

Hiring knowledgeable staff, designing an inviting interior retail space, carrying in-demand instruments and products, developing a streamlined business model – these are all essential steps towards creating and maintaining a successful MI operation. But you still need to get customers actually walking through the door, and music stores have a variety of promotional strategies to choose from in order to achieve just that.

With rapidly changing technological options now at most business’s disposal, MMR decided to ask dealers what avenues they’re finding to be most successful in terms of “getting the word out” and driving sales.

Among other things, the results of our survey of over 4,000 retailers suggest that, while longstanding advertising and promotional staples such as newspaper and television ads are no longer the unchallenged kings in this category, such reliable methods do still have impact for many. Of those operations which do engage in paid promotional campaigns, a healthy 19.5 percent reported that “traditional” (print, radio, television, billboard) approaches were their preferred strategy, with 32.5 percent favoring online campaigns. Also worth noting, of those who selected “other” to the same question (26 percent), a handful prefer an “old fashioned” promotional strategy which we had heard so many times was dead in the water that we didn’t even offer it as an option on our survey form: The Yellow Pages.

Read on to see how your fellow retailers are handling self-promotion in 2014 and maybe to get some ideas that could help your own business.

“I send thank-you cards to customers who make a purchase over $200, and that seems to be appreciated.”

– Joseph Blumenthal

Downtown Sounds

Northampton, Mass.

“Two to three times a year, we run an early payoff program where rental customers can pay off their instrument early with an additional discount.  We promote solely through e-mail campaigns and make aware to our staff the need to constantly update e-mail addresses.”                                 – George Quinlan, Jr.

Quinlan & Fabish Music Company

Burr Ridge, Ill.

“Promotion is annual just before school starts – August and September – with ads in the local e-paper, neighboring papers (weekly and bi-weekly) which feed into the community, and radio ads.  The rest of the year is a matter of flyers, satisfied customers – referrals and repeat business – magnetic car signs, and general personal presence. This is a small town and it’s easier to work with.”       – Richard Hannemann

Hannemann Music

 Los Alamos, N.M. 

“The most effective promotion my store has developed is positive word of mouth.  My business is based on satisfied customers.”                          – Scott Eivins

A&Z Guitar Repair

Eolia, Mo.

“An e-blast linked to a landing page that contains a searchable laundry list of sale items that includes the item’s store location.  Sales items are linked to a email form that has the details of the item in the subject line and goes into the inbox of the store manager.  The item is also linked to the ‘Buy Now’ online shopping cart.”

– Dan Herbert

Willis Music

Florence, Ky.

“We have a great little radio station in this area (WNCW, 88.7 FM) and everyone around here who is into acoustic music listens to it. We underwrite it for about $400/month, for 10 announcements per week. Worth every penny.”                                      – Stephanie Wilds

Acoustic Corner

Black Mountain, N.C.

“Every August, our Back to School Bash, in conjunction with the local Chamber of Commerce [is our most effective promotion]. Sonic provides a hot dog bar, local musicians and a high school marching band perform, and all are welcome. We use Facebook, Twitter, email blasts, Chamber of Commerce email, co-marketing with Sonic, and more.”

– Tracy Leenman

Musical Innovations

Greenville, S.C.

“We were the originator of the ‘Strings for Food’ promotion and it remains our biggest event of the year.  Because it is a community benefit event, most of the local print (and even radio) media will carry information about the event for free as public [service] announcements.  We push it on our Facebook sites, through our email newsletter, and with posters and flyers given to local educators and put up around town.  The event usually happens the second weekend of November of each year.”                          – Jeff Simons

Watermelon Music

Davis, Calif.

“Boosting a Taylor Roadshow works because [Taylor Guitars] pays for a 1,000-piece mailing, and then we social media it [and target customers via] direct e-mail. It always brings in 40-plus serious customers, brings goodwill, and turns guitars.”         – Don Salomon

Northern Lights Music

Littleton, N.H.

“The most effective promotion we do is every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We use this as our ‘anniversary sale’ and do a lot of radio and TV ads the week of the sale. With the radio ads, we try to hit on all of the events going on for the one day – live bands, guitar throwing contest, free hot dogs, door prizes, hourly drawings for gear, and so on. Every year seems to get bigger and better.”                                  – Adam York

The Music Store, Inc.

Tulsa, Okla.

“We recently mailed flyers to our current customer base for an in-store step-up event on May 31st. The store was packed with over 200 people.”

– Scott Abrahamson

Rick’s Musical Instruments, Inc.

Cumberland, R.I.