Local brick and mortar stores, even with a strong online (even international) presence, should develop an engaged local following that keeps the physical location buzzing. So, how do you grow your tribe?
Partner with local celebrities, bloggers + influencers. Send them a sample gift of one of your products/services. Don’t skimp on the packaging and presentation.
Partner with local groups such as hobby meetups, service organizations and mommy networks. Speak at their events and invite them to your in-store events. Partner with them on their charitable causes.
Host frequent, fun and free events in-store (especially an annual open house – stay tuned for a future post for more details). Invite the entire community. Partner with other local businesses for maximum impact.
Encourage your team members to share your brand story on their social media channels.
Visit with other local business owners and make them aware of the services that you provide that can apply to their business.
The customers that are attracted by these initiatives are not only easier to retain, but much more likely to refer business to you. This “tribe of influencers” is the key to the highly effective art of word-of-mouth advertising. https://theprintrefinery.com
Jim Linhoff has been working in his family photo business since 1978 and recently became the sole owner. The company has grown from a pure photo lab and portrait studio into a diverse print and photography model where the business is split between retail services and sports/events photography.
In 2019, he decided to make big changes in order to better position the business for the future and that began with a move to a new location
Like many in the industry, Jim jokingly refers to himself as a “lab rat”, which means he’s traditionally been the one who fixes the equipment and manages production. However, in his new role – he understood that his time needed to focus on strategies to sustain the business long term.
That’s where The Print Refinery (PR) came in. Jim realized that the move was the ideal time to reinvent, not to mention he quickly needed help designing the interior and exterior look of the new space – which opened in October 2019.
Throughout the PR onboarding process, he and his team were exposed to new ideas, operations coaching, and they completely embraced the new “upscale retail” concept. Admittedly, marketing was always a weak spot for the company, so the comprehensive marketing support was extremely helpful as well. The team received training to expand their customer service skills and Jim realized how profitable commercial sales could become.
Embracing the B2B opportunities.
Jim has identified that there are hundreds of commercial products that are an excellent fit with his existing sports and event division. Think athlete banners, yard signs, school murals, branded promotional products and much more.
Marketing was a weak area for Linhoff in the past, so they fully embraced the comprehensive marketing support that accompanies the PR model. They quickly experienced a boost in online engagement and sales.
Why PR was a fit for me?
Modernize the business.
Ability to attract a new, younger audience.
Updated brand look with new logo and addition of PR.
New upscale retail approach.
Exposure to significant B2B sales potential.
Business coaching and goal setting programs provide me with a second opinion, support and direction for helping me succeed as a business owner.
Add value for future sale.
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REDESIGNED BRANDING:
As part of The Print Refinery model, a new logo and branding plan helped with Jim’s goal to modernize and attract a new audience.
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The future of Linhoff Photo is bright and better positioned for whatever Jim wants to do next! He’s not quite ready to retire but is happy knowing that his business is in a solid position to appeal to a prospective buyer.
Right now, he’s busy working toward a record year and hitting $1 million in sales this year!
