1. Ch. 8: Advertising Why you have to WOW your customers
The basics of advertising
How to choose the advertising medium(s) you will use
Inexpensive ways to advertise on a tight budget
How to create a successful promotion
How to build fun into a promotion
The value of a promotion checklist
This is the overview of topics at the beginning of Chapter 8.

2. Turning Negatives into Positives
Whoever gets the complaint “owns” it until it is resolved.
Never fight with a customer; hear them out
Address the problem immediately.
Let your “make-up offer” be a WOW!
Recognize the lifetime value of the customer.
Turn the WOW into WOMA – Great word-of- mouth advertising.
A customer’s experience in your store may start out bad…but may become a “positive” if you or your employees handle it correctly and sensitively.

3. Retail Advertising Content
The name of the store
A brief slogan or signature line
A positioning statement that explains what the store is all about
Contact information (address, phone, Web address, etc.)
Dates of the event (if advertising a particular sale or promotion)
All five of these items are necessary to craft an effective ad or ad campaign.

4. The Rules of “Pulling Power”
The more specific the ad, the better it will pull.
Features tell, but benefits sell.
If the merchandise is “better” (higher-end), the ad must be “better” (classier, more sophisticated).
Beautiful, award-winning ads don’t always pull. Just because it’s pretty, cute, or clever does not mean it actually prompts people to visit the store and/or buy.
Don’t change the ad style or concept just because you are tired of it; the customers may not be. It takes time to build up recognition.
“Pulling power” is the ability of the ad to attract enough attention to drive customers to the store for a purchase.

5. Newspaper Placement Options
In big-city dailies
Regional or zone editions
Special sections
Weekly sections
Multiple, “rate saver” ads
In other publications
Weekly suburban or
small-town papers
Regional newspaper
groups
Shoppers
Magazines
Most small retailers start with print advertising before trying radio or television. Here are the options.

6. Types of Promotions Competitive Non-competitive The “bests”
In search of the (store name) woman/man
Running/walking events
Bed races
“Ugliest gift”
Art shows (for kids or adults)
Non-competitive
Book signings
Lunch at or “on” the store
Hosting seminars
Using store as meeting place for groups, clubs
Charity nights
Celebrity appearances
Themed costume days
Open house/trunk show/demo day
Competitive promotions mean that customers “enter” them to win something. Non-competitive promotions can be just as fun, but don’t require judges or prizes.