Spring 2013 Hardlines Strategies

PROMOTIONS

Hosting the Big Event Try Promotions and Events to Boost Your Business H osting a special event in your store can generate excitement, get

Finding those products that draw customers in the door is easy. Just head to the Blish-Mize Spring Buying Market, where discounted prices give you many options for promotional items. Then, you’ll need to find that creative idea for an event that will resonate with your customers. As the spring season approaches, now’s the time plan your next big event, and a few ideas from other Blish-Mize customers can get you started. Calling All Cars Mike Unterreiner loves his ’69 Camaro and enjoys seeing other classic cars, too. However, as owner of Hartman Hardware in Shawnee, Kan., he doesn’t get the opportunity to go to a lot of car shows, which are usually held on Saturdays. He also knows there are a lot of other business owners in town in similar positions. His solution: start a local car show and hold it on a Sunday. Not only would he be able to bring car enthusiasts together, but he would also have an event that would draw people downtown to local businesses like his. Unterreiner brought his idea to the Shawnee Downtown Business Association new customers to visit your store and help you connect with other local businesses. It’s also a great time to promote products and offer special buys.

Several local Shawnee, Kan., businesses, including Hartman Hardware, participate in an annual car show, which includedmore than 350 cars last year.

(SDBA), where he is a member, and the association agreed to take responsibility for the event. Eight years later, the car show is still going strong. “The first year, we had 100 cars,” Unterreiner says. “Since then, we’ve averaged 350 vehicles each year.” The show brings in car enthusiasts from several surrounding towns. Unterreiner, who chairs the SDBA committee in charge of the event, works with the city to shut down streets for several blocks around the store. “We have cars lining both sides of the street,” he says, “then the people pack in to see them.” Food trucks park along the street, and Unterreiner gets a permit from the city so beer can be served to participants and spectators. Each year, all the downtown businesses sponsor the show, and it has become

an event everyone is proud of. “We don’t have to solicit businesses to help anymore; they usually call us and want to be a part of it,” he says. SDBA donates all money raised from the event to local charities. “The car show has worked well for us,” Unterreiner says. “It’s brought more attention to our store—we’ve picked up some new customers, and so have the other businesses who have helped with it.” Ladies Only Builders in Kearney, Neb., wanted to find a way to pull more female shoppers into the store. So last year, Ginger Schmidt, advertising and marketing manager at the store, organized two Ladies’ Nights.

4 Spring 2013 • Hardlines Strategies