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Now that you have your business open, how do you make sure customers stop by and see what you have to offer? Besides having a good location and an eye-catching shaved ice or snow cone building, trailer or stand, what else can you do? Be creative and think of unique ways to advertise cheaply. You should know your area and customers better than anyone else.
The idea is that you want as many prospective customers to visit your establishment as possible. The more people that sample your shaved ice or snow cones the better it will be.
Listed below are ways that we have advertised over the years and what seem to work best for us.
Free Day
We have tried almost everything, including radio spots, newspaper ads and even large roadside signs. But we have found that the most effective form of advertising that we have used is an idea that we had on opening day back in 1994.
We were new to area and there wasn’t another shaved ice stand around for 30 miles. The local people knew what snow cones were but they were not familiar with shaved ice. So on opening day, we placed colorful helium balloons all around our location. We placed a large letter roadside sign beside the highway in front of our building that read “Grand Opening, Shaved Ice, 32 Flavors, FREE SAMPLES”.
To kick off our business, we gave samples of shaved ice away the first day. In fact we gave away around 430, 6 ounce cups of shaved ice. There was a line of customers outside our stand all day long which help to create curiosity by the passing motorists. The next day we sold over $170.00 of shaved ice. The following day we sold over $300 and from then on we never looked back
For around $40, the total cost of all the shaved ice given away on opening day, we launched our business and soon became the talk of the town.
The week following our grand opening was crazy. Sales were great and customers were happy. Many of our customers that bought from us the first week were the same people that had stopped for a free cup of shaved ice on opening day. However, the majority of the customers were brand new. They were customers who were curious about the new business in town or they had learned about us from previous customers. The latter of the two, word-of-mouth advertising, has proven to be the most lucrative form of advertising for our business.
Coupons
Coupons are an effective and economical way to advertise your business. We always have several hundred “Free Small” coupons printed to give away throughout the summer. You can have these coupons printed by a local print shop or you can make your own on any personal computer and printer.
Often times we are approached to help sponsor a local charity event. Instead of donating cash we always offer the coupons instead. Coupons are a much cheaper way to make a donation and much more effective for your business than giving cash.
For example, every year we donate 300 coupons to the local “Relay for Life” cancer walk. Everyone who participates in the walk receives a coupon for one free small cup of shaved ice. Out of the 300 coupons given at the cancer walk, we have around 30 coupons redeemed. Most people lose the coupons but all 300 people get a coupon in their hand that has the name of our business on it. Hopefully, they remember us and stop next time they drive by our shaved ice stand.
Other places to give away free coupons are local swimming pools, baseball and softball fields, schools and local businesses. WE am sure that schools in your area would love to give away your coupons to students that made the honor roll, principal’s list or perfect attendance.
For the fastest and quickest results, be sure to place an expiration date on the coupon. This will encourage your prospective customer to visit you shaved ice business as soon as possible.
Frequency Cards
Made famous by a national sub sandwich chain, frequency cards or club cards are extremely popular with all of our customers. Kids as well as adults love to have their club card stamped for every cup of shaved ice they buy. The cards are usually about the size of a business card with around 30 squares on one side.
The idea is that for every 10 or so cups of shaved ice a customer buys, they get one free. Usually each size cup is assigned a stamp value. We had 4 cup sizes. For each small cup the customer bought, they received one stamp on their club card. For each medium, the customer received two stamps. For each large cup, the customer received three stamps and so on. Customers could redeem 10 stamps for a free small (8 ounce), 20 stamps for a free medium (12 ounce), 30 stamps for a free large (16 ounce) and 40 stamps for a free jumbo (20 ounce). Often customer would keep their club card or frequency card from year to year.
If you would like to have a club or frequency program of you own, check with your local print shop or office supply store. They may be able to design a club card for your program. Usually the cards will be the same size as a business card and cost around 10 to 15 cent each. In addition your printer may be able to customize a rubber stamp to work with your frequency program. The upfront costs of this program may be a little expensive however we have found it to be well worth it.
Newspaper and Radio Ads
Advertisements placed in newspapers and on radio stations can often be helpful however are usually quite expensive. We would suggest keeping this type of advertising medium to a minimum. You may want to use print or radio ads to announce your grand opening every summer or you may offer a coupon or two in the newspaper throughout the summer. It all depends on your area, your budget and how effective you feel that the ads are working. You may get great results!
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Phone:1-800-742-8334 1-800-Shaved-Ice
1-800-Shaved-Ice
301 Raleigh Street
Newton Grove, NC 28366
Toll Free 1-800-742-8334
Direct 910-594-1691
Fax: (770) 234-6333
email CustomerCare@1-800-Shaved-Ice.com
This site is copyright ©1999-2007 by 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com, Mary Mack's, Inc. All rights reserved. All brand names are protected trademarks of their registered owners and no claim is made otherwise.
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