Hi, Yedepere,
I don't know what you've already tried, but I'll try to come up with
enough ideas for you that I'm bound to include something you haven't.
1. First, of course, see the comments. There are some very good ideas
there.
2. Establish yourself as an expert. That is, provide free, detailed
information on your website about oriental rugs, the methods for
making them, their history, how to judge the quality of a rug, and
maybe some interesting facts about them. See this page for an example
of a guide to buying oriental rugs:
http://www.idiotsguides.com/Quick-Guides/MG_Oriental_Rug/file.htm
And here's another:
http://www.rugsrugs.com/educationvalue.cfm
Also see the navigation links on the left for other articles of this
type, on topics ranging from the history of oriental rugs to
maintaining them.
Don't focus too strongly on your own offerings here, as the intent of
this tactic is to establish yourself as the expert in the field, and
to develop a relationship with potential clients. Of course, you can
provide links to your own offerings throughout the text, but the
primary goal is a long-term one. If you are the source of someone's
knowledge about your area, they will naturally trust you and consider
you competent.
3. Offer "entry level" items. If, for example, you sell antique rugs,
you might want to take some of the shabbier ones that wouldn't sell as
a whole, and cut out sections of them, making bath mats, placemats,
and other small tapestry items available inexpensively, to establish a
following again, of people who won't buy your larger items today, but
may do so in the future. Print your name on the back so that these
customers can locate you when they are ready. If you only sell new
rugs, the same principle can be applied with nice but relatively
inexpensive rugs, and you may be able to get the manufacturers to
custom make these items for you.
Some other ideas for inexpensive 'entry level' items:
Blank paper journals, address books, etc., covered with oriental rug
fabric.
Tote bags, laptop cases, purses.
Clothing, such as vests and jackets.
Obviously, some of these items would almost require using fairly
threadbare rugs. You couldn't very well make a jacket out of a thick,
new rug.
Think through the ramifications of any potential offerings, though. If
you are attempting to maintain a rarified image of your rugs, you may
not want to chop them up and offer them as common household items.
If, however, you cater to a wide range of markets, or if you focus on
the average rug buyer, offering these entry level items builds your
market base. Think of these types of things not only as expanding your
offerings, but almost as establishing a little fan club for your
products. Potential customers who may be considering a major purchase,
but can't quite swing it yet, will be able to have a tangible reminder
of this goal, and it'll have your company name stamped discreetly on
the back or inside cover, so that when they are ready, they'll know
just where to find you.
4. Provide samples such as those described above to interior designers
and to potential customers. While professionals may be used to getting
'freebies' from suppliers, it doesn't make them immune to the charms
of receiving something they can use. And again, if they use these
items, your name is right there, at their fingertips, and they'll be
more likely to think of you first when they do need a rug. Ideally,
the promotional product would be something business-related, such as
an address book, increasing the likelihood that the designer would
actually be using your product in their working environment.
5. Romanticize your offerings. Hire a writer to write stories about
oriental rugs. Weave in references to 1001 Arabian Nights, Aladdin,
magic carpets, and other folklore.
For inspiration, here's a listing of available versions of 1001 Nights
available at Powell's:
http://www.powells.com/subsection/ClassicsAThousandandOneNights.html
Feature articles on 'rug interpretation,' describing the design
elements found in rugs, what they mean and where they came from.
Emphasize not only the craft of rug weaving, but the art of rug
design, and the oriental rug's role in history. A rich and interesting
history will do more for your product than any amount of modern
advertising, so focus on this for the most bang for your buck.
6. If it's not too crass for your particular business, consider a
contest. This could be a random giveaway, or a contest of skill. For
examples of contests of skill, you might have a "Room Most Needing an
an Oriental Rug" contest in which participants enter pictures of their
rooms, and you pick the one that most needs one of their rugs, later
featuring the Before and After pictures on your website. Or you could
do an essay contest, like "Why I Need an Oriental Rug," which would
effectively buy you a persuasive essay on the charms of your product
for the price of a rug. Make sure that you specify that any entries
become your property to be used for marketing purposes.
Also, if you decide to do this, make sure you're familiar with any
laws governing sweepstakes and contests of skill. If you're in the US,
this article provides a good overview of both the benefits of
promotional contests, and the sticky regulations governing them:
http://www.gcwf.com/articles/interest/interest_18.html
From this article:
"On-line promotions appear to be working: Yoyodyne Entertainment, a
company devoted to structuring on-line promotions, reports that one
company's sweepstakes promotion resulted in a 300% per cent increase
in brand awareness and another company's sweepstakes promotion
resulted in over 80,000 individual visits to its web site."
Also note that contests and promotions offer the opportunity for you
to write press releases announcing the contest, which you can release
to your industry publications.
See these articles on the basics of press release writing:
http://www.pertinent.com/pertinfo/business/pressrelease/
http://www.infoscavenger.com/prtips.htm
and this previous Google Answer on the topic:
https://answers.google.com/answers/main?cmd=threadview&id=45021
If you decide to go the contest route, you'll need to both have a
marketing consultant structure the contest for you, and have a lawyer
make sure you're not getting yourself into legal hot water.
7. Make sure you're reaching all of your target markets. This means
advertising in trade magazines to reach interior designers, in
decorating magazines to reach end customers interested in interior
design and homemaking, and in lifestyle magazines to expand your
potential market to include those who might not subscribe specifically
to decorating magazines. (For example, try magazines targeted to
younger people, such as fashion magazines or even music-oriented
magazines. You will need to target these campaigns to the audience,
perhaps using an 'edgier' approach than you do in your standard
markets.)
I hope that some of these ideas will be of value to you. Please feel
free to request a clarification if anything isn't clear, or if you'd
like more detail on what's provided here.
Good luck,
Lisa. |
