MARKETING TIPS FOR MOTHER'S DAY

In setting the shop and marketing the shop for Mother's Day you need to serve the traditional opportunity as well as playing outside tradition. Each task is different and important. We think there is excellent longer-term value to be gained by playing more non-traditional.

SHOP FLOOR PITCH.

From the front window to the front third of the shop you should pitch Mother's Day cards and gifts and products shoppers for these might have interest in. By this we mean - don't only focus on what you think would be Mother's Day gifts. Include gifts such as pet related gifts, jigsaws, unicorn gift items, IS gifts such as the YES, NO and YES DEAR buttons and social stationery such as the Fox and Fallow range.

Our key message here is don't only promote Mother's Day products. Be sure to promote other products to leverage the bonus traffic you will see. Show off how different your business is.

Ensure that everyone entering the shop sees Mother's Day cards as gifts. Also, place such that everyone leaving sees them too.

COUNTER PITCH.

Have a small selection of carefully chosen cards on the counter, facing shoppers. Change these every few days in the two weeks leading to Mother's Day. Also at the counter, place items that lend themselves to easy impulse purchase. The counter should scream Mother's Day! To ensure this, look at it from the shopper side and make sure it achieves this goal.

MARKETING TIPS.

1. Create a SUPER MUMS wall. Ask customers to share their photos and stories about their mums and others with roles like mums in their lives. Have some white space where people can simply write a message Promote this on Facebook. Encourage anyone to come in to add to the story - no purchase necessary. make sure that your invitation also welcomes people to shine a light on mums who have passed.
2. Do a series of Facebook posts around MOTHER'S DAY READY TO GO GIFTS. Put several items, a card and a bag (or wrap) together and offer customers to come in and  buy the package. Note: for these posts, consider targeting different age groups. For example, an ideal gift from kids, target 13 - 30 only. FURTHER NOTE: In the packs place quirky items to speak to the diversity of your gift range.
3. Write a series of personal Facebook posts about mums in the business. Humanise the business. Help your local community more emotionally connect with you.
4. Invite entries from kids in a MUM ART competition. Get them to do a drawing that honours their mum. It could be of mum or something they love that their mum has done. Keep it simple and open. Display the entries. Post the entries on social media. Keep the prize modest, the real reward is recognition.
5. On social media offer a personal shopper service to make it easy for shoppers to buy for mum.
6. On social media open a post for mums to share their worst Mother's Day gift, encourage them to make it fun.

Mother's Day is an excellent season through which you can recast your business, to make it more appealing than how people might currently view it. Reach beyond tradition so far that people don't think of your business as a traditional newsagency.