Marketing Toolbox for Hardware Stores

By Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound

If you're a mom-and-pop hardware store and you feel defeated because of the giant marketing budgets set aside for the big box stores, relax.

When it comes to marketing your hardware store, there are dozens of strategies that the Davids can adopt much easier than the Goliaths. Some of them don’t cost a penny. Most don’t involved discounting merchandise. And all of them fall under the category of relationship marketing. That is, making your customers love doing business with you, even if your prices aren’t necessarily the lowest.

Here are some great tips for keeping existing customers and luring the ones that might not even know you exist.


Ways to Get Them in the Door
 

• Send hand-written “Congratulations” notes to people in your town who are promoted, receive awards or get straight As, along with a special discount coupon that must be redeemed by a certain date. Find out who they are by reading your local newspaper.
   

• Sponsor a “ladies night.” Have in-store demonstrations of very common household repairs. Invite a local caterer to give a cooking demonstration using your appliances. Offer free snacks.
   

• Create a Bridal Registry. Promote it on fliers placed at other businesses around town that also target newlyweds.
   

• If you’re far from the closest post office, sign an agreement with the U.S. Postal Service to be a full-service postal station. This will increase foot traffic.
   

Strategies for Paid Advertising

• Do co-op advertising with other neighborhood businesses.
   

• Don’t be afraid to negotiate with local newspapers during the first quarter of the year for paid ads. Advertising typically drops off during this time, and many newspapers are willing to bargain.
   

• Offer a testimonial for other businesses whose products and services you love. You could end up in their paid ads or brochures without paying a penny for the advertising.
   

•  Feature employees in your ads. Make them celebrities.
   

Service With a Smile

• If you’re in a competitive market, offer free delivery.
   

• Offer free set-up on things such as barbeques and other difficult-to-assemble items.
   

• If you’re in a non-competing market, charge something extra for delivery and set-up. This can add thousands of dollars in revenue to your bottom line.
   

• Offer “personal shoppers.” Invite customers who are doing major projects or need hard-to-find items to call ahead, then have an employee waiting for them when the customer arrives at the store. Many of you already do this but don’t have a name for it. So name it, and promote it!

 
In-Store Demonstrations

• Volunteer your store as a place for community groups to hold demonstrations.
   

• Offer wallpaper clinics.
   

• Have cake-decorating classes.

 
Stay in Touch

• Commit to contacting your base of regular customers at least 6 times a year.
   

• Send birthday cards or “Happy Birthday” e-mails to your most loyal customers.
   

• Send “Happy Birthday” cards to your customers’ lawn mowers and other equipment, along with a reminder that it might be time to have the equipment cleaned or brought in for regular maintenance. If you have their warranty cards on file, you know exactly when they bought the merchandise.
   

• Use testimonials from happy customers in your direct-mail pieces.
   

• Send holiday greeting cards to your most loyal customers.

Just Do It!

• Steal great marketing ideas from other businesses.
   

• Choose 5 ideas from this list and start doing right now!
   

Need more help marketing your hardware store?

Joan Stewart presents "101 Great Ideas for Marketing Your Hardware Store," ideal for trade association conventions or in-hour corporate training sessions. Contact Joan at JStewart@PublicityHound.com or call 262-284-7451.    

Direct comments or questions about this article, including requests for reprint rights, to:

Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
Phone: 262-284-7451
JStewart@PublicityHound.com