Marketing Tips

It is great to see how other members of your industry are using their ChemArt collectibles and sometimes even more interesting are the strategies being used in other industries. Adoption of these strategies, although they may seem foreign to your industry, may give you that unique, competitive edge that will make your ornament program more successful than others!

Below are some general marketing tips to use towards your ChemArt collectible program.

1. Database, database, database

You've heard location, location, location is the most important factor in real estate. In marketing, success is all about building and maintaining a great database. You should work very hard to capture the names, addresses, and emails of all of your buyers. Make sure to ask for their information on your order form, website, point of purchase or visitors registry. Update the database as often as possible to capture all that information.

Don't forget that some of your best prospects are part of your organization, club, or association. Are all the employees, volunteers, and vendors aware of your ornament program? Add them to your database or use an employee newsletter or pay stub insert to get the word out.

2. Direct Mail

Once you have a database of customers, you have an automatic audience for your marketing and promotion. Be sure to let them know of:

  • New keepsake's release.
  • Upcoming milestone or event where the purchase can have meaning.
  • Suggest holiday purchase for which your keepsake would make a great gift.
    • Christmas
    • Secretary's Day
    • Mother's Day
    • Father's Day
    • Anniversaries

In addition to the list you build, you can purchase a list of people who would be good prospects for your organization and send your mailing to them as well. Some organizations even trade lists.

Click below for successful direct mail marketing tips:

3. Email Marketing

  • Develop an enewsletter that updates customers and prospects about your organization, events, milestones and special offers.
  • Send emails to alert customers when a new ornament is released.
  • Send a special Christmas in July email offering special discounts on past issues.
  • Encourage customers to use the "Forward to a friend" email option and get their friends to purchase ornaments, too.
  • Emails are trackable, allowing you to see which emails people respond to best and what they do once they receive your email.

Click below for successful email marketing tips:

4. Promotion

  • Create a flyer of product(s) with ordering information.
  • Find local businesses to support your organization and display your flyer.
  • Identify area stores willing to sell your ornament.
  • If your organization appeals to tourists be sure to put it at tourist information centers and chambers of commerce locations. Work with them to include your flyer in their mailings.
  • Register for booths to sell your ornaments at local events - community days, town celebrations, parades, festivals or art shows.
  • Create posters featuring your program and post in offices, stores, regional locations, tourist sites.
  • Develop a newsletter about your organization and/or your cause. Highlight the use of the funds from its sales.
  • Consider tie -ins with similar organizations or events.
  • Work with local personalities to draw attention to the program, project or event.

5. Advertising

  • Develop an ad that you can use in your local papers, magazines and even newsletters that your prospects might read (i.e., employee newsletters).
  • If you have a logo be sure it is prominently displayed in the ad.
  • Add all contact information possible including phone, fax, website information.
  • Check with local radio and/or television stations to post on their community bulletins boards.
  • If you have a website, post the information on the site.
  • If you are a nonprofit you can also contact your local print media and submit the ad and ask them to run when they have space, pro bono.

6. Public Relations

  • Write a Press Release about a new ornament release; distribute it to first & second tier newspapers and Chambers of Commerce; also distribute to relevant web sites.
  • For a sample press release, click here.
  • Write a PSA (Public Service Announcement) about your organization and how the funds are used and distribute it to your local TV and Radio stations. Get a TV personality to read it.
  • Seek Benefactor relationships or endorsements and promote. Is there someone "famous" who supports your cause or organization or is a huge fan of your ornament? See if they would be a spokesperson for the release of your keepsake and encourage others to join him/her in purchasing an ornament.
  • Tie collectible to community events or organizations with similar interests.

7. Design Tips

  • Select an image that your audience will relate to.
  • Capitalize on history of the organization or the area.
  • Involve kids in design.

8. ChemArt Design Assistance

  • Ornament photography
  • Design
  • Email distribution and design