Use the “fishbowl” method to collect an e-mail address from every single customer or prospect that you encounter in your local business this week. This simple method is something you can implement in your brick-and-mortar business by the end of the day today, and it will lead to the collection of pure gold (aka e-mail addresses) for your business – gold that can be leveraged to move the needle again and again for your small business! Here’s how it works:
1. Procure a large bowl that will fit in a prominent location either to the right (as one exits) of the front door of your store at eye level and/or at each your point of sale/cash-wrap stations.
2. Create a sign to affix to the bowl that has a big, bold headline that says something like “Join Our E-Mail List for a Chance to Win!”
3. Add subtext under the sign’s headline, create an irresistible offer that fits your business that follows this basic idea: “Once a month, one entry from that month will be awarded a $250 gift certificate to our store!”
4. Watch the e-mail addresses pile up.
5. Enter the e-mail addresses into your e-mail system at least monthly BEFORE the award notification is made.
6. On a monthly basis, choose an e-mail address and make the award. E-mail them the award notification with an inquiry for their mailing address, so that they’ll come into the store. Also include in that e-mail a suggestion such as the following: “We value you as a customer, and we’re thrilled that you’ve won this prize. You are definitely deserving! We’d love it if you’d share some ideas of what you’ll be buying with your gift certificate with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. You can connect with us there at facebook.com/business name and on Twitter @businessname. I hope you won’t mind that we’ll be letting everyone know who won this month in our e-mail newsletter and through our social media channels as a way to encourage folks to enter this month’s new contest! Thanks again for being such a fantastic customer! We really appreciate your business!”
7. Post who won and what they won and how folks can enter the next contest on Facebook. Tag the person who won if possible.
8. Post who won and what they won on Twitter and @ reply the winner, if possible.
9. Include the winner’s name and a call for new entries in your next e-mail newsletter.
Happy fishbowling! You’re going to love the results you get from this great marketing tip!
I’m curious how this might be done online. Is there an easy way you could run a similar kind of giveaway through a blog? It seems possible but I’m not sure how you would set it up….
Use the space at the top right of your web pages to ask for e-mail addresses – and make a similar offer there instead of just the plain jane box like I’m using. I bet it will increase your e-mail collection significantly.
Thanks for the idea! I’ll try it out!