Selling cigars - all smoke and mirrors?(cont.)

Chapter 3 Developing the marketing plan (cont.)

How do we figure out what we are going to do to market our Cigar Store?

Simple. First we do this. We do our research.

• Ring up all our cigar smoking friends and ask them lots of questions about why they buy the cigars they do from the cigar store they do. Here's a choice influence survey you can edit and use.)
• Buy as many cigar magazines as you can lay your hands on. Start reading. Get immersed in the culture. See what sort of ads are run.
• Jump online and search cigar stores and cigar information to your heart's content.
• Sit down quietly and think about what you can do.

Next, we do this. We grab a simple marketing plan - click here for a free one of mine - and start filling in the gaps.

Okay, we haven't got much money. We'll assume we have bought the store I wandered into the other day. It's all set up. No-one knows about it.

Let's get noticed

Signage:

We buy the biggest sign we're allowed to have above our store and on the grounds of the shopping centre. Huge is barely big enough. We want really, really, really big.

Media Release:

Here's one I just did.. Shoot that off to the local newspaper, TV station and radio station. And just for fun fax through a copy to the local Anti-Smoking office, the local Medical Association and the local politician and watch the fun begin!

Outrageous, disgraceful and controversial!

I guarantee in an hour the Anti-Smoking office, the Medical Association and the local politician would have their media releases in hand, banging down the doors of the journos trying to get their faces on TV or wherever to express their outrage that smoking could possibly be good for you.

In 2 hours you'd still be going with your media interviews.

In 6 hours you'd have tons of media coverage - TV and radio.

The next day everyone in your city would know that there is a "Bren's Cigar Store" and where it is!

(And although that media release was written with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek, I have no doubt that with a couple of hours research I could come up with plenty of evidence to support the theory of cigar smoking=relaxation=less stress=better health!)

Magazine competition:

As mention on page 1, zip around all of the newsagencies selling Cigar Aficionado and provide entry forms to go with the magazine. A beautiful $200 humidor could be the prize for the winning magazine buyer, whilst a $200 dinner for 2 could be the prize for the newsagency providing the most competition entries.

Direct Mail:

Buy a relationship database such as...click here to read on

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Brendon Sinclair