McCurry Associates Marketing Idea Exchange Archives

Newsletter 5

Bill McCurry McCurry Associates wmccurry@mccurryassoc.com (800) 553-1332

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A marketing promo that we have used over the last ten years is the "Free Camera Check Up." We have run it three times this year and have more interest than ever before. We have a repair technician with a basic set of diagnostic equipment check customer's cameras for free. If a camera needs repair, we either give the customer a ball park estimate or take the camera in for a more detailed repair estimate. Prior to the promo we run a small advertisement in the local paper with a photo of the technician, (white shirt and tie), with a listing of his experience, along with the details of the event. We have used manufacturer's technicians or our own. Using our own tech usually brings in a wider range of cameras for repair. With the promo, we have generated a large amount of repairs, along with an increase in traffic. The costs of the promo have a very good return.

Idea #2 - Tie-In Promotions with worthwhile causes - Frank Lucido, Green's Camera World - Salinas, CA (831)-424-5247

We just put together a photo contest with our local hospital. They are promoting breast feeding. The best Photo of children breast feeding will receive a one hundred dollar savings bond for the child from the hospital and a One hundred dollar photofinishing gift certificate from Greens Camera World. Entrees must be an 8X. If you bring your image to Greens Camera World we will print the photo for free. We want young families in our store. Plus get positive PR

Idea #3 - The following was published on the BestPhotoList, a users email group of Noritsu Digital Lab users. If you would like to subscribe contact Bob Banasik (bob@bestphotolab.com). There are similar groups for other manufacturers as well as web site postings on the IPI website.

Yes, it (Stor-It) is really useful if you market it to your customers. How long does it take to scan cut negatives? What about color matching? Do your customers want to match the original? Would you like to make $20+ per roll of film?

We use the Kodak Stor-It on every roll and keep every roll for 10 days, 14 for Pros. The trick is giving them a reason for using it. It is a lot faster and easier to call up prints from Stor-it than to rescan cut negs and the color is 99% the same for those Pros. We offer a 30% discount on all orders from the Stor-It and it has been over a year now and is very effective, but you could even offer 25% if you like.

We raised the prices of the reprints and now the customers have a great reason for ordering their reprints in those 10 days, or pay the extra if they wait longer. We are now also taking orders off the internet and the customer only has to put their roll/neg number and we print it from Stor-It. No middle man to that! Stor-It also comes in for the picture preview, I hope the newer version will be better, but we still use this equipment and have had several times with 2 operators inputting orders ( the main with rolls, the extra with reprints)

It has been a good policy and really, really paid off last Nov-Dec! We worked almost every night in 1997-2000 and last year only 4-5 days we worked late for more money and the cards and enlargements were never wrong, I look forward to next Christmas!
Reid
Sarasota Photo

Newsletter 6

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