One of our very favorite candy holidays is just around the corner. Do you know what it is? International Chocolate Day, of course! This sweet holiday is Tuesday, September 13!
Making a big deal about this holiday in a variety of ways will create excitement and give chocolate lovers another reason to visit your store. Here are just a few ideas we’ve gathered to help get you started. Have fun with it! And an early Happy International Chocolate Day to you!
- Social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are great tools for communicating fun facts (and photos of your products) about chocolate throughout the day. For example, “Who marketed the first box of chocolate candies?” (Cadbury) or “What year was the first known European encounter with cacao?” (1500 – Christopher Columbus). To help get customers in your store, consider offering a free piece of chocolate for anyone who comes into the store with the correct answer.
- Pitch a story to your local media with a press release about International Chocolate Day and how your store is celebrating it. Use some of the trivia facts above to illustrate that you and your staff are knowledgeable about this subject. Don’t forget to include radio on your list of media!
- If you don’t already give free samples in your store, consider providing free samples of chocolate – and don’t forget to let everyone know you’re doing it through your social media and email outlets.
- Email campaigns are great for special holidays. Consider sending out an email on Monday to remind customers to come in on Wednesday for the great special you’re going to have to celebrate International Chocolate Day.
- A few days leading up to Tuesday, post yard signs around your store or on the street leading up to it that say “Celebrate International Chocolate Day With ABC Store This Tuesday!”. Of course, if you don’t own the building or area where you are located, this tip is dependent upon possible restrictions in your lease so check your agreement first.
If you have other ideas for how you celebrate this holiday, please share them in the comments below!
P.S. RCI will be exhibiting at the Philadelphia National Candy, Gift & Gourmet Show September 11-13. Stop by booth #330 to say hello and learn more about RCI membership and events.
Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.
Successful people have one key thing in common - reading. In fact one of the most successful business owners Warren Buffet was once asked what his key to success was, he pointed to a stack of books and said, "Read 500 pages like this every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”
Here are some great book recommendations for business owners.
Crucial Conversations, by Kerry Patterson
Learn to communicate best when it matters most. The classic guide to conversing in high-impact situations,Crucial Conversations helps you get constructive results when emotions run high and opinions vary, in the workplace and beyond.
Differentiate or Die, by Jack Trout
Bestselling author, Jack Trout, criticizes marketers for taking the easy route too often, employing high-tech razzle dazzle and sleight of hand when they should be working to discover and market their product’s uniquely valuable qualities. He examines successful differentiation from giants like Wal-Mart to smaller success stories like Connecticut’s tiny Trinity College to determine why some marketers succeed at differentiating themselves while others fail.
The Great Game of Business, by Jack Stack
The Great Game of Business is a whole different approach to running a company. With Jack Stack’s proven approach to transparency, employee education and engagement; he guarantees you will improve financial results and the lives of the people who drive those results.
StrengthsFinder 2.0, by Tom Rath
In 2001, Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, to help people uncover their talents. In StrengthsFinder 2.0, Gallup unveils the new and improved version of its popular assessment, including hundreds of strategies for applying your strengths, this new book and accompanying website will change the way you look at yourself--and the world around you--forever.
The Ultimate Question, by Fred Reichheld
Loyalty expert, Fred Reichheld, shows how to turn customers into promoters who generate profits and sustainable growth. The key: one simple question—“Would you recommend us to a friend?”—that allows companies to track promoters and detractors, producing a clear measure of an organization’s performance through its customers’ eyes.
Who, by Geoff Smart and Randy Street
In this New York Times Bestseller, Geoff Smart and Randy Street provide a simple, practical, and effective solution to what The Economist calls “the single biggest problem in business today”: unsuccessful hiring.
Stay connected with RCI through Facebook for more tips and inspiration dedicated to the retail candy maker. Not a member? Click here to learn how RCI can help you build your sweet business.
