Marketing Trunk Shows

Q: I’ve been advertising my trunk shows with traditional mailers and some email marketing, but I’m not getting a great response. Have you seen waning interest in trunk shows (perhaps younger people are not as into them), or do I just need to improve my marketing?

A: The trunk show business continues to be a very important part of better retail. Like all categories of activity, some seasons are better than others. This year (January-July) trunk show activity was up 5%.

I have reread your question and you seem to be missing the most important form of marketing communication: the spoken word. You have to talk with your customers about these special events, and treat your customers like they deserve this special attention. Pick up the phone, 30 or 40 times a day if you need to. It doesn’t take that much time and it makes a real difference. You can’t rely on new technology alone — give them a call.