1. Planning

Planning is the key to success- by being organised with your promotions you can create constant excitement for your customers and keep them engaged, which in turn will help increase your sales.

One of the best ways to plan and run your promotions for the year is on a Month by Month basis. Delegate a person responsible for the promotion and marketing of your products, whether it’s the owner/manager or one of your staff.

2. Multi-buys

Most customers want to feel as if they are getting value for money, and multi-buys and specials are a great way of doing this. It is also incentivises customers to spend more in your store. For instance, coffee and cake deals are always a hit with customers!

3. Giveaways

People appreciate even the smallest gifts as long as it is given free and with sincerity. Giveaways can also help attract new customers to your business and excite your existing customers. Further, by putting your logo on a giveaway you are keeping yourself top of mind with your customers and building the brand of your business.

Why don’t you give away fridge magnets e.g. in the shape of a pie/pastry to a customer? Or, hold a promotion in conjunction with your local radio station, and give away birthday cakes/family pies to the winners?

4. Loyalty Programmes.

For instance, offer loyalty cards supplied by EOI (‘Buy 5 pies and get 1 free’) to your customers. This encourages to return back and provides another opportunity to boost your sales!

Contact us about our reward cards>

5. Support your Community.

Donate products to your local school, sporting club or charity. This will give your business a positive public image that will in turn improve your customer relationship. A study published in the Journal of Small Business Management found that socially responsible businesses are more successful, and earn greater loyalty from their customers and employees.

6. Take Advantage
of Celebrations.

Focused specials and festivals tend to attract more attention and are easier to promote. Select 3 or 4 special days and create specials around that theme .e.g. Public Holidays, School Holidays, Father’s or Mother’s Days. For example, you could – Tie in promotions with local sporting events .e.g. During Grand Final week, dress the shop in team colours- make team mascots out of bread dough and do a shop front display.

Tie in promotions with special weeks e.g. during school holidays you could make fun products (e.g. mini cupcakes) that kids would love.

There are many national and religious days in our Multicultural society that you can tie in a promotion depending on your clientele e.g.Chinese New Year.

Celebrate everything to do with pies in September. EOI have especially created ‘Aussie Pie Month’ to promote and celebrate Australia’s much-loved icon; the pie!

7. Go Seasonal.

Many products will have large seasonal fluctuations in price. Talk to producers and suppliers to determine when a product will be at its most attractive price and plan a special promotion around that. For instance, in winter months you might make a special beef and veggie family pie.

8. Run Competitions.

In the school holidays run a Petey Pie colouring competition for the local children drawing their favourite cake. Give a birthday cake as a prize and see if the local radio station/newspaper wants to get involved. Put drawings on the wall in the shop and get customers to vote on them.

9. Get Creative.

Create your own hampers – they look attractive and the margins can be high for minimal effort. Also many people are looking for restaurant quality meals for their freezers. If you make fantastic chicken pot pies, shepherd’s pies or apple pies that can be packaged and frozen, then you have the potential to increase sales without increasing overhead.

10. Make use of your Business Cards.

Ensure that your business remains top-of mind to customers. Have business cards made promoting what you sell. Have them on your counter, give them to all people who order products from you and leave stacks of cards at other related businesses e.g. the florist.