Retail Ideas
Hi, I'm Leslie Carothers, Chief Energizing Officer of The Kaleidoscope Partnership- a global social media agency started nine years ago for furniture, design and lifestyle brands to provide high level social media strategies along with execution capabilities for our roster of clients on http://tkpartnership.com. Having been in the furniture and luxury design business for the past 29 years, and having worked with consumers, retail sales consultants, retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, designers and the media, I have a decent grasp of our industry and hope, through this column, to give you solid *Retail Ideas* around various facets of social media that will help YOUR business prosper!
Please feel free to start a conversation on my blog by leaving a question or a comment or contact me at any time at leslie@tkpartnership.com, on twitter at http://twitter.com/tkpleslie, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/TheKaleidoscopePartnership or through this group I run on Linked In: Social Media for Furniture Retailers, Manufacturers and Suppliers! If you're interested in having me speak to your organization or at your conference about a facet of social media, please email me at the above address.
#HPmkt and the Thank You Economy
The world is converging starting Saturday, Oct. 16th, as more than 85,000 people from around the world converge on High Point, North Carolina for the start of the world's largest furniture wholesale furniture tradeshow-High Point Market.With over 2000 exhibitors represented in 188 buildings containing over 12 million sq. feet of showspace and hundreds of thousands of new product introductions, @HP... Read More
Comments (15)FACEBOOK: THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Facebook is a crafty seductress. Those 500 million+ users are very tempting to anyone trying to reach today's consumer who, on average, are spending 55 minutes every day there chatting with their friends. Not only that, the fastest growing group on Facebook today is 55 and over with the 2nd fastest growing group being 35 and over- our industry's sweet spot.However, there are critically important f... Read More
Comments (20)IT'S TAKING TOO MUCH TIME
This is going to be another short post - I must be learning something from all that tweeting :)I think I've just about said it all in that first statement, though. The furniture shopping process is taking the consumer too much time. They're getting frustrated and, in some cases, giving up altogether or just buying the cheapest option available to them because they don't have the time to do the res... Read More
Comments (10)FREEDOM, FACEBOOK and the FOURTH OF JULY
Here's a simple idea for how you can reach out via Facebook,Twitter, your websites and/or your blogs to let our military families know how much you appreciate and honor their service and their sacrifices this Fourth of July weekend.It's easy in the hustle and bustle of sales, shopping, family fun and the the *stuff to get done* around all of those activities to lose sight of the men and women prot... Read More
Comments (2)Nebraska Furniture Mart, #NateDay and Twitter
Why did Nebraska Furniture Mart participate in the first #IDZinechat on Twitter? Why did 139 interior design bloggers write about @Nate_Berkus for free for #NateDay on Twitter? How are they all connected and how can you leverage these concepts to create sales and web traffic for your own retail businesses? #IDZinechat explained:#IDZinechat is a FREE and *no strings attached* event on Twitter whe... Read More
Comments (5)@ICFF2010 -BUSINESS TAKEAWAYS
@ICFF2010 -BUSINESS TAKEAWAYSThe International Contemporary Furniture Fair, now in its 22nd year, is held once a year in NYC. It is a global summit for showcasing the best of contemporary design with a special focus on emerging talent.My company, The Kaleidoscope Partnership, was fortunate to have been chosen to provide social media services for George Little Management - the producers of @ICFF201... Read More
Comments (5)NEGATIVE ONLINE REVIEWS - WHAT TO DO?
Consumer opinions. Good ones? You love them. Bad but balanced? Hate to see them, but try to listen and learn, right? But, when they’re both bad AND unfair? They make you boiling mad and defensive!Why? Because you know you did all you could to help solve their issue. Your people went above and beyond the call of duty and handled the customer with respect, care and kindness. You bent your normal... Read More
Comments (13)RESULT: 1/3rd STORE TRAFFIC INCREASE IN ONE DAY
The skeptics may ask: “Really? A NON-SALE event did that - and for under a $1,000.00 - on a Saturday?”The skeptics may think: “I don’t believe it. Is there proof- in writing?”Yep. I’m writing this post to share this: Even though you may not think or be convinced that YOUR customer, at the local level, is interested in eco-friendly furniture - I believe that the success of the event I am about to d... Read More
Comments (3)REACHING THE INTERIOR DESIGNERS WHO CAN BRING YOU BUSINESS-NOW!
At 8pm tonight, Thursday, Feb. 25th, interior designers from around the world will hold the first ever interior design “chat” with consumers from around the world-on Twitter.Every retailer, every manufacturer, every supplier, every home stager, every remodeler, everyone involved in any way with the home furnishings and related industries is welcome to attend. What is the purpose? Interior designer... Read More
Comments (2)RESULT: 1/3rd STORE TRAFFIC INCREASE IN ONE DAY
The skeptics may ask: “Really? A NON-SALE event did that - and for under a $1,000.00 - on a Saturday?”The skeptics may think: “I don’t believe it. Is there proof- in writing?” Yep. I’m writing this post to share this: Even though you may not think or be convinced that YOUR customer, at the local level, is interested in eco-friendly furniture - I believe that the success of the event I am about to... Read More
Comments (2)MY BIGGEST SOCIAL MEDIA MISTAKE
Mistake? “Isn’t that just a little bit risky, Leslie - to admit a big mistake right when many of us in the furniture industry are on the verge of adopting a social media strategy in 2010 and might consider hiring your company?” My answer to you would be, “We’re ALL still learning and if SOMEONE like me who does social media for a living doesn’t admit that I screw up because my ego gets in the way... Read More
Comments (13)WHY DO CEO's DO IT?
I do it. Jerod Lazan of http://yourfurniturelink.com and http://mortisetenon.com does it. Chris Brogan (@ChrisBrogan) , owner of one of the most successful social media agencies in the country, http://newmarketinglabs.com and co-author of the new ” must read” book “Trust Agents” does it. Sarah Thornton , co-owner with her husband, Andy ,of Richmond, VA based retailer, La Difference (@LaDiff)does... Read More
Comments (16)
