Need suggestions for shoe store

If you had to market a unique, single location, up-scale, boutique shoe store, what would be your plan?

Store does not have an online shop, nor will it. It is only one store and it is located in a top 50 city. Has pagerank of 3 already, several solid links, and good press (celebrity usage, reviews, etc).

I'm thinking:

• Article Marketing
• Forum Posts and sig posts on related sites (fashion, women's, city shopping)
• Blog posts from owner on related sites
• Links on city-specific sites.
• Social Networking - myspace profile, digg submissions, etc.

Would you bother with any PPC or would you spend the budget on links? Would a platform like Adbrite be a wise choice?

Thanks in advance!

 

Hey Josh
Those are all good ideas. How about some free advertising, lots of Free advertising sites to put you ad on. If you make it real catchy it will attract the reader. You can always set up a very basic web page inexpensively, add some graphics and pictures, maybe even some sound added. I know a lot of people do PPC, but you really have to know what you are doing, it could cost you.
Catch you later, hope I have added a little more to think about

 

No adbrite and definitely some PPC --IF-- you know the game. It is not like in the old times four or five years ago when everyone could play around with it and make a profit, nowadays if you don't know how to work in that realm you will waste your time and money amazingly easy. Keep on promoting for free. Read a good book on viral marketing to get an idea. I recommend http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0786887176/permissionmarket

 

I think giving an affiliate campaign of your products might be a good choice of marketing. yes it might gave you less profit. but it will bring you more customers and instant backlinks.

 

Great ideas so far. I would go for local searches on google, ie. using AdWords for, say, "upscale shoes Austin TX" or something like that.

You could write press releases promoting a customer newsletter and then within the newsletter just talk about your merchandise, industry happenings, tell stories, allow customers to submit their own shoe stories or ideas -- just generally make it fun and not just a shoe transaction. Give customer-only specials. If you do a good job, your customers WILL bring other people to you.

If your interested in more info, Marketing Sherpa is an absolutely awesome source for info on these types of things. Feel free to PM me if you want to know more.

 

I would also market toward designers and award shows........they ALL dress up for that big night out...and someone somewhere is always giving out an award ;0

 

I wouldn't be using the internet to promote it at all. I would spend the entire marketing budget on local promotion, not global promotion. Sorry - I realise it's probably not what you want to hear, but I think it's pretty hard to make a case for a unique, single location, upscale boutique selling products at up to about $1,200 (I'm guessing this part) having anything much to benefit in the initial stages from online promotion.