Using Your Blog to Connect with Customers - Press Release - (March 14th, 2007)
Berkley, Michigan, February 15, 2007 – April McCrumb, owner of Catching Fireflies, a whimsical gift gallery with two metro Detroit locations and a web store, has found a fresh way to connect to her customers: a community-influenced blog that regularly features new products, customer contributed recipes and music reviews, and McCrumb’s first hand experiences as owner/creator of the innovative retail shop Catching Fireflies.
The blog is a means for customers to get to know McCrumb and at the same time a means for her to get to know them. She built her brick-and-mortar stores around being close to her customers, offering benefits like personalization, superior customer service, complimentary gift wrapping and special orders. Now, with the web store, her customer base is expanding and a greater venue is necessary for communication. “You simply can’t chat with online shoppers as they browse your goods, so instead, I blog as a means of communication,” she says.
One of the many benefits of the blog is that it is a real-time promotional tool. “I can create coupons or contests on a whim, without waiting while an ad and coupon are designed and then printed in a newspaper or magazine,” McCrumb says. There is also the benefit of immediate feedback from customers about new products or even tips for future items. Also it can serve as a tool to update customers of store closings due to weather or renovation.
For example the Berkley store will be closed from March 12th-16th for renovations, during which the blog will feature photos of the process and most importantly, special discounts for the web store since customers will be unable to shop in person. “I’m calling it ‘Spring Fever’ and my goal is to spread some sunshine as we say goodbye to winter,” McCrumb says. “Promotions will range from free shipping to give-a-ways when you spend a certain amount, plus we’ll be giving out gift cards to people who subscribe to the blog.”
That’s reason enough for me to put Catching Fireflies on my daily blog browse.
Catching Fireflies wants to makes days brighter. To view April’s blog, visit her website at www.catchingfireflies.com, and follow the links. To check out the brick-and-mortar stores to glimpse her personality, stopover in person at either Catching Fireflies store, located at 3117 W. 12 Mile in Berkley , and at 203 E. University Drive in downtown Rochester . Store hours are Monday thru Saturday, 10 till 6, and on Thursdays they remain open until 8:00 pm.
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Care to interview April?
Contact her at 1(800)414-1654 or by email at studio@aipaper.com
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