Playback - Winter 2008 - (Page 11) In 2008, No Matter Where the Economy Goes 8 Ways to Help Your Business Grow dynamics of teacher and student relationships, what causes teachers to stay or leave a music store, and what helps them feel valued. “It’s amazing how many teachers feel separated from the store—it’s just a place they go to instead of being part of a team,” he explains. “Keep a sense of teamwork, and your teachers will want to make product recommendations and encourage students at your store.” 7. Start a Summer Camp In most school districts, school-age kids and teens have months of idle time over summer vacation. Give parents some relief and kids something fun to do by starting a music camp at your store or local park district. Myrna Sislen, owner of Middle C Music in Washington, D.C., has offered successful summer rock band camps in her store for the past four years for kids age 10 to 15. Participants learn and play guitar, bass, violin, cello, piano and drums with the ultimate goal of becoming summer rockers. “It’s a win-win-win situation on every level!” she says. “From neighborhood involvement to publicity to our bottom line, the word gets out and we make money during a time of year that we usually don’t.” HOw TO CrEATE STOrE ENvIrONMENTS THAT ATTrACT LONG-TErM STUDENTS Presented by: Ravi, Columnist, Clinician and Consultant to the Music Products Industry Saturday, 11 a.m. 6. Advertise Your Business on the Internet for Free Social networking sites on the Internet aren’t child’s play. In fact, savvy business owners are plugging into Web sites such as Myspace, Facebook and YouTube to market their stores and services for free, says Jen Lowe, owner of BoomBoom Percussion. Promoting your store online is the best way to reach thousands of potential customers. “It’s a very viral thing to be online,” she says. The greatest part about online communities is that it doesn’t take a computer wizard or loads of cash to benefit from them. A small investment of time and sharing the right information will keep your store in the minds of young consumers. The sites can also keep you in the loop about upcoming trends. “Our name and products get passed along and we get a ton of traffic from it,” Lowe notes. “If you have a computer, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do this.” Get the basics at her Idea Center session. Sislen’s camp does good for the community, helping boost kids’ confidence and their interest in music. Her efforts have been publicized by Fox News, CBS Radio, The Washington Post and the Northwest Current and Georgetown Current newspapers. Talk about positive public relations! HOw TO TUrN THE SLOwEST wEEkS OF SUMMEr INTO A FINANCIAL AND PUBLIC rELATIONS BONANzA Presented by: Myrna Sislen, Owner, Middle C Music Saturday, 1 p.m. 8. Attend NAMM U Pick up even more business tips from some of the industry’s smartest players at this year’s other NAMM U sessions in the Idea Center! Check out the complete schedule in the PLAYback Supplement included in this issue, or visit www. thenammshow.com/nammu. HOw TO SET UP YOUr INTErNET MArkETING … FOr FrEE! Presented by: Jen Lowe, President, BoomBoom Percussion Saturday, Noon One-Hour Presentation 11 http://www.thenammshow.com/nammu http://www.thenammshow.com/nammu
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