"The quality of our expectations determines the quality of our actions and our results."

-- Andres Godin

by Jami Petersen

Our feature article this week discusses aligning yourself as a business in the scrapbooking industry. In particular, we examine the partnership program that Scrapbooking.com Magazine has put into place to help scrapbook retailers. Read why creating this partnership can lead to more success for your business. Scrapbooking.com Magazine also provides many free and cost-effective advertising opportunities for SMART members. Find out more and make sure you're taking advantage of all they have to offer.

Jami Petersen
newsletters@a-z.com

Sakura

Sticklers™ kits include gold or silver outline stickers with three Glazeâ (glossy) or Soufflé™ (opaque) 3-dimensional ink pens.

 Fun to demo because anyone can color! All ages can easily personalize cards, bookmarks, cell phones, picture frames, votives, journals & more. All-in-one family fun kit works on glass, paper, plastic & metals. Great for travel, parties, incentive, award, gift and home.

Peel Sticker, Place, Color-in, Let Dry. View video on website. $6.99 U.S. MSRP

http://www.sakuraofamerica.com/Kits-Sticker

Press Releases

News you can use about the latest media coverage of hot trends, noteworthy events and dynamic industry leaders. Learn more about the current headlines in arts and crafts by clicking on the title of each article segment.
 

 

Kodak reports $191 million second-quarter loss. Eastman Kodak Co. reported a second-quarter loss of $191 million. Sales were down 29 percent from the same period last year. The results were said to reflect Kodak's investments in new products and growth businesses. Kodak also reported that the losses "reflect the weak global economic climate" but forecasted improved financial results for the second half of the year.

Canon reports lower second-quarter profit. Canon Inc.]reports second-quarter profit declined 86 percent and cut its annual sales target, blaming "sluggish" demand for printers and copiers. Canon's net income dropped to 15.6 billion yen ($164 million) from 107.8 billion yen a year earlier.

Kodak Gallery dropping shipping charges. Kodak Gallery general manager Victor Cho announced the online service was dropping shipping charges. "Last month we announced free shipping on Print orders over $4.99. It was such a huge success, we are now extending free shipping to all product orders over $4.99. We know that you dislike the "cart shock" of high shipping costs (which can be as high as 30 percent of your order) so we are offering free shipping to see how our members respond. If it's successful, we'll make it permanent."

Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L™

SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L™ offers you a new opportunity to gain more sales!

They now have launched an online store powered by Shopatron! This move also bolsters the commitment SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L™ has to their fulfillment partners by driving sales through independent retail stores. The addition of in-store pickup available for brick-and-mortar stores will create ancillary sales of complementary products when customers arrive to pick up their orders.

Sign up for FREE today!!  

by Dennis A. Conforto, A-Z Media Group, Inc.

Have you ever noticed that when you pay nothing, you usually get nothing? Free is almost never free. There is always some catch at the end, and if something is truly free, it usually has no value.

Finally, there is something that is free, that has no catch and has real value. It can help you grow your business and can even be viewed as a profit center for your scrapbooking business.

There are hundreds of thousands of women who want to stay up on the latest ideas, tools and products related to scrapbooking. They love the idea of learning more about their newfound craft. Yet as a SMART retailer, it is hard to keep up with the latest trends, products and tools that are produced by the nearly 1,800 different scrapbooking manufacturers who are introducing new products all the time.

Of course, the best customers are educated consumers. The more they know, the more they buy and the more they buy the better business can be for you. In fact, the more you can keep scrapbooking at the forefront of their minds, the better it is for your retail store.

One of the ways many scrapbooking retailers try to stay in contact with their very best consumers is through a store newsletter. The challenge with this is that newsletters are usually only produced once each month, or sometimes even less frequently. Ideally, consumers should be reminded of your products on a weekly basis. However, it would be too expensive and time consuming to send out newsletters each week. How can you do it for free? How can you educate your customers to increase your store’s revenue stream?

Scrapbooking.com Magazine has created the perfect partnership program for retailers no matter where they are around the globe. It’s fast, simple and best of all, it’s free! By placing one of their free weekly e-newsletter special links on your store’s website or on your e-newsletter, you will be encouraging your consumers to keep up with the latest and greatest trends happening in the world of scrapbooking today.

Now the question is, “Why would a retail store owner want to promote a link from Scrapbooking.com Magazine within their own website or e-newsletter?” The reason is simple: their whole business model is to drive traffic to retail stores just like yours. Manufacturers invest in the web pages within that magazine to promote their brands which are found in retail stores. What you might not have noticed before is that each article ends with a link to guide the reader to their nearest scrapbooking store.

Let me give you eight reasons why placing Scrapbooking.com's free link on your site and newsletter is good business for you, and why you want your customers to have access to their weekly newsletters.

1. Consumers are looking for new ideas all of the time. Scrapbooking.com Magazine has what the consumers need, and the newsletter and magazine is free to them and to you.
2. The newsletter promotes scrapbooking to your client base weekly. Reminding them about the category is critical to having greater mind share, thus creating greater market share.
3. Scrapbooking.com’s newsletter gives your readers new ideas of how to use your products along with instructions and supply lists for new projects. The more they consider doing something, the more likely they are to act on that consideration.
4. The more new ideas Scrapbooking.com newsletter can give, the more consumers will shop; traffic to your store is key to your daily and weekly success.
5. Greater profits allow you to bring in more new products to your store. It also means you can invest more into growing your business and improving the look and feel of your store.
6. New products keep your store fresh and keeps your oldest customers coming back.
7. The newsletters have a tell-a-friend feature that allows for viral marketing to ensure that even more prospective consumers are getting the message about scrapbooking within your marketplace.
8. Viral marketing of scrapbooking.com’s newsletter within your marketplace creates more newbies to refer even more business to your store.

While your primary job as a retailer is to sell product, Scrapbooking.com Magazines primary job is to help remind your customers weekly that you are there waiting to serve their needs. Your customers can even print out a shopping list of what is needed to create a project, making it easier for you and them in shopping your store.

Scrapbooking.com Magazine provides to the consumer a basic free store listing that lets them know your store name and that you are close by. If you want, you can upgrade that free store listing and add your store logo, store hours, a link to your website, a store map, and even a savings coupon. Visit this link, pick the image that you think will look best on your website, and allow us to help you grow your scrapbooking business.

Partner with Scrapbooking.com Magazine and allow them to help you grow the message of scrapbooking within your marketplace. They have the content about the product and you have the product. It’s really the perfect partnership. Those stores who are active in their relationship have seen the positive difference we have made in their business, and they can do the same for you.

For manufacturers, the retail alliance program allows you to place your logo link on all the independent stores found within Scrapbooking.com Magazine that carry your brand. Several SMART Manufacturers have benefited from this program. If you had 2,500 retail stores you do business with you could potentially have 2,500 live links back to your site. It’s a powerful branding program and one that every single manufacturer should use. To get that program started, please contact Sherry Chapman at schapman@a-z.com.

There is nothing quite like the perfect partnership, especially when it’s free. That is what being business SMART is all about.   

Mark your calendars and tell your friends, the Anna Griffin Scrapbook Super Sale is coming and it’s going to be over-the-top and out of this world! With unheard of pricing and deep discounts, this is a 3-day spectacular that you will not want to miss! This crafting clearance will surely be the sale of the season, with free shipping and BLOWOUT pricing.

Paper personality, Anna Griffin is a recognized authority when it comes to translating exquisite patterns evocative of old world style into modern, mix and match designs. Each paper craft collection reflects the luxurious styles of yesterday, and yet is fashionably on-trend for today. Sale dates are September 5th – 7th.