How to Successfully Market Your Concessions Business, Part 1

We have talked about marketing many different times over the past couple of years. It's topic that will always be on the forefront of any conversation about business until the end of time. Marketing and business are really inseparable.

Over the course of previous posts, we have also recommended various methods and resources to aid you in marketing your business too. The Small Business Administration's website has been mentioned more than once...and it's going to be recommended again now.

The SBA website (www.SBA.gov) is full of great, free resources to business owners and people who are considering going into business for themselves. I would urge you to spend some time digging through their website and see for yourself just how much valuable information is there.

Right now, my recommendation would be for you to take a look at the many different articles available there that are directly aimed at giving you (a business owner) tips and ideas on how to effectively market and advertise your business. This list of articles can be found by clicking here. One of the articles that I found most interesting so far is entitled, "15 Foolproof Ideas for Promoting Your Company". While every one of these points is not applicable to someone who owns a shaved ice or snow cone business, many of the points are very relevant and contain good suggestions.

So, during the offseason (for those of you who own seasonal shaved ice and snow cone stands), I would encourage you to take some time to read these articles. Print them out and read them when you're offline.

There are some "good tools" on the SBA website for your business operation "toolbox" that will help you operate your business more successfully.

Look for Part 2 in How to Successfully Market Your Business in the coming days!

Take care!

How to Easily Create Customized Products at StickyLife.com

We have mentioned StickyLife.com several different times here in the blog - in articles about branding and advertising and articles recommending them for their unique gift ideas.

Now, we're pleased to be able to share their "How To" video. This great video showcases the ease and flexibility that you have as a customer when you go to StickyLife.com and begin to design your own products. Please take a moment to watch the video. After viewing it, we encourage you to visit their website. With only a couple of weeks left before Christmas, you'll be amazed at how many different products are available at great prices throughout the StickyLife.com website. Enjoy!

Is the Snow Sled the Coolest Shaved Ice Truck Out There?

Earlier this month, Joann from St. Louis Snow Cone commented on our blog here and asked to have their company submitted into our Shaved Ice Directory. I went to the website for her company and was blown away by what I saw!



I believe this is one of the best looking shaved ice vehicles I have ever seen! I would encourage you to visit their website at www.stlsnowcone.com where you will be able to view how they built this awesome looking vehicle out of a 1957 step van.

If you're thinking about making your own customized vehicle for service in the shaved ice or snow cone business, I would recommend that you take a look at their layout and design as well. Their setup looks pretty efficient to me.

Thanks Joann for leaving a comment on our blog and giving us the opportunity to check out your company's great signature vehicle. We wish you continued success with your business!

Readers, do you know of another great looking, unique vehicle or setup that is being used in the shaved ice or snow cone industry? If so, let us know and we'll feature it here.

Thanks.

Video Ad for StickyLife.com

We have discussed StickyLife.com a couple of different times here in the blog and have recommended using their products for advertising and promotional items. We like their products, their website is easy to use and their pricing is very small business friendly.

I added the video just to showcase some of the various products that StickyLife.com offers. So, enjoy:

Get Shaved and Their Unique Use of Twitter

Get Shaved is a mobile Hawaiian Shaved Ice company based in Southern California and primarily services the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles area. In addition to their mobile shaved ice truck, they also do private catered parties and they have a cart at Universal Studios CityWalk that features a limited version of their menu.

What's important to note though is their creative use of Twitter. Every day, several times a day, they update their followers on Twitter (over 2,200 of them) along with the rest of the 'Twitterverse' with the location of their shaved ice truck. For example, here is one of their previous tweets:

"10/25: 11a-2p @ Eagle Rock Farmers' Market - 2700 Colorado Blvd (Eagle Rock Plaza)"

They have created quite a following for themselves in this manner. It's a unique method of doing business and it seems to be catching on. For example, if you do a search on Twitter for GetShaved, you'll notice people (potential customers) asking them where they'll be next, commenting on their favorite menu item or flavor, recommending people go and try a shaved ice, etc.

Anyhow, I'd recommend that you read this article that I found and then visit the Get Shaved website. If you're on Twitter, I'd recommend that you follow them and see what they are up to and LEARN. :)

Follow StickyLife.com on Facebook

Recently, we told you about the many great ways to use StickyLife.com for your concessions business. We know that being in business is expensive and that profit margins are often pretty tight. So, since we mentioned StickyLife.com and recommended it as a great resource for branding products and promotional items, we thought we'd recommend a way to save a few bucks when you order from them too.

Occasionally, StickyLife.com will offer a discount code on their Facebook fan page. For example, there is currently a 25% discount for first time orders. So, go become a fan of their Facebook page, get the discount code and order the products you need to promote your business and save some money at the same time!

HawaiianShavedIce.com Now has a Facebook Fan Page!

That's right, HawaiianShavedIce.com has made the 'leap' into the world of social media. We have created a Facebook Fan Page. If you are already a Facebook user, please visit our fan page. Please add us as friend. We just started the page and are thrilled to see that we have 115 friends already. Wow! If you are not using Facebook just yet...well, what are you waiting for? It's free, so sign up today and give it a whirl.

We have discussed the importance of using social media for your business and now we're putting it to the test ourselves. We hope to be able to give you honest, first hand experience and recommendations based on our own usage of this powerful, free marketing tool.

We look forward to putting together some creative uses for our Fan Page. Do you have any suggestions for ways that you'd like to see us use it? If so, please feel free to leave us a comment here on the blog. We appreciate and invite your input!

StickyLife.com, A Great Branding Resource for Concessionaires and Other Small Businesses

After discussing branding in our last post, I thought it would be prudent to make a recommendation and put some creative branding ideas out there for you to ponder.

As mentioned, branding makes a huge impact on gaining and retaining customers. We have touched on logo design several different times throughout the blog and by now I'm sure you realize just how important a great, eye-catching logo is in establishing a great brand for your business.

Now that you have your logo...use it. Promote yourself. Promote yourself in creative ways. Don't be afraid to use your logo...after all you created it to be the visual identifier of your business.

One creative place to easily and economically use your logo to create branding and promotional products is at www.StickyLife.com. StickyLife.com is in the product customization business and is an ideal place for you to experiment on various ways to promote your business through the use of creative marketing materials.

StickyLife.com offers several great products that appear to be perfect tools for promoting your shaved ice, snow cone, or cotton candy business. For example, kids love temporary tattoos. At StickyLife.com, you have the ability to create your own customized temporary tattoo! Imagine being able to hand out a temporary tattoo to every kid that comes up to your concession stand. How cool is that? The kids will definitely think it's cool! Parents and grandparents will appreciate your willingness to please their kids and grandkids too.

I will be featuring a few more unique ways to use StickyLife.com for your business in coming posts. Most importantly for now, I encourage you to visit StickyLife.com and check out all of the cool ways you can use their site to create products that will promote your business!

Branding

What sets you apart from your competition? We have discussed several things that definitely assist you in differentiating yourself from your local competition such as:

* Superior Customer Service
* Competitive Pricing
* Offering Superior Products Made from the Best Equipment and Served in High Quality Materials

These things all make a huge impact on gaining and retaining customers.

One thing we haven’t discussed much at all is branding and the important role it has in creating your identity as a business. Branding is a “package deal” because it involves several different things. Here are a few things to get you thinking about how to shape your branding or polish/revise what is perhaps a dated or weak branding strategy.

1. Logo Design. Your logo is the visual icon for your brand. Creating a unique, visually appealing logo is an important and critical step in establishing your company’s identity.
2. Purpose Statement. What do you stand for? Say something. Let people know what you’re passionate about. Think about Ben & Jerry’s…they are more than just ice cream; they are a company that stands for a cause.
3. Make purchasing your product an experience, not just a transaction. Give them something positive to remember.
4. Give Back. You rely on the community around you for your customers. Make sure that you in turn are active in the community with your business. Get behind a local cause and support it…either financially or with your time.
5. Be dedicated to always being the best and only offering the best of everything to your customers.

This certainly isn’t comprehensive by any means, it’s just meant to get you thinking about the process of developing your company’s brand.

More to come…

Hot Summer Days + Cold, Refreshing Shaved Ice = Potential Profits

Summer in many portions of the US has started out to be a hot one! If you operate a shaved ice or snow cone stand in these "warm" regions of the US, I hope you're enjoying a busy start to the summer.

In Amarillo, Texas, this stand is certainly reaping the benefits of hot summer days! Read more about their sales and other information that may be helpful to you in the operation and management of your own business.

I have friends who recently let me know that it was 102 degrees where they live in Texas. My suggestion to them? FIND A SHAVED ICE or SNOW CONE STAND to help them cool off!

It's hot out there! Some people don't like the heat and see it as burdensome. However, for folks like us, when we see the thermometer rise, we see dollar signs too! I hope your summer continues to be a hot and profitable one!

Interesting Article about Shave It

As you know, I always like to feature shaved ice, snow cones or cotton candy articles that appear in the mainstream news. Last week, I came across an article from April of this year discussing a new start up company called Shave It (a California based franchise).

As usual, I encourage you to read the article about their store (as of this article, there are 3 locations in So. California). I also encourage you to visit their website (www.shaveitice.com). Check out their menu, their prices and how they market their company. There's a great deal of helpful, useful information there that may be of use to you in promoting your own shaved ice business. It's just good fuel for thought. Another "magic lantern" moment as I like to refer to them.

I hope you find it helpful for your own business.

Another Great Example of Giving Back

Last month, I discussed the importance of giving back to the community through your business. I recently came across a press release issued by a Missouri based shaved ice company who had found a great way to give back to their community.

Murray's Shaved Ice of Ballwin, MO recently gave all participants of the 2009 Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure any size shaved ice treat for half price. Read more about it here. Two thumbs up to Murray's for coming up with a creative way to give back in their community!

It's not hard to come up with ways to use your business to make a positive impact for a great cause or for some other method of supporting your community. I encourage you to look into ways to give back in your community this summer!

Giving Back

It's always nice to find ways to give back to your community through your business. One of the ways that 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com, HawaiianShavedIce.com, and CottonCandyExpress.com gives back to our local community is through a summer program called Newton Grove Movie Nights (www.NGMovieNight.com). The movie nights are held in a local park where we bring in a large, inflatable projection screen and show a movie for free. Concessions (popcorn, snow cones, and drinks) are free to children under 18 and adults must pay for their snacks and drinks.

The first movie night occurred just about two weeks ago. We had over 400 people come out and enjoy Adam Sandler's movie "Bedtime Stories". We also made a ton of snow cones and gave out hundreds of bags of popcorn.



We look forward to the next movie night. We enjoy being able to give back in a this way to the community and people who have purchased our products over the years.

We encourage you to find some creative way to use your business to be able to give back in some capacity to your community. There are many different opportunities to get involved in fundraising for local sports teams, or other good organizations such as Boys and Girls Club, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts...the list goes on. If you are already involved in giving back to your community, please let us know about it. We would enjoy knowing how other businesses engage in giving back.

Thanks!

Do You Use Social Media to Promote Your Business?

Social Media has become incredibly important to businesses everywhere. Many companies have found creative ways to incorporate social media usage into their marketing plans. Facebook and Twitter seem to be the most widely used by companies to promote their products and services. With over 200 million active accounts on Facebook, it should be apparent why businesses are looking for ways to creatively use that platform to promote their products and services. Twitter, which serves a slightly different niche, currently has over 6 million users.



So, by now you're asking the question, "Why in the world would I use Facebook or Twitter for my little business?" Well, let me give you an example of one company using it effectively. Dutch Brothers Coffee actively uses both of these social media platforms and does a mighty good job with them. With Facebook, they have created a 'fan page' (which has almost 12,000 fans). They regularly update events happening at their drive thru locations and also announce drink specials too. On Twitter, Dutch Bros regularly announces drink specials as well as other interesting news related to their company. Every once in a while they'll also announce "Twitter-only specials". For example, they might advertise that a 20 oz. mocha is a dollar on Monday and this will be the only way to be informed about that special.

Dutch Brothers successfully uses these two social media tools to generate 'buzz' about their company and most importantly, the products they sell. Now, let's talk about how you can use it. Basically, I would recommend starting out with a similar plan as Dutch Bros. Yes, I know you don't have 156 locations...most likely you only have one. But, create the accounts and tell your loyal customers about your plan. Post a special and communicate it using these platforms. If you're a mobile vendor, let people know where you will be set up.

Get creative and give it a shot. It may be a way for you to gain an edge over your local competitors. People spend more and more time online these days. Both of these are FREE tools you can use to promote and market your business.

Shirts, Hats, Aprons and More for Your Employees

Establish your branding and professional image at your shaved ice business by ordering shaved ice themed apparel. 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com has created apparel in 3 different designs for shaved ice stands.



We have t-shirts, polo shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and aprons available in an assortment of colors and sizes. Over 40 different products are available!



Please note that since Hawaiian Shaved Ice apparel orders are handled by a different company, all apparel orders must be placed separately from any equipment and supply orders on our website. To visit our apparel website please click on the following link for Hawaiian Shaved Ice Apparel.

Thanks!

Attention Concession Owners...Tell Us about You and Your Company

Owners, are you looking for some additional exposure for your concessions business? Of course you are! To answer NO to that question would be foolish.

At ConcessionCentral.com, we are always interested in talking to entrepreneurs about their business. Whether you've been in business for decades or are just starting out, we'd like to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment here about your business. If you are in a business related to the products and services we feature currently in our blog (shaved ice, snow cones, slush drinks, or cotton candy), we would be interested in putting together a blog post about your business.

Anytime we can feature information from other concessions business owners, it's helpful for everyone here.

Thanks!

Summer Snow in Minnesota!

Summer Snow is a mobile concessions business in Minnesota. In a phone interview, I had the opportunity to speak with Jamie about her business. Over the past two years, her business has experienced rapid growth. Their sales tripled between their first and second season. Now, her goal is to double sales in the third season. Here’s how she answered some of my questions.

How many years have you been operating your business?

Jamie: We will be entering our third season starting in May. Our first season, we were only open June, July, and August. Our second season went from May through September 1st. We are planning on running our stands on that schedule this year too.

Why did you decide to open a shaved ice business?

Jamie: While growing up in the Dallas, TX area, we had numerous shaved ice stands around us. It was a summer tradition. When we moved to Minnesota, we realized that there were pretty much nonexistent. Because we like and enjoy shaved ice and the market seemed to be wide open here, we decided to venture into the business.

Are you a dedicated neighborhood stand or do you sell at special events and festivals?

Jamie: Our first season, we tried setting up in one consistent location. We quickly found out that it wasn’t how we wanted to operate. We started concentrating on special events in our area and things started to take off for us then. Our first year was “hit and miss” as far as finding good events. However, after receiving customer referrals on other good events and being directly invited to participate in high attendance events, we have grown rapidly. We now set up our trailer at a local soccer complex during the week and then operate at events on the weekends.

What advice do you have for a potential shaved ice business owner?

Jamie: If they were up here in our area, I’d advise them to do special events. I would also recommend that they visit the 1-800-Shaved-Ice.com website and download the free business manual there. It was very helpful in answering some of our questions. It also gave us the confidence we needed to push forward and open up our business. One thing that we did in the very beginning was use the recommended ‘Free Day.’ Our first day, we probably handed out over 1000 sample cups of shaved ice. Even though it was free day, we still sold around $400 worth of products!

Another thing to remember as a mobile concessionaire: a line attracts more people. During slow times, we will sometimes send out an employee who will give away sample cups of shaved ice. Pretty soon, you have a few people in line and the line starts growing again. At some concerts, we use printed coupons that give the customer 50 cents off. When it’s slow, we’ll have an employee or two go out and start giving those coupons out. Again, our line will start growing and sales start increasing again.

We have experienced great growth. We started out with a small, older trailer our first season. Our second year we sold the smaller trailer, ordered a custom 8x12 trailer and still ended up adding a tent, tables, and a second machine. With our newer trailer, we have been invited to work at events because of the professional appearance we maintain. Entering into our third season, we have replaced the tent and tables with a cart setup. At some events, we plan on operating in two different locations within the same event. We are also planning to do private party catering (setting a flat rate for a certain time limit) with the cart.

What has been your best day as far as gross sales?

Jamie: Our goal at any event is to average $200 per hour for an 8 hour day. If we do this, we are very successful.

What is your profit margin?

Jamie: This is hard to calculate since overall our company is still losing money. We have expanded quickly. We also have about 8 employees that work for us each season. It’s expensive to maintain employees in our state. However, if we hit the mark of $200 per hour at our events, we do pretty well.

How has 1-800-Shaved-Ice helped your company?

Jamie: When we initially found their website and used their Cold Cash Business Manual, we were very pleased. Now we order our products over the phone and it has been great. We have had several other companies try to get us to purchase their products, but we have stayed with 1-800-Shaved-Ice from the beginning. We like their flavors!

Do you sell other items in addition to shaved ice?

Jamie: We sell quite a few other items. Mini doughnuts, fruit smoothies, frozen coffee drinks, ice cream sundaes, soda, water, and candy are all items that are on our menu. It varies sometimes from one event to another as far as what we sell. Our goal is to get people to our stand however possible. Another thing we like about having multiple products is that if a family comes up, we can potentially serve all of them. One person might want a shaved ice, another a smoothie, another may want a bottle of water, etc.

What are your favorite shaved ice flavors?

Jamie: Wedding cake is my favorite flavor. My husband also likes the sour flavors.

Thanks for taking the time to discuss your business with me Jamie. I appreciate it. Everyone at 1-800-Shaved-Ice appreciates you too! We are thrilled about the growth of your business. We hope that your third season will be the best yet!

Proselytes: Creating "Evangelists" for Your Company

So, we're ready to delve into proselytization. But first, what does that mean? After looking through several definitions, I decided that the best one I could find was just what Guy Kawasaki used: "the process of converting others to your belief, doctrine, or cause." Most likely, you have heard the term proselyte or proselytize connected with religion. While it is most commonly used in conjunction with religion, it is certainly a word that may be used in other circles. In our case, we're going to apply it to creative marketing.

"Proselytization, or evangelism, represents the core of branding for startups in today's highly competitive world, in which information is free, ubiquitous, and instantaneous. The art of branding requires creating something contagious that infects people with enthusiasm, making it easy for them to try it, asking them for help in spreading the word, and building a community around it." Guy Kawasaki

How do you apply this to shaved ice, snow cones, and cotton candy? It's not hard when you start thinking creatively. Guy goes on to list some product characteristics which will help generate the positive "buzz" that you want for your business.

1. Cool. Your product/company needs to look appealing.
2. Effective. Your product has to produce positive results. In our case...it has to look good and taste good!
3. Distinctive. Your product has to be different and unique from that of your competitors. Signature flavors, unique combinations, different presentation...something creative.

There are more characteristics that he lists, but these three are the easiest and what I feel the most important ones that apply to concessionaires. These three characteristics are, I think, directly related to your products. There are several articles in the blog that touch upon using quality ingredients, excellent equipment, and unsurpassed customer service. I would encourage you to go back through some of the older articles and re-read some of those posts.

We have also touched upon ways to introduce your company to potential customers. Free Day is one of the best ways that we have found to create the 'evangelists' we're discussing now. Community involvement is another critical way to grow your business. Schedule fundraiser nights at your stand for Little League Baseball or Softball teams, a church youth group, Boys and Girls Club, the list is endless. This only leads to bringing in more and more people to your location, which ultimately will yield routine customers...some of whom will become the best advertising and referral tools your business will ever have.

In the past, we discussed the concept of rewarding those loyal customers through the use of loyalty cards. This is something that every customer enjoys. The idea of getting something for FREE is always appealing!

During your off season, I would encourage you to think about your products and what you can do to make them unique and appealing. Also think about strategies to increase the public's awareness of your business. Creative work in these areas of your business will yield long term customers and boost profits for your company. It's well worth the time invested!

Branding: What's Your Plan?

Branding is a critical component of any company's marketing strategy. Since the fall and winter are the off season for most concessionaires, I thought this would be a good time to put together some information on the subject of branding. My goal is that you will be able to use the off season to think about your own branding and how effective it is for your business. In doing this, you have some time before next season starts to work on new marketing strategies to effectively reach more customers.

In the past I have mentioned Guy Kawasaki here in the blog and recommended his book to you, "The Art of the Start." I still highly recommend that you purchase the book and read it. The following information about branding is taken from one of the chapters in his book. I want to take some of the points he makes and expound on them a little bit as they relate to concessionaires.

Guy brings out five major points that are critical to branding, 4 of which are well known, universal marketing principles. The fifth point that he brings in is what I think is extremely important to concessionaires.

1. Product
2. Place
3. Price
4. Promotion
5. Proselytization

Throughout the blog and in our business manual, Cold Cash, we discuss points 1 through 4 at length. However, we have only touched on a few ideas related to point number 5: Proselytization.

In the interest of not creating a HUMONGOUS article, I'm going to stop here and create a new article that solely discusses Guy's fifth point.

Thanks!

Snow Cone and Shaved Ice Directory

I've been thinking about creating an online directory of snow cone and shaved ice vendors that is associated with our blog here. The directory would be created with two distinct categories: fixed locations and mobile operators. I would also like to include a Google map for those stands with fixed locations. The reason I think this would be a good idea is because I constantly see people posting questions in forums, blogs and other locations asking if someone "knows of a good snow cone stand in Phoenix" or "looking for shaved ice in Macon." So, let's create a comprehensive directory that will help customers find your location!

So, if you're the owner of a shaved ice or snow cone business and would like to be included in our directory, please leave me a comment here so I may contact you when I'm ready to get it going.

Thanks!