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ENGAGE AND THANK YOUR CUSTOMERS

 

Local Comic Shop Day®, of course, starts with UNIQUE, EXCLUSIVE and LIMITED EDITION items publishers produced just for LCSD.


Our experience in the first four years of LCSD have shown that SOLE DEPENDENCE on the LCSD branded items doesn't guarantee sales success. Retailers having more successful LCSD events use these exclusive products as the ground floor in building an event showcasing the unique attributes of your shop at the start of the holiday season.

As a retailer posted on a retailer Forum, “I think we've learned from this event as we've gone on. We use it now to get the exclusive books but also time it with something cool, whether that's an in store signing or a themed sale.”

Coupled with the LCSD exclusive products, LCSD can be used as a day to engage your regular customers and the wider comics, games and toy fans in the community around your shop.

Being the Saturday before Thanksgiving, it also makes sense to tie into doing something in which you THANK your customers for their patronage.  

Said Marco Davanzo, Executive Director of ComicsPRO and owner of Alakazam Comics. "I usually have a silent auction with my really scarce items. (with the proceeds going to the Friends of the Library).  And I often give away graphic novels or comics that I've squirreled away for events like this. I've found that this helps connect my store with the local community and generates quite a lot of sales."



What Does Registration Get You?
(Benefits of Registration)


As a retailer, when you register for LCSD, here's what you get:

1. An event date on the calendar. The Saturday before Thanksgiving allows LCSD to deliver a strong advertising message that says our shops are where it's at for holiday shopping while also tying into a "Thank You" message for our regular customers.

2. LCSD-specific marketing materials. Stores can download our LCSD marketing handbook on the best ways to promote the day (with store success stories), digital advertising, fliers, shelf-talkers and an LCSD downloadable coloring page. We are looking to augment our materials, so if there's something else you need, let us know and we will get our graphic designer working on it.

3. Targeted Facebook advertising. Your LCSD registration fees help us to target ads for Local Comic Shop Day® in your local zip code to push shoppers to come to your store not just on LCSD but throughout the holiday season.

4. Event Locator Listing. On the Event Locator of our website, you have a paragraph to describe your holiday selling plans. We list your address, website, phone number, etc so that people searching for a place to go do their holiday shopping can find your store.

5. Participating store spotlights on our LCSD Facebook Page and ComicsProgress.com. These spotlights will bring more exposure to LCSD stores. To participate in the spotlight, simply email photos of the outside and inside of your store, a paragraph about your shop and your LCSD plans, and a quote from you.

6. Special Deals!  ComicsPRO usually partners with various companies to bring special deals to our participating stores.

7. Exclusive, Limited and Unique Items. Our publisher partners are producing items that will make excellent gifts throughout the holiday season. Sales of these items on Saturday November 23 are just the start!

LCSD SUCCESS TIPS

 


Each year after LCSD, we poll retailers to find out what worked for them. Based on that feedback, here's your GAMEPLAN for a successful LCSD:


* Focus Local Comic Shop Day® on showcasing your store and THANKING your customers and local community for their support.


* Find ways to set your LCS apart from from others in the area.

-- Sales

-- Creator Signings

-- Local Artists Sketching

-- Working with local non-profits

-- Customer Art Contests

-- After Hours Customer Appreciation Party

-- Graphic Novel Give-Away


* Get the word out. Start promoting early to get your message out there before the onslaught of holiday advertising. 


* Order the LCSD exclusive items that fit your shop.


* Order for the holiday season, not just for LCSD on November 23.


* Go deeper on the evergreen items you'll be be able to sell all year long.


* Use the pre-Thanksgiving event as a way to thank your customers and make new ones!


* Use LCSD as a springboard into Black Friday Weekend Sales the next week. 


* Use Local Comic Shop Day® to start your holiday selling message early and to get your shop prepped for the busy season ahead.