
Marketing
Create a Kid-Friendly Businessby Don Cooper
How kid-friendly are you? Whether you’re marketing to children or their parents, the more hospitable your business is to children, the more sales you’ll make. For example, you might create a supervised play area where parents can leave their children while they shop. Consider putting small chairs in your waiting room so young kids don’t feel so uncomfortable. And be sure to place items you DO want kids to see and touch down low to make it convenient for them.
Here are 33 other ideas for catering to kids and their parents:
Coloring books and crayons
A television
Video tapes
Blocks
Animals: fish, birds, hamsters, spiders, etc.
Children’s books
Magazines for a variety of ages
Candy or gumball machines
Model trains
Booster seats or high-chairs
Music
Puzzles
Water, soda, or juice
Diaper changing tables in BOTH restrooms
Extra diapers and changing accessories
Puppets
Cartoons
A sandbox
Video games
Comic books
Popcorn
Temporary tattoos
Collector cards
Child-size food portions
Ice cream
Costumes and dress-up clothes
Balloons
A clown
Contests exclusively for kids
A computer with kid-oriented software
Face-painting
A treasure chest
Posters with hidden pictures
Whichever ideas you choose to use, keep in mind that the most important factor when dealing with children is to have a kid-friendly attitude. Everyone in your organization should always treat them with kindness, courtesy, and respect.
After all, they’re your future customers.
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Don Cooper is a partner in The Guerrilla Group, Inc., and is a contributing author of CONFESSIONS OF SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTERS, published by Success Showcase Publishing. You can reach him at 800-247-9145 or Don@GuerrillaGroup.com. Get your FREE subscriptio