How to make 2023 your most
successful year yet
The Christmas tree has been taken down, the Quality Street have all been eaten, and the excess wine and beer bottles have been strategically put in the neighbour’s recycling bins.
Goodbye Christmas 2022, hello New Year 2023!
We’re not one for new year’s resolutions at Ohm Brew; we’ve broken way too many of them over the years. However, if your resolution is to make your vape store stand out and increase your revenue, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide that will help you achieve your goals.
Deep breath… and let’s begin!
- Plan ahead
- Identify the events you want to prepare for
- See what’s happening locally
- Think ahead to what’s happening in your store
- Outline your goals
- Review your marketing
- Websites and blogging
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Offline marketing
- Join forces with Ohm Brew
- And finally… take time for you
Plan ahead
We all have that one friend that writes a ‘to-do’ list every morning and has to consult their calendar to see if they can join you for a coffee.
However, being organised isn’t a bad way to be. Planning in advance means you can prepare for all eventualities and anticipate the future.
Motivational speaker Brian Tracy once said: ‘Every minute you spend in planning saves ten minutes in execution’. We’re pretty confident Brian never had to do a stock take ten minutes before closing, but the point still stands; the more you plan, the more time you save.
Here are some ways you can plan for the year:
Identify the events you want to prepare for
Look at what national and global events are taking place over the upcoming months. For example in 2023, you’ve got the rugby World Cup, Eurovision in Liverpool, the women’s World Cup, and for those who love a bit of pomp and circumstance, the royal coronation.
Pick a few events and see how you can use them to promote your store – we’ve got a guide with a few good ideas here. Then, use social media, blogs, and the local press to tell the good folks what you’re up to!
Don’t forget events like Stoptober, No Smoking Day, and World No Tobacco Day too. These are the perfect opportunities to connect with people that want to stop smoking and give vaping a try!
See what's happening locally
Everybody wants to shop a little closer to home these days, so use this to your advantage. Check the local papers and your council website to see what special/seasonal events are happening over the course of the year. You can then tie your promotions in for a little extra publicity.
For example, check ahead to see when your Christmas light switch on takes place this year. You can then make sure you’re open late, get your promotion in place, and have lots of festive present options available for shoppers.
Think ahead to what's happening in your store
Understand what is happening to your store and staff over the year and how it might affect you. For example, are any of your team going on holiday or planning to go back to college? You can then work out if you need any extra cover or need to take on any additional responsibilities.
You can’t prepare for every eventuality, for example, your favourite supplier running out of stock or your number one staff member quitting. However, by planning for the stuff you know will take place, you have more time to spend on everything else.
Outline your goals
We all have goals in life that we want to achieve. Some are sensible. Others, not so much. Hey, Idris Elba might want to go windsurfing with us in the future… right?
Defining a goal for your vape store gives you something to aspire to. That way, every decision you make will drive you that little bit further towards your grand aim.
Here’s an interesting fact for you; did you know that people that have goals are ten times more successful than those that don’t? People like Jeff Bezos didn’t get to where they are today by winging it after all.
The critical thing is getting your goal right. This is where SMART goals come in. With a SMART goal, you’re putting parameters in place to make sure your ideas are attainable and ensure you can monitor progress. SMART goals are:
You’re creating a goal that is clear and understandable
You’re creating a goal that can be measured and has a tangible outcome
You’re creating a goal that you can definitely attain
You’re creating a goal that is worthwhile and aligns with your efforts and needs
You’re creating a goal with an end date in sight
So for example, let’s say your goal is ‘I want to increase revenue in my vape store.’ While this is an admirable goal to have, it’s not a very clear one.
However, let’s say you use the SMART methodology to adapt your goal to: ‘I want to increase revenue in my vape store by 15% by the end of December 2023. I will do this by promoting new e-liquids to existing customers.’
This is a much better goal as you’ve not only put an outcome and timescale in place, but you’ve said how you will grow your revenue. Gold stars all round.
Here are some ways to ensure you stay on track when it comes to achieving your goals for the year ahead.
Don’t be afraid to break your goal into smaller goals if it makes it easier.
Tell everyone who is willing to listen to your goal, whether that’s friends, family, employees, or the sweet little old lady who lives next door. This makes you more accountable and puts pressure on you to achieve it.
Take time to see how you’re getting on with your goal on a regular basis. That way, you can make changes if you’re not entirely on track.
Keep going! Don’t panic or throw in the metaphorical towel if you’re not quite where you want to be; just persevere.
Celebrate when you achieve your goal – whether that’s a takeaway, a bottle of fizz, or treating yourself to the book you’ve had your eye on for ages. Take the time to think about what worked and what you’d do differently if you had to do it all again.
What will your goal for 2023 be?
Review your marketing
When many people think of marketing, they think of glossy ads in fancy magazines and million-dollar advertising campaigns during their favourite shows.
However, the truth is that marketing is all around us. Even this blog, which is packed full of handy business tips, is a marketing tool! We bet we had you fooled for a second there.
One out of every ten small businesses doesn’t invest in any kind of marketing, with 36% of small businesses not even having their own website. This means that if you utilise marketing correctly, you can get the edge over your rivals.
You can use marketing to your advantage when it comes to your vape store, and the good news is, that there are lots of different marketing channels you can take advantage of. So why not review your current marketing strategy and see if there are any new marketing ideas you can add to the mix?
Websites and blogging
You might think you don’t need a website if you don’t sell vaping equipment online, but a well-designed and structured website can be a great way to drive customers to your store.
You can use your website to:
- Target the keywords that prospective customers might use to find your business and help you appear on the first page of the search engines
- Showcase the products you sell as well as your unique selling point as a vape store
- Introduce your business as a thought leader in the vaping industry
- Increase brand awareness and boost credibility
- Get an advantage over your local competitors
So if you haven’t got a website, make 2023 the year you get one! The good news is that it’s easy to create a website. Just choose a domain name and platform (for example, WordPress) and get building! Alternatively, you can get someone to create an awesome site for you.
Social media
Social media is an excellent option for vape stores as it’s low-cost, easy to manage, and means you can target a wide range of customers.
While you can’t take advantage of paid social media ads as a vape store (sorry!), you can use free social media accounts to promote your business and the products you sell. You can even partner up with influencers and do collaborations.
The key to social media success is choosing the right platform for your needs. The best way to do this is to go where your target audience goes. For example, older vapers may prefer Facebook, while younger vapers may prefer TikTok. Ask your customers what social media channels they scroll through in their downtime, and take it from there.
Email marketing
One of the things we love about email marketing is that you can use it to keep customers up to date with who you are and what you do. You can tell them about your latest products, send them recommendations… even a cheeky money-off voucher on their birthday!
Email marketing has one of the best return on investments out there. For every £1 you spend on your email marketing efforts, you can expect to get £36 back.
There are a lot of free email marketing platforms available, including Mailchimp, Sendinblue, Omnisend, and Mailerlite. Just sign up, build your marketing list, and you’re good to go.
The average person receives 120 emails a day, so if you go down the email marketing route, it’s essential to stand out. Think about the words, images, and headline to create a message that prospective customers can’t help but click on!
And of course, if you want to get some top inspiration for your email marketing, why not sign up for our very own mailing list?
Offline marketing
Your marketing doesn’t have to be digital to succeed. It might be that offline marketing can help your vape store be successful too.
The great thing about offline marketing is that you’re building relationships with other people that might help you in the future, from local politicians to journalists.
So attend that networking event, send that press release, and give out those business cards like they’re going out of fashion!
Which marketing strategy is right for your vape store? It depends on how much time you have, how much money you have, and most importantly, your target audience. It’s always better to choose one channel and do it well rather than try (and fail) to get set up on multiple channels.
Join forces with Ohm Brew
(We’re not even out of January yet, and here we are with the shameless product plugs!)
When you run a vape store, it’s critical to work with suppliers that understand you and will give you all the help and support you need to succeed. We’ll work with you to provide everything you need to not only understand your customers, but keep them coming back for more.
We’ll supply you with top-notch e-liquid blends that will get your customers’ tongues tingling, as well as plenty of promotional and training materials.
You’ll also get a specialist account manager who is only an email away if you have any questions. (About all things vaping and e-liquids, of course. Please don’t confuse them by asking them about the meaning of life or anything like that!)
Want to know more? Ping us a message, and let’s see how we can help you grow in the year ahead.
And finally… take time for you
Running a business is hard, especially if you’re doing it alone. It’s estimated that over half of UK SME owners have experienced burnout since the start of the pandemic.
If you’re not in a good place, you can’t expect your store or staff to be in a good place either. Here are our top tips for ensuring you stay gold through 2023.
- Take regular breaks where you don’t think of anything business-related. Even going for a quick walk or zoning out for five minutes can clear your head and make you feel better
- Don’t be afraid to delegate. Are there any tasks that you can give to someone else to free up your time? For example, you could let another member of staff or a marketing agency look after your social media profiles. Not a fan of filing taxes? Let an accountant do the hard work for you
- Unplug from your phone. Whether you stick it in a drawer or turn it off, powering your phone down can reduce stress and let you focus on your wellbeing
- Take care of yourself. Do regular exercise, eat well, and drink lots of water. Yes, we might sound like your mum, but it’s important to keep healthy. We worry about you, you know
- Talk to someone. A problem shared is a problem halved. If you can’t talk to a family, friend, or professional, there are lots of listening services available that can help you
All the resources to make your vape store a success
We hope this comprehensive guide has given you all the information you need to be successful in 2023. Go forth and make this year the best one ever!
Want to know more about running a vape store? We’ve got you covered. Here are some blog posts you might find of interest. And don’t forget that if you have any specific questions, we’re only a click away.
- Eight easy ways to increase your customers’ vape store spend
- Five surefire ways to get customers through your door
- How to keep ex-smokers coming back in store
- How to run vape store promotions like a pro
- How to sell vape bars responsibly
- Planogramming 101 for vape stores
- Top tips for making your vape store a success
