If you Build it, they will Come (if you Promote it)

Time and again, I find myself in meetings with new clients who are very excited about our product. The vast majority understand that gift cards are the easiest money they’ll ever make in their business. Our initial conversation about InstaGift generally begins with some education about how virtual gift cards work and the benefit to the business, and finishes with “how quickly can I get started?”.

Once their store is launched though, each merchant comes to a crossroads. Some will choose the correct path and see gift card sales flourish immediately. Others will choose a path leading to slower sales; a path that can be avoided altogether. This crossroads that defines their chosen path is Promotion.

We’ve all heard the movie line, “If you build it, they will come”. It references the building of a baseball field in the middle of an Iowa cornfield in the 1989 movie, Field of Dreams. This line, mysteriously whispered to the main character, has been used in countless presentations and sales pitches since it was famously spoken. It’s often used to reference the growth of an audience based on the offering of some good or service. And to an extent it holds true in the virtual gift card world. If you build it (offer virtual gift cards through your website), they will come (customers will buy them). The problem with this statement is that it places an assumption that by simply providing something to an audience they will buy it. Unfortunately, that assumption can cost you sales.

Ideally, the whispered line would have been, “If you build it AND promote it, they will come”. Too often, we see clients add virtual gift cards to their website with great enthusiasm, yet do little on their end to promote them? Every restaurant is great about promoting “tonight’s special” but often drops the ball on reminding customers about buying gift cards. Why add a service that will provide a new revenue stream and not tell anyone about it? We consistently see greater virtual gift card sales from those clients who tell everyone they know through social media channels, e-blasts, and even word-of-mouth.

If you’re a business looking to add virtual gift cards, InstaGift is here to help. We will even show you some good methods for promoting your gift cards. Remember, your customers need to know something is available in order to buy it!