Foreword Online

Ideas, information and industry news for collegiate retailers



App-y Hour: Arm Your Students with a Custom Mobile Toolbox

Posted by Liz Schulte on 8/1/18 8:30 AM

Need a map? Music? Guided meditation? A budget? To know which bar around you is offering the cheapest drinks? There’s an app for that. Phones have become the unnatural extension of our arms for a good reason: there is a world of information within our grasp. There is an app for almost everything imaginable, but which apps can help a college student manage their busy lives?

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How to Optimize Your Social Media Reach

Posted by Liz Schulte on 7/26/18 5:30 AM

The intricacies of social media can make even the most stalwart of fans sigh. There is an art to figuring out how to craft a social media post that will sound genuine, yet still perform well in the algorithms that determine a post’s reach. Today, we’re going to discuss how to maximize your social media reach and engagement to drive more students into your store and build trust.

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Linked Together

Posted by Liz Schulte on 7/24/18 5:30 AM

We don’t talk a lot about LinkedIn. It is not a platform designed to connect retail to customers. If you were looking for information on a big sale your favorite store was having, LinkedIn wouldn’t be your first choice — or even your fifth choice. Chances are, you’d never turn to the site. While it is not a natural fit for marketing your college store to students, there is still benefit to being active on the site. Here are three ways LinkedIn can help you grow professionally.

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Going Live Part Two

Posted by Liz Schulte on 7/18/18 5:30 AM

Now that you already have a plan for Going Live, we are going to dig a little deeper into the type of material that your customers might find interesting. Today we’ll cover how to format your videos so they still have the spontaneity of a live video without losing the message to your audience.

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Going Live Part One

Posted by Liz Schulte on 7/17/18 5:30 AM

There is no denying that live streaming is the newest social media craze. It is available on all the major platforms. Everyone from your friends to celebrities are doing it, but how can your business use live videos to increase website and store traffic?

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New Student Midnight Markdown

Posted by Lori Reese on 7/2/18 5:30 AM

The start of the school year is prime time to cultivate loyalty among new customers. Don’t wait until rush to reach out. Plan a treat for newcomers now that you can advertise during orientation and schedule early in the year.

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The Social Media Balancing Act

Posted by Liz Schulte on 6/26/18 5:30 AM

Balancing social media with all the daily tasks you have often feels impossible. If you tilt one way, you end up falling into the social media blackhole and losing hours of your day when you should have been focusing on work. If you lean the other way, it is easy to neglect a valuable tool for connecting with customers. Life would be so much easier if you knew where and when you should post, but that’s just a dream … or is it?

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The Potential of Podcasts

Posted by Liz Schulte on 6/20/18 5:30 AM

What do you think of when you think of podcasts? Coming into this, I wasn’t a fan. Really, that’s probably not a fair statement. I simply never thought about them. I didn’t understand what podcasts provided. In my mind, I equated them with a morning radio show — I’d rather listen to music. Podcasts, however, are so much more.

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5 Reasons You Should Sell Local in Your Store

Posted by Liz Schulte on 6/13/18 5:30 AM

As the English poet John Donne famously posited, “No man is an island.” College campuses can often feel like their own, self-sustaining world. In a lot of ways, that’s what they are; jobs, housing, food and even medical services are often provided. However, no one exists in a bubble. Embracing the greater community beyond the campus walls can drive foot traffic, enhance the shopping experience and support the local economy.

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A Window of Opportunity

Posted by Liz Schulte on 6/11/18 5:30 AM

As an author, the first chance you have to bring a reader into your world is with your book cover. A great cover will stop a person who is browsing. The art will present an intriguing story to the reader that makes them want to know more. Once the book is in their hands, it is up to the content inside to make the sale and create a loyal customer, but it is the cover that makes the introduction. With a college store, creative and eye-catching window displays act in the same manner.

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