Posts Tagged ‘Social Media’

New PDRA Webinar To Reveal Free Social Media Tools

Friday, December 21st, 2012
facebook_favicon_v2Posted by Diane Capuano

Do you ever see posts and images on Facebook and wonder how they did that? In the next PDRA webinar, you’ll learn about some online tools that paint and decorating stores can use to enhance all forms of social media.

Best of all, these tools are free and simple to use. With such topics as adding text to images, creating photo collages and using custom color schemes, the webinar will look at a variety of options to keep your online communities entertained and engaged.

The webinar, entailed “Free Tools To Make Your Social Media POP,” will take place from 11 a.m. to noon CST on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. The webinar is offered free to PDRA members and $50 for non-members.   (more…)

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PDRA Schedules Webinar on the Topic of Facebook

Thursday, September 27th, 2012

facebook_favicon_v2Posted by Diane Capuano

PDRA turns to Facebook with the next in a series of webinars covering social media topics.

This latest webinar is entitled: “A Paint & Decorating Retailer’s Cheat Sheet: Five Ways to Make Your Facebook Business Page Rock.” It will take place from 11 a.m. to noon CST on Thursday, Nov. 8. The webinar is free to PDRA members and $50 for non-members.

A description of the webinar follows: “Do you have a Facebook page for your businesses but are always stuck on deciding what to post? Or maybe you are one that is always trying to decide how to measure your efforts. (more…)

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PDRA’s First Webinar Attracts “Pinterested” Audience

Monday, June 25th, 2012

Pinterest_Logo

Posted by Diane Capuano

If ever there was a social media network that is closely suited to the paint and decorating industry, that site is certainly Pinterest.

Pinterest is the latest social media phenomenon, attracting consumers who want to share their mutual interests on a multitude of topics such as home decorating, crafts, recipes and more. The site is especially popular with women, ages 25 to 54, which just so happens to be the key demographic of the paint and decorating industry.

To help retailers “pin down” the potential of Pinterest, PDRA hosted its first social media webinar on June 19. “Pinning Down Pinterest” was free to PDRA members and $50 for non-members. The interactive nature of the one-hour webinar allowed participants to view the presentation at their computers and ask questions at its conclusion. (more…)

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Excerpt from new “Retailer to Retailer”

Monday, January 9th, 2012
Rebecca Dumas

Rebecca Dumas

Posted by: Diane Capuano

The first edition of “Retailer to Retailer” makes its debut in Paint & Decorating Retailer’s January 2012 issue. This is a feature in which you, the retailer, share your thoughts, advice, wisdom and experience with other retailers in the industry. Each edition of “Retailer to Retailer” will include advice for retailers on how to succeed in specific product categories or how to improve their business. In the January issue, the topic is succeeding with faux-finishing sales. In the February issue, retailers share their advice on effective store displays.

“Retailer to Retailer” will also feature a “Q&A” with a member of the PDRA Board of Directors. In our January issue, we chatted with PDRA Board member Rebecca Dumas, Gregory’s Paint & Flooring, Johns Creek, Ga. Here is what she had to say.

Q: Can you provide a bit of background about you and your store?
A: My husband managed a store in 1993, then opened his own store in 1997. I left my very lucrative job selling corrugated packaging to help him in the store.  I went back to school in the evenings to get an additional degree in interior design to provide services for the store.  (more…)

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Join PDRA’s Group on Linked In

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

linkedinPosted by Diane Capuano

If you’d like to enter an online conversation with other paint and decorating store owners, request to join the Paint & Decorating Retailers Association (PDRA) group on Linked In.

This group is for independent retail paint and decorating store owners. PDRA membership is not required to participate in this group, but it is encouraged.

To participate in the PDRA group on Linked In, here’s all you do: If you are already a member of Linked In, sign in, go to the Groups Directory page and type “PDRA” or “Paint & Decorating Retailers Association” in the field under “Search Groups.”  (more…)

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Some Tips for Using Social Media

Monday, October 31st, 2011
Facebook Friendly MarketingPosted by Diane Capuano

Social media has emerged as another potential way for promoting your business, but can sending a Tweet or a text message help bring people through the front door of the retail store? Can launching a Facebook page add rings to your cash register? The answer is: Like all forms of advertising and promotion, it depends upon how you use it.

Ward Partridge, VP of Marketing for CBC Computer Systems, provides some valuable advice on using social networking and texting as a way to promote a retail business.

“Deciding if these fit your business strategy and if they are worth the efforts requires careful consideration,” Partridge said. “Also, you may want to wait to see how these networks mature and if they are really suitable for promoting your local business.”

Partridge advised retail store owners to start by considering which social sites their customers and prospective customers use and how they use them. (more…)

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2D Codes Are Making an Impact

Thursday, June 30th, 2011
Hyde Tools showed QR Codes at its booth in the PDRA Paint & Accessories Section of the National Hardware Show® in Las Vegas.

Hyde Tools showed QR Codes at its booth in the PDRA Paint & Accessories Section of the National Hardware Show® in Las Vegas.

Posted by: Diane Capuano

Have you noticed 2D codes cropping up all over like corn in the middle of Illinois? I’ve personally seen them on product labels, in print ads, on direct mail pieces, on business cards, on trade show booths, on taxi cab advertising and on real estate “for sale” signs. Some people even are putting codes on T-shirts!

2D codes are small squares of multi-directional data that can be scanned by a mobile phone app, which immediately takes you to a website or online video for more information about a product or service. Most of the content is informative or instructional in the form of more detailed product descriptions or a how-to demonstration, but it can also be promotional (enter a contest, receive a discount). I’ve even read that this could be a great solution to giving customers quick access to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). (more…)

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Great Speakers, Topics at PDRA Show

Saturday, March 13th, 2010
nhs pdra header-website-2010Posted by: Diane Capuano

With an eye toward the future, four speakers will be speaking at the PDRA Show at the National Hardware Show® on topics of vital interest to every paint and decorating, hardware and home improvement retailer.

Want to know more about social media like Twitter and Facebook? Interested in what makes Generation Y tick? Looking for ways to adapt to the greening of retail? These speakers will cover all these topics and more on the Future Fair Stage, a special feature of the May 4-6 show, which takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in (more…)

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