16 Marketing Ideas For Re-using Derelict Space

Posted by elishbul under Rock Your Biz
From http://tweakyourbiz.com 4518 days ago
Made Hot by: James John on July 12, 2012 2:41 am

If you are a landlord or a retailer, or just need marketing ideas & CSR tactics on a low budget, here are some business ideas that are re-invigorating economic activity in vacant properties.

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Comments

Written by Lorna6
4503 days ago

Lots of great suggestions there Elish. I used an empty shop window in the nearest town for about 8 months when I first set up Garrendenny Lane and it was a great investment of my time and money in getting me new customers and building brand awareness. Much more effective than any newspaper advert.

More and more small businesses are using pop up shops to great success. The Carlow Enterprise Board funded a number of pop up shops during the local Eigse festival and it was a great success - apart from to the actual vendors but it also gave the town centre some buzz back.

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Written by elishbul
4502 days ago

Yep Lorna ! You touched upon the Idea of using it as a Bricks and Mortar promotion or showroom of the online business. Especially in the interiors design sector -the visual and tactile nature of the products deserve some presence in the real world even if sold via ecommerce. Perhaps it worked better than the ad because it helped you accurately target the shoppers in the town you were focusing in. The local and community element of pop ups and guerrilla activity is its best feature.

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Written by denisefay
4506 days ago

Hi Elish,

It's almost as if you write about my beautiful home town of Drogheda. Unfortunately we have had a fair few shops close down on the high street and streets off it. Lots of reasons but no need to go into it now. However, a group of active and engaged citizens, which formed the backbone of the Local Heroes: A Town Fights Back initiative really blew new air into the closed shops. (The town and the Local Heroes campaign featured on Irish TV programme/documentary)

One of the shops was turned into The Hub - which is at the centre of all the activity. Committee meetings, bulletin boards of what's going on all happen here. Pop up shops opened just before Christmas and Easter. Virtual shopfronts are on other windows; street art promoting the new logo of the town was also done. Fellow shop owners are using other shop windows to display their merchandise. The list goes on.

It just goes to show that using vacant lots are limited by imagination and it is amazing what can be done when people work together to help other businesses out. Great article.

Take care,

Denise

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Written by elishbul
4502 days ago

Wow thanks Denise- and so good to see it happens in smaller towns not just in urban centres

In fact it all points to the community led and collaborative nature of a new business model for the times we live in.

My next blog will showcase some of the cultural orgs in my city thats really provide great examples in positive can do thinking in this regard, just by re-using vacant space and turning them into Community venues.

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Written by elainerogers
4518 days ago

I particularly love the ideas of pop-up shops etc - I agree that the online following or community is important to provide marketing and create a buzz.

They are becoming more popular and are definitely a win-win situation. And they provide a key buying message - "buy now, cos we won't be here in a week" :)

The others are fab ideas, and important to be mindful of the caveats too Elish. Great post!

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Written by elishbul
4510 days ago

Thanks Elaine! I definitely sense that the new marketing landscape is all about the successful fusing of the on line and offline work - a double helix of information transfer and content so to speak.One without the other can just fall flat. And you know , when we live in austerity it can also make us more creative don't you think?

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Written by Sian Phillips
4518 days ago

I love this post Elish - it's full of great ideas. Ardmore is local to me and is a very pretty seaside village and they have unused walls which they have painted pictures on - one long one is painted as though it is a row of cottages and they even have a real wheelbarrow and bicycle leaning again the wall. Very clever and much nicer than a plain wall. Although it isn't for advertising purposes it does help keep the village picturesque and unique which I guess attracts visitors and therefore business to the village

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Written by elishbul
4510 days ago

I totally agree! thanks for that Comment Sian - This post is part of a series that hopefully will explore the other organizations and ideas that are working sustainably to re purpose our urban spaces - Guerrilla marketing activity is blossoming as people Hack the city and rejig our ways of communicating with the public.

I also believe Urban space in particular, demands Civic consciousness every time we use it - too many developers have been let off with building spaces that reduce the quality of our lives. People like Street artists, urban activists and cultural institutions and great Guerrilla marketeers, help make the urban space a more enjoyable place to live in and encourage community. A good Marketing initiative or Business venture that re purposes urban space should always try to accomplish this.

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