Thank You Teachers

Today is National Teacher Day, a day we are reminded to say thank you to the 3.2 million teachers in K-12 and 4 school personnel and higher education teachers across the country. 

Teachers create an excellent marketing demographic for many businesses.  Consider that in many areas the public school system is one of the largest employers in most counties across the country and provides an average salary of $50,000 a year.  Also, about 70% of teachers are female.  Large numbers of employees, a livable wage, and predominantly female, is this a demographic that your business wants to target? 

Many businesses like Barnes and Noble and Borders offered teachers discounts on children's books for the classroom, but I suggest going beyond that for business.  I suggest that you consider finding other ways to say Thank You to teachers beyond just providing discounts for the classroom.  Consider that teachers like many of us hate spending our own money on work, provide a deal for them in their personal lives.  Only thing you have to do is decide how to guerrilla market to get the teachers coming to your business by "thanking them" for all that they do.

Thank You to all the teachers who read this.

Becoming Irish!

The best part of St. Patty's Day is that everyone claims to be a little Irish that day. Even if there isn't a trace of Irish heritage in your past, you become an honorary Irish every March. The excitement of joining a large crowd of people with open arms is not only inviting, but a little awe inspiring. It's great knowing that no matter who you are, you'll be welcomed into the celebrations around you.
This is what makes a holiday so amazing and so much fun to celebrate!  And this is what businesses should aspire to do when they use holidays to promote products and services - include everyone!
Remember that holidays can be exclusive at times - whether it is Valentine's Day for all the couples, Christmas for Christians, Mother's Day for Moms, etc. 
Holidays appeal to certain groups of people, so when you are using your business to promote, remember to include as many people as possible for optimum results.

Some Final QR Thoughts

Here are some final tips for using QR Codes!

1.      QR Codes are scanned using a cell phone, so while it should be common sense but make sure the area that your QR code will be located has quality cell phone service.

2.      Apple iPhones are one of the most popular cell phones on the market, and Flash video does not work on them.  Make sure the destination page for the QR Code does not have flash.

3.     Many smart phone users are still learning the benefits of smart phone technology.  Put some small print by the QR code telling the customer what they need to do with it, and what QR reader to use.

4.     How will you ever know if your campaign is successful unless you track data?  Be sure to look at your analytics to see how many people went to the page.  If your target market is not using the QR codes then it should be time to plan a new campaign.

5.     Be sure to make sure the QR Code works and takes people to the page of your choice before you make it available to the customer. 

6.     The customer took the time to scan your QR code, make sure it is worth their time and effort to scan your business’s QR codes.

7.     Make sure that the QR code provides new information, and is not just rewording what is already on the package.

8.     DO NOT REMOVE the information already on your package because a QR Code provides that information (yes we had a client consider doing that).  It’s a new technology that only some people are using; most people do not have smart phones with the QR code reader app installed on their phone.

With these tips and the previous examples of good and bad QR Use,  you should be in good shape to try QR Codes for yourself. Good luck!

QR What?!

One of the newest technologies being used by marketers are QR Codes.  I love embracing new technologies that market to customers and convey a message, but just like any new technology there is a learning curve for marketers and users. Many businesses love to embrace the newest technology hoping to set them ahead of the competition, and they rush into using the newest technology without a plan. When you’re adding new technology to a marketing plan, it’s best to plan for it.

Today, we’re going to look at some QR mistakes.

1. While at a business trade show I saw a sign for a QR Code that said scan to enter to win an iPod touch, 5 will be given out each day of the show.  I followed the QR code and it took me to the page to follow them on Twitter.  So I followed them on Twitter, and saw a tweet a little later that said there would be a drawing at 3:30 for the next iPod, showed up at 3:28, asked about it and waited two more minutes to make sure no one else entered to win, then walked away with my new iPod touch.   How could this company of been more successful with this campaign?

First, instead of using a QR code to take the customer to Twitter, just say follow us on Twitter.

Second, make sure you know your demographic. Many of the trade show attendees at this event were experienced construction owners, a demographic that is not always following the latest smart phone technology.

Many businesses used QR codes at their booths taking customers to the company webpage.  Sounds great doesn’t it.  But why should you have someone go to your company webpage to learn about your product when you have five salesmen within 15 feet of the customer. 

2. I received an email yesterday from a business trying to sell me something, so I opened the email to a QR Code that said follow me for a discount. I immediately removed my name from their mailing list for wasting my time.  How could this of been more successful? 

I was already engaged with their business by taking the time to read the email.  Just send the special, don’t assume a customer wants to work to find out what a special is when they may not be planning to spend money on your services right now.

The final lesson on new technology and QR Codes - don’t rely on technology to sell your product, when the sales team is available to talk to the customer and don’t make it difficult for a customer to find you. New technologies are all about making things easier for your customers.

Thinking About Discounts #3

Today we are going to re-visit the question - Do I need to discount my products or services. Throughout the week we've posed a few more questions in this blog.

Now we want to wrap this up and make it simple. Do you need to discount?

1. Are you trying to move product off your shelves quickly?
2. Do you need a temporary way to bring in customers?
3. Are you trying to bring in a new customer base?
4. Do you have enough margin to discount your services and stiff make a profit?
5. Do you rely on customer referrals?


If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions than the next step is to consider a discount based on which question you answered "Yes." After creating a discount, be sure to carefully track the customers who use it to ensure your success.

For any other questions or help, feel free to contact us.

Thinking About Discounts #2

The point of discounts, as with any form of advertising is to entice customers to use your service or shop at your business.
Sometimes offering a discount to new customers allows them to try your service or products for a lower price. If customers like the service or product enough, they will happily come back to your business again and again. An even better outcome is that they will tell their friends about it!

Discounts can be given for multiple reasons. For instance, there are discounts for signing up for an e-mail list, for being a new customers, for spending a certain amount of money, for having a birthday, for buying products from last season. There are multiple methods of discounting and each one will bring in a different customer base.

If you are already comfortable with your customer level and you just want them to shop more frequently, discounts offer them a reason to return. I rarely shop at a grocery store across town, because I have plenty of stores to choose from on my side of town. Occasionally, the grocery store across town offers a discount that I just can't pass up, so I travel that much further to pick up those items. I'll also do the rest of my grocery shopping while I'm over there for convenience. This is a discount to bring in an already existing customer base.

Some businesses need new customers. While living at a set of apartments, I encouraged one of my friends to rent in the same complex. When she did rent, I received a discount on my rent and she received a discount on her first month's rent. This referral discount brought in a new customer, while also rewarding an existing customer. This kind of discount encourages word-of-mouth advertising.

When you decide to use a discount, take a minute to think about the purpose of that discount. If your goal is to bring in new customers, reward the customers you already have or sell off a product more quickly, you'll have different discounts available to each category.

Thinking About Discounts #1

This week we're going to take a look at discounts. Discounts can be like sales, or they can be closer to the clearance section.

Either way, we'll delve into the affects of discounts on business and why most retail businesses use discounts to move products. We'll also look at how your business can use discounts to help bring in more business.

So before we start, you should ask yourself - "Will a discount be helpful for my business?"  Don't worry, if you don't know the answer yet. We'll figure that out by the end of the week.

Let's start with a basic explanation for today. A discount is a reduction of price, whether permanent or temporary. When you get your weekly grocery store flyers, they announce discounts on certain products. This is a temporary ploy to entice you to get to the grocery store for those sales, because they have such a limited time frame.

The permanent discounts are often seen at retail stores because every season brings in a new truck load of items to display, so they have to make room for the new items. These clearance sections are usually at the back of the store, so you have to make your way through the temptation of new items to get to them.

Either way, discounts are designed to bring you in to a store, so you'll be tempted to buy full price items, while you're getting some great deals!

A Week of Coupons #4

It's not a Daily Deal - it's a never ending discount. What is it?

This is a perfect example of a discount that can sometimes last too long. Restaurant.com can be a great site to advertise for some restaurants, but not everyone can benefit from this kind of coupon. This is a coupon that has a long-term affect on a restaurants brand name because the contract is for one year. That means you can't control the distribution of this coupon and in the end it becomes more than a coupon - it becomes an expected discount to your business.

So where should you advertise a coupon?  There are hundreds of places. Type "coupon" into your favorite search engine and you'll find dozens of places on the first page alone.

You can also advertise coupons in your local newspaper, a direct mail piece, a well-placed bulletin, in a Val-Pak or other, similar places.

What we recommend is a mix. Develop a coupon with a sensible expiration date, a reasonable discount and find a few places for distribution. Make sure you include an online site, or promote it on your Facebook or Twitter pages, and look into a direct mail option.

If you do decide to use an online site like Groupon or Living Social, just make sure you're ready for the increase in customers!

The Week of Coupons #1

I picked up my newspaper a few weeks ago and was very happy to see my local, favorite pizza place had a coupon! They just opened a few months ago and coupons were non-existent.
I hung the coupon on the refrigerator and thought, "We'll just use that later this week."

- Later in the Week-

I grabbed the coupon and picked up the phone to order a pizza, only to look closer and find that the coupon expired the same day it came out. So the coupon came out on Sunday and expired on the same Sunday.
I was pissed. I ordered Chinese instead.

Coupon Lesson #1

 If you are going to spend the money to have a coupon run in your local newspaper, make sure the coupon has a reasonable expiration date.
A "reasonable expiration date" is defined as a date that accommodates the customer, doesn't end too soon for them to use the coupon, but does have an end date in the near future. Generally, two to three months is a good time period for an expiration date. If you don't add an expiration date, you'll have customers walk through your doors two years later with a coupon that you have can no longer honor. This is just as bad as having a ridiculously short expiration date.

Coupons, Discounts and Promotions - The Five Questions You Should Ask

The five questions you need to ask before your business starts a coupon, discount or promotions effort.

Coupons, Discounts and Promotions - Questions

Do I need to run a coupon, discount or promotion?

- Example – Jeffrey’s Restaurant and Bar, in Austin, TX, had been in business for 35 years. While the business was relatively stable, the owner, Ron Weiss, was starting to see a decline in sales. In 35 years of being in business the restaurant had never once issued a coupon or discount. Ron decided to take a chance and offered a Groupon deal. The deal was a one-time discount of $35 for $75 in gift certificates for the restaurant. The coupon was good for 90 days, during the restaurant’s slower time of the year. The restaurant takes half of the Groupon sales and Groupon takes the other half. Ron and his staff stayed unbelievably busy over the next 90 days and while he didn’t make money on the offer, he did gain a lot of new customers. (MP Mueller, NYPost.com, “Is Groupon Good for Small Business?)

How will this affect my business or brand?

- Example – PearlParadise.com owner, Jeremy Shepherd saw that sales were declining as the economy worsened. Sales of his pearly jewelry, above $1,000, were usually his major source of revenue and if sales continued to be off through his December busy time his company would be in trouble. After examining sales charts, Jeremy saw that jewelry under the $1,000 was still selling well. So Jeremy decided to discount his strands of Tahitian Pearls from $700 to $300, calling the jewelry line, “Luxury For Less.” By offering only one line of pearls at a discount price, Jeremy was able to keep his main brand from looking like a discount jewelry store, but still increasing sales for his company. (Ryan McCarthy, Inc., “How Low Can You Really Go?”)

Can my business afford this?

-Example – It is important to ensure that your business can not only handle the influx of customers who will come in during the promotional time period, it is also important to accurately calculate whether this is a cost you can afford. In order to calculate this you must first know the following: the cost of your goods or services, an estimated purchased amount for each coupon, discount or promotions customer, an estimate of the quantity that will be redeemed (this is more of a guess – to be safe, estimate an 80% redemption rate for coupons), the approximate number of return customers or new customers who come in after the coupon (figure about 10%), the cost to run this coupon and the percentage of existing customers (assume 40% for this example).

For instance say you sell widgets for $40. It costs you $25 to make this widget. So you make $15 on each widget.  You run a coupon for 50% off your widgets.  The coupon costs you $1,500 to run and you send 3,000 of them out.

So you get about 2,400 coupon redemptions and each customer buys your widget for $20. You don’t make any money on these sales, but you do break even. You then calculate that 60 of the customers who used the coupon were new to your business and likely to tell a friend. That is 1,440 new customers and if 10% tell a friend you’ve got about 140 new customers. If you’re making $15 profit on each widget, you’ve made $2,100. Subtract the $1,500 you’ve spent and you’ll end up coming out ahead of the game with $600 over the long-term.

What method and discount will work best for my business?

            It is always good to have a good mix of coupon tactics to appeal to your diverse customer base. Use the space to write down your ideas for your business.

How should I distribute my coupon, discount or promotion?

            Polling your customers on the types of coupons, discounts and promotions they prefer can be a great starting point for your business. It is also a good idea to look and see what competitors are using. What ideas do you have for your business?

How will I measure my campaign?

            The best way to measure your campaign is to educate your employees on the importance of keeping track of coupons or promotions. You won’t be able to accurately calculate your total costs without this data. How will you encourage employees to be diligent?

Have more questions? Give us a call or send a message! We're always here.  To see the entire PowerPoint presentation click here!

What Are You Leaving Behind?

Today is officially the last day that Kodachrome will be processed. The chemicals are gone, the processing machine will be sold for scrap and the official end of a photographic era will be mourned by thousands.

The last Kodachrome photo lab is located in a tiny town in Kansas. This little lab never thought it would be the last of an era, but it has become just that. This story of the last of something, the end of an era reminds me of the thousands of businesses who shut their doors every day. Most of these businesses shut their doors without notice or any sort of fanfare. These businesses won't have happy endings. The only thing that will be left for them will be an empty store front and the paperwork they collected from the office.

The only thing the public will see are the blank spaces and forgotten advertisements. That's right... long after your business closes, your adoring public will still remember what used to be there. They'll see the ads printed on boxes, in magazines, newspapers and aired on television; they'll see the name, the logo, the slogan of your forgotten business. Some may even wonder what happened to your business, whether it is still around. Or will they?

It all depends on what kind of legacy you leave behind. If you decide to neglect your advertising for another year, you may end up on the shelves of those long forgotten. Do something great though, advertise your business and you may find that you have loyal customers who will mourn your passing. And even though everything must come to an end someday, you can still look back on those ads, at that time, and realize you did everything you could to make your business successful.

You didn't stand on the sidelines and hope people noticed you - you got out there, played the game and made sure people remembered you. Or better yet... maybe you're still playing.

Be Epic!

As we reviewed AdFreak's "25 Most Epic Ads That Aren't '1984'" we began to think about the time of the year and what Xente's resolutions should be for the New Year. Of course, waiting until a new year to make a resolution or to set a goal is just ridiculous, so feel free to set your goals any day, at any time.

Given the proximity of a New Year, however, Xente's goal for 2011 and forever is to just be epic. At Xente, we desire to ensure service so amazing that it can only be described as epic. Further, we want our clients to set those same goals!

So the question we have for all of you is simple - what are you doing or planning that will be truly epic? We want to know all about it and about your successes!

Predicting The Future

I can predict the future! At least I can when the crystal ball is working and the answer is already pretty predictable. For this exercise I'd suggest letting go of that pesky little fear that you'll be wrong and just use a little common sense, with some guesstimation.

Today, you're going to take a look at your business and you're going to attempt to predict the future. Following a combination of tried and true recipes from, "Baked In" by Alex Bogusky and John Winsor you're going to write down what makes your business so successful - what are the cultural trends that make your product or service work so well. And now you're going to write down where your product should be in ten years and what your product needs to do, how it should adapt and how it needs to change in order to continue to be successful.

Need some examples? Good! There is a perfect example gaining popularity today - Silly Bandz.

Silly Bandz are reminiscent of Slap Bracelets - the popular accessory in the 90's. But they also bear resemblance of any fad item you've seen throughout the decades - Beanie Babies, Pogs, one-hit wonders. This decade is different, however, with the opportunities the Internet can now offer.

According to an article about Silly Bandz in the Wall Street Journal the owner of the Silly Bandz company, Robert Croak, is following the "Baked In" recipe. Even though Silly Bandz are currently at the height of their product life-cycle, Robert is already trying to find ways to expand his business. He is looking ahead and trying to predict the future of his product. He's even looking at the hard facts - his product is a fad - and he is already taking steps to expand into other products so he can stay successful.

I know it's difficult, but take a few minutes today and examine your product or service. Where will these be in ten years? What changes will need to be made? What is a fad and what is going to stand the test of time?

Predict the future.

Baked In: Creating Products and Businesses That Market Themselves

You're Stuck In An Elevator...

...for 30 seconds with a Rabbi and your next potential client.

What do you do?

For starters, you ignore the Rabbi. He's muttering to someone on his cell phone anyway and you're pretty sure you can track him down, if it was necessary.

What's left? You're next potential customer - so you take a deep breath and...?

Now what?!

You have to ask?

I'm shocked that you don't know the answer to this one by now. It's called the 30 second elevator pitch because that's about the amount of time you have to really interest your next potential client. In those first 30 seconds you need to catch their attention and keep them interested in your product or service. Sometimes you only have 30 seconds to explain exactly what you do.

My 30 second spiel?

"Xente Media is a company that saves you money. We will research your customers and find out exactly what they like - from their favorite TV shows, magazines, Internet sites, how much they make, how many children they have, what kind of car they drive and more so we can use your budget to reach only those customers in your target market with efficient, well-placed advertising. Xente Media is not just an advertising agency, we're a company based on strategy and using your ad dollars wisely."

Could it use some work? Probably. Every elevator pitch takes some practice and some skill in saying exactly what you need to say to grab the attention of your customer.

I've found there are some great sites dedicated to helping you craft the perfect elevator pitch.

How To Craft a Killer Elevator Pitch

The Art of The Elevator Pitch

Microsoft Small Business - 5 Tips For Creating an Elevator Pitch

Rather than re-inventing the wheel today, let's just work on something tried and true. Let's hear your elevator pitch? What do you have to say in 30 seconds?

Hey, You! You Got Some Change?

Today's Theme Song - Smash Mouth, "All Star"


I have a Snapple lid on my desk that says, "When in doubt, change zip codes."

As advice goes, I wouldn't normally suggest taking it from a Snapple lid, however this particular lid offers an odd bit of wisdom.

Let's dissect this a little more.

"When in doubt..." - If you're having second thoughts, or you think something should change.

Let me tell three short stories here to illustrate the point...

Story 1: A man walks in a McDonald's and orders a burger and fries. He happily accepts the tray of food, complete with napkins, ketchup packets, drink and straw. He sits down, unwraps the sandwich, dumps out the fries and starts the brutal attack on the ketchup packet. Since he touched his greasy meal already, his fingers slide off the package again and again as he tries to tear a hole just to get a little bit of ketchup for his fries. He finally puts the package between his teeth and savagely rips at it. The ketchup packet explodes and he suddenly understand why they gave him so many napkins - he spends the rest of the day with a ketchup stain on his tie. He avoids his last meeting of the day because of the stain, ruins a major deal for the company, resulting in his ultimate demise with this company.

Story 2: Young Timmy forgot to get his 5th grade sweetie a Valentine's Day present until the last minute. So he begged and pleaded with his Mom to "PLEASE" take him to the local drugstore so he can see if there is anything left on the shelf. He gets there and in his frantic search finds only a few packages of pale, chalky hearts with old, outdated messages. He sighs and hands the packages to his Mom. The next day, Little Susie examines the odd messages printed on the hearts, tastes one, spits it out and spends the week with Bobby, who thought to bring her some chocolate.

Story 3: A TV station once decided to fill a void - A void it saw as black hole in the American heart that truly loved it's music. And with the announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," the Music Television Station was born. Twenty years later, that little station lost it's way. No longer did Rock and Roll rule the screen. Instead it was filled with talk shows, reality TV, date shows and every once in a while a music video popped up. Teenagers, radicals and rebels checked their TV Guides and saw the logo which proudly announced itself as "Music Television," only to tune in to betrayal. For over ten years, people turned away from their televisions in hurt and confusion.



And now for the next line...

"...change zip codes." - It might be time to make a change - a small change or a big change, it. is. time!

And the ending to each story to illustrate...

Story 1: Heinz Ketchup announces that it will finally change it's Ketchup packets so they are easier to open. Better late than never? And they are so sorry for the ruined clothing over the years.

Story 2: Necco who makes the age old conversation hearts has decided to update their messages, flavors and colors. It might be too late for Timmy, but surely someone will benefit from this long awaited update.

Story 3: MTV finally changed their logo in the most subtle way possible. They simply removed the words, "Music Television," from the logo and left everything else. This attempt to note the difference in their format probably should have been more dramatic, but they did try.

The simple lesson here?

Make sure your business changes with the needs of your consumer, so you aren't left out. Keep up with your customers. Sometimes change is a good thing.

A Doggie Dog World

I walked into my favorite groomer's the other day and as I was presenting my little beast for his nail trimming I noticed that my groomer was reading an article about branding.
I realized when your dog groomer starts talking about branding you know that word is no longer just an ad agency buzz word, but a word that deserves some attention.

So branding. What is it?

dictionary.com defines brand as: kind, grade, or make, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like.
Of course it also defines brand as: a mark formerly put upon criminals with a hot iron.
Considering that branding seems to have originated out of the ad world, that second definition probably isn't that far off the mark, but I think we can look a little deeper.

Your brand is how other people see you, it is your worth in their eyes. Take the Starbucks brand - for all of the ups and downs, this is a multi-million dollar company based around a slightly exotic cup of coffee. When you think about Starbucks you think about their logo, that distinctive green you see in all of their shops and depending on how you feel about the company, a few other adjectives will come to mind.

When you go to build your own brand you need to consider what you want it to say about your company. The first step is choosing a good name. There are thousands of books written just about picking a good name. My suggestion? Don't stress over it, just think of it as a tattoo. This is something that you are going to have for the rest of your life, so make certain it is what you want.

The next thing you want to consider is what your overall feeling is going to be. Are you a straight laced, business suit kind of company? If so, you'll probably want to consider more conservative colors, such as gray, maroon, dark blue. If you're a jeans and flip-flops place than consider something a little more festive.

And once you pick your colors, use them! Everywhere! These are the steps towards creating your brand. There are more and there will be more posts in the future, but this should give you enough to think about for now.

Word Soup

I'm reading a chart filled with a lot of terms I don't understand and probably never will - I've recently started a job helping to improve patient retention and to manage overall operations. I have no real need to know popular vernacular at the job, I just need to look at a few key words - recommended treatment, follow-up, suggested shots, or anything that will help me re-schedule that patient while they are standing in front of me at the desk. Now this isn’t a hard sell, this is necessary treatment that will help promote the business while protecting the patient from very expensive future problems.
My first goal is to help everyone notice these important words. Once the office staff notices these words, they are now equipped to move to my second goal. Using the correct phrase to optimize scheduling.
Instead of asking, “Would you like to schedule your next appointment?” I will encourage the staff to say, “I see the doctor has recommended (appropriate treatment). Can you come in two weeks from now on Tuesday at Noon?” Or any combination that requires the client to stop and think, to make a distinct effort to say no.
I would even go a step further and suggest that the staff carefully explain to each client the need for the treatment. The more your customer knows the easier it will be for them to make an educated decision.
And the next time you make that cold call, or that follow-up call remember to use your words. A good explanation and a well worded question will generate better responses.

Cupcake Heaven?

Once upon a time my friend told me about this amazing cupcake place in Beverly Hills. A place where the cupcakes are huge and tasty, where the lines stretched out through the door and people just can't stay away. I can't resist, so I visit this famed cupcake heaven. Sure it's cute, sure people are indeed lined up out the door and down the street. The cupcakes are rather large and well, we pay $5 for a cup of coffee, so a $3 cupcake isn't so bad.

I was almost convinced.

Until I added Sprinkles to my Facebook list and my Twitter account. I expected some cutsie little updates, some fun stories or incidents. Instead, every day I receive messages announcing free cupcakes. Who doesn't love free cupcakes, right?

But that's all I get. I don't get any other updates, no stories, no insights into the brand. I don't think I'd even buy a cupcake at this point, because I know if I hang out long enough I'll get a free one via a Twitter or Facebook update.

So many companies struggle with the latest in social networking, not knowing how to use this powerful medium. Some use it for shameless promotion, some for coupon distributing and some have actually figured it all out by using it as a combination of posts designed to strengthen a brand.

How people perceive your company is incredibly important. If you're known as a company with bad customer service, poor products or you just can't keep your word, it'll get around. If you never return calls or get back to people in a timely manner, people will know. The reputation of your company will carry a lot of merit.

Don't believe me?

Think about Target and Wal - Mart.

Target, with their open floor plans, bright colors and hip clothing designers is more frequently shopped by women than men. That's their rep. Now there might be a few other things you know about Target, but in general, women tend to shop there more often than men.

Now consider Wal-Mart. Blue and white colors invade the store, floor plans are closed and the tool and auto parts sections far outweigh the women's clothing division. Wal-Mart might also have a reputation for treating their employees poorly, but few people remember that in light of cheap prices.

If your just known as a great cupcake place that doesn't do anything but give out free cupcakes every day, that'll get around too. In fact, it might just boring after a while too. It might convince people that your brand is a little too easy.

Free cupcakes are great, right?