I received an email from a long-time friend and gift shop retailer yesterday, and in it I noticed a tone of frustration and desperation. She was asking me my thoughts on how to increase sales, since store traffic and, subsequently, sales are really slow for her over the long summer months.

One of the most important things that a retailer needs to do every day is keep the marketing momentum going. While she may already have a few marketing initiatives under way, I encouraged her to keep thinking about how to grow her sales, build traffic, and keep pushing forward with new ideas.

Here is a simple list of questions that I sent her to get her thinking about new ways to connect with her customers and sell more products:

• Are you using your customer list to do regular email marketing? How many customers do you have on your list?
• Do you have a great sales team calling on your top customers to invite them back to the store for special events?
• Have you had a special store event lately?
• Are you employing a top-notch sales team?
• Have you done any craft or artisan shows to market your store to the public and to build your list?
• What is your top-selling line in the store? Can you buy things in that line or for that price point?
• When was the last time you re-merchandised your store windows?
• Have you done any market research or focus groups to determine what people want now?
• Have you tried a Facebook ad campaign or Google ad campaign to drive more traffic?
• Are you issuing a monthly press release to your local newspapers?
• Are you using snail mail to connect with top customers?
• What types of alternative advertising have you tried (like billboards or radio) to drive more traffic?
• Have you started using social media to make new connections and build deeper relationships?
• Are you developing your online presence to sell not only in your community, but also around the world?

My top tip that I gave my friend for increasing store traffic and sales was to develop her website more. Why? So she can reach new customers and sell more to existing customers! Having a robust site filled with content will ensure that she (and you) will SELL MORE PRODUCTS.

This might sound complicated—but I assure you it's not. Need some ideas on how to improve your website to drive more traffic and revenue? Join me for my webinar, "Boost Web Sales with 9 Simple Steps" on August 12, 2010, starting at 1:00 EST.

I'm so sure you'll that you'll love this session (and walk away with immediate and actionable takeaways) that I'm offering a 100% no hassle, money-back guarantee if you're not completely satisfied. Space is filling up quickly, be sure to register now at: RetailConferenceSeries.com

What are you doing to keep the marketing momentum going in your store?

Every Friday, thousands of people can be seen playing the #FollowFriday game on Twitter. What started out as a single tweet announcing the game a year ago has turned into a hugely popular trend that keeps on growing.

The concept is simple: every Friday, tweet about a friend who you think is worthy of following. Include their twitter name + #FollowFriday. Those looking for new people to follow can easily search #FollowFriday and see what others have to offer.

#FollowFriday was specially designed to help people get connected and stay engaged on Twitter. If the people you’re following are starting to bore you, #FollowFriday is the perfect way to help you find new prospects.

This social networking game is also great for businesses. Ask your friends to promote your company with #FollowFriday. Your company’s name will appear on the Twitter feeds of all their friends, in addition to whoever finds your name through a #FollowFriday search. Be sure to make your tweets fun and interesting that day, because you never know who might be checking you out!

The majority of commercial emails go straight to the trash without being opened. This means that the average email is being judged solely on the subject line of the message (before being opened) and/or getting sent to the trash automatically.

MailChimp.com conducted a study, sending out 40 million emails with various subject lines to see which got opened and which got ignored. The results were surprising.

With an open rate of 60-87%, the most successful subject lines were:

1. [COMPANYNAME] Sales & Marketing Newsletter
2. Eye on the [COMPANYNAME] Update (Oct 31 - Nov 4)
3. [COMPANYNAME] Staff Shirts & Photos
4. [COMPANYNAME] May 2005 News Bulletin!
5. [COMPANYNAME] Newsletter - February 2006

With an opening rate of 1-14%, the least successful subject lines were:

1. Last Minute Gift - We Have The Answer
2. Valentines - Shop Early & Save 10%
3. Give a Gift Certificate this Holiday
4. Valentine's Day Salon and Spa Specials!
5. Gift Certificates - Easy & Elegant Giving - Let Them Choose

You’ll notice that the “successful” subject lines are extremely straightforward. They’re not pushy or aggressive in any way—in fact, they’re almost boring. Alternatively, the least successful subject lines are all about selling and read like a newspaper advertisement. While these subject lines may be more “creative” than the straightforward ones, they also look like spam to the recipient, and are therefore extremely likely to end up in the trash.

However, not all emails advertising promotions will be trashed. It’s important to think about your audience. If it’s people who signed up to receive promotional and sales information, go ahead and send them the catchy tagline because that’s what they’ll be looking for.

MailChimp.com’s study showed that some of the more “creative” subject lines also boasted some high opening rates—mainly because people were expecting it. However, if your email list is comprised of people who signed up for a company newsletter, rather than advertisements, they aren’t going to be happy receiving your hard-sell, promotional emails.

The most important tip is to make sure your subject line matches what it contains. Don’t confuse newsletters with promotions. Be straightforward, and most importantly, don’t write your subject lines like you’re writing an advertisement.

When it comes to email marketing, the best subject lines tell what's inside, and the worst subject lines sell what's inside.