How to Promote Your Rock and Mineral Shop

If you own a rock and mineral shop, rockhounds, lapidary enthusiasts, gold bugs and mineral collectors form your primary market. You can go beyond that to boost your business and introduce a new generation to the rock and mineral hobby. Create a mini-public relations program.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer
• Magazine subscriptions
• Post Cards
• Information Sheets

1. 
   Gift Magazines

   Order colorful mineral magazines and give them away as gifts. The publications may get them interested in your passion. Have your business address and contact information stamped on a prominent page and include a flyer listing your merchandise.

2. Distribute rock and mineral postcards for business promotion and use them for short correspondences.

3. 
   Turquoise Jewelry

   Stock your shop with gift items in addition to raw material. Paperweights, fossils, birthstones, bookends and geode gifts make friends everywhere. When you give a mineral as a gift, include a written description of the source, type and specimen information. The person who receives it can show off her knowledge while showing off the gift.

4. Know the rock formations and geological oddities of your town. Local geology instructors and engineers can point out the extinct volcanoes, old gold mines and lodestones in your area. Visitors won't forget an earthquake fault line close enough to touch.

5. Learn to write a press release. With an evening's Internet research or an afternoon appointment at your local paper, you can pick up the basic knowledge on how to get free publicity. Local media depend on local business for local news. Make that news your news.

6. Offer professional educational displays on loan to libraries, local malls, jewelers and any other showcase facility. Be generous with handout literature, free fliers, interesting newsletters and product information.

7. Create a fun email newsletter to attract and educate. Many people will be fascinated with mineral legends and famous gemstones of history or stories with local exotic value, like scuba divers finding jade in California and tourists finding diamonds in Arkansas. These are the people who buy rocks, odd rocks and unusual mineral products like Pet Rocks. It all adds to increased support for your trade.

[jenng]

on 6/2/2009 Great article on promoting your rock and mineral shop 5*