If you’ve ever driven across the Midwest on I-90 you’ll know the name of Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota.
The story of Wall Drug is inspiring for all marketers of any era.
You can read the whole story here on the Wall Drug website but here’s the short version and how it connects to world class email strategies.
A young couple relocated to Wall, SD and bought a local drug store in 1929!
Little did they know what was going to happen to the economy in the next few years. As they struggled through the Depression, they decided to give their lean business 5 good years before doing something else.
By the summer of 1936 the business had not grown much and they had a growing family to consider. Then marketing inspiration struck!
What if? What if we put a sign on the highway and enticed the people driving by to stop in? Today that seems like an obvious thing to do but in 1936 in Wall, ND it was brilliant.
In order to get people to stop by they offered a valuable incentive. “FREE ICE WATER!” Suddenly people stopped by to get a glass of FREE ice water and some bought ice cream and soda and maps and BAM, overnight success.
On a typical summer day these days, Wall Drug will host over 20,000 visitors! You can see Wall Drug signs for hundreds of miles in any direction.
What has this got to do with email marketing strategies?
What valuable incentive can you offer visitors to your business in order to get them to stop by . . . and leave you an email address.
This is the cornerstone of email marketing and a strategy that works like gangbusters if you get it right.
You just . . . have . . . to . . . get . . . it . . . right!
