Let’s suppose you have a business in RL. Maybe not a huge one, but a moderately successful one. And let’s suppose it’s time to grow, to branch out, to open up a satellite shop in a mall.
So let’s continue to suppose here. You find a mall that seems just right for your shop, and what do you know, they have a space available for a rent that’s reasonable. So you sign your lease, you pay your rent, you move your things into the vacant slot in the mall… and then you totally ignore it, waiting for the money to just roll in. After all, it’s in the mall now, it’s completely up to the mall owners to promote your shop, give you a reason to have a sale, and otherwise tell people to go into your store to buy your product, right?
Wait, you mean it’s not? Well isn’t that the damnedest thing.
Then how come so many business owners in SL seem to have that attitude? I’ve seen it time and time again, from little medieval dockside marketplaces to big modern malls to themed shopping villages: the shop owner gets excited, moves in, and then never shows their face again. They don’t show up when there’s a local event, they don’t take part if there’s a mall-wide promotion, they don’t even so much as arrive for any reason other than to pay their rent on time. And then, two months (if that) later, they’re shocked, shocked I tell you, that this super successful specialty shopping area didn’t bring the consumers in for them.
So let’s see if I can make this even more clear: no matter where you put your shop, it is your job to promote your shop.
This post is listed in the SL Business section of the Know-it-All Pages. Find other useful articles on doing business in Second Life now or any time!
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