New tech, old-style marketing drives Halifax firm's success

A blend traditional marketing and powerful tech tools are helping a small Nova Scotia outdoor products store blaze a trail of business success, while more established firms are struggling.
5/22/2009 6:00:00 AM By: Nestor E. Arellano

In a troubled financial environment that's seeing well-established companies bleed revenues, a four-year-old outdoor products store in Halifax, Nova Scotia is thriving.

Magic mix

The firm's owner attributes this success to a blend of old-school marketing and up-to-date business management tools.

While brand building using Web 2.0 tools is all the rage today, Joachim Stroink, owner of the single-location outdoor gear store has opted for a simpler, more direct approach.

Trail Shop uses no print ads, has a very simple Web site, and is not on Facebook.

The store's strategy for community building is actually meeting people in person, shaking their hands, and demoing their products.

"Our marketing strategy is a bit different. We go to trade shows a lot we hold a festival by the lake -- we're into building a physical community as opposed to a virtual one," says Stroink.

And the results of this approach have been great.

The 15-person store posted 15 per cent revenue growth in 2008, and despite the recession is on track for eight to nine per cent growth this year.

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