subject: How To Create A Christmas Rush For Your Business [print this page] With Christmas being just a few weeks away, how do you entice potential customers to make a mad scramble to patronize your business? Here are a few tips:
RESEARCH. Identify the current trends and know what the current hot products are being search for most on the internet. If your product is not on this list, then make use of search engine optimization to boost your search-ability on the web.
Devote time to research, and act on market trends and pounce on them. Also research on your "target market vs locality" effectively. If your business is located in a place where your target is inexistent, then it's high time to re-think your selling tactics.
Increase publicity. Be anywhere, everywhere, anytime, all the time. Barrage your market with the best publicity gimmicks so that your business remains top of mind. Always be visible, and make your pitches both enticing and exciting.
Create a newsworthy event that will generate publicity on its own. If you sell food, then be ready with a community gift-giving charity drive that will push your products pre-Christmas. Of course, this entails a bit on the budget, but be cost-effective. Give what you can afford and reap the benefits of the locally-drummed up publicity.
SIGNS! SIGNS! SIGNS! Install posters, give out flyers, put up tarpaulins anywhere there's a potential market. This is an offline equivalent of search engine optimization - where your product/business becomes top of everyone's lists because "it's what they remember."
Remember, customers will always think that if you can afford publicity or an abundance of signage, then your business must be doing good. And of course, in their minds, a business doing well is equal to a product that's great - something that most people prefer to buy.
JOINT MARKETING - partner up with other businesses to market your products and save on money. For example, if you sell food, then look for another business selling tableware. Feed off each others' advantages. You cannot serve your food without dishes, and they cannot convince customers about "how much more appetizing it is to eat from their dishes" without your food.
ADVERTISE. Advertising was invented to create a need on the part of the viewer/reader. How many times have you bought something because the advertisement on television coaxed you into thinking that "you must have it?" Well, this is exactly the purpose of advertising.
Sure, it's quite pricey, but the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Your objective, after all, is to drum up a mad scramble for your goods, right? No time to be stingy, then.
NETWORKING. Go out and get to know the right people. Attend networking gatherings. Have your flyers and sales pitches, plus your pleasant attitude with you. These gatherings are perfect for the promotion of your business. People get to know the man behind the product, and they will gain more respect for both you and your business.
INCREASE ONLINE VISIBILITY. Increase your social media marketing tenfold. Open and update(several times a day) a Facebook business page or blog. Through social media, it is as though you are right in front of your client. You are able to answer their queries, and quickly respond to their concerns. Also, social media marketing is much cheaper than traditional offline advertising. All you need are the proper tools and knowledge, great articles and search engine visibility, then you will be accessible at the touch of a finger.
Of course, when the shops have closed, your online accessibility is at its best. People can patronize your business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through online purchases. They don't need to brave the cold or hot weather or dive through the thick crowds. Everything is done in the comfort of their homes.
It's Christmas, so don't panic nor fret. It's the time when most people have most disposable cash, so you might as well take advantage of their need to buy something for everyone important.
