KDB Business Services- Business Reviews and Tips

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

T'is the season to be jolly. Ho Ho Ho. We'll for the Amercians out there I guess you still have Thanksgiving to go through.
Christmas is the holiday that everyone looks forward to all year. It is the most commercialized holiday out there. There are some businesses that make more money in the three weeks before Christmas than they do all year. It is the time of year when everyone needs some kind of inspiration for gift giving. All the merchants out there can sell any of their products with the right pitch and incentive. If you can convince someone to shop at your store and throw in an added bonus they would really enjoy, they will do so if it means one less store they have to hunt through.
That is why I love places like Walmart because they are a one stop shop with good prices and always something on sale. Why not? How many stores can you shop at where you can get clothes, electronics, office equipment, toys, furniture, tools, and food?
I have never had to return anything for poor quality, and the customer service has always been informative and helpful.
The following article will give you some pointers on how to prepare your business for the holiday season to maximize your profits.

New Ideas For Small Business Holiday Marketing
Copyright 2005 Marketing Comet

2 seconds after Halloween it seems that all the retail
stores put up their Christmas decorations - trying to
capture as much of the Holiday market as possible. Typical
ways that retail stores use to capitalize on the holidays
include extended hours and sales. This is all well and
good. Today I want to give you an early present by giving
you some novel ways to think about holiday promotions.

Many people are fed up with holiday crowds, which is
reflected in the growth of online sales and the decline of
some traditional retailer's sales. There also seems to be a
trend towards buying fewer gifts, but those gifts tend to
be higher-ticket luxury items.

In the type of marketing we all should be doing ,we start
with the customer in mind. What do we know about people
this time of year?

- Time is a commodity - there's too much to do and too
little time. - People have more shopping to do than they
usually do. - People are under a tremendous amount of
stress. - People tend to clean and decorate their houses.

These are just some of the factors affecting people during
the holiday season. I'm sure you can think of many more.
Take these things into consideration, and take the stance
of being a giver.

Here's an idea I've never seen (so I want credit if you use
it). If you own a store, offer free gift wrap - nothing new
there. While people are getting their gifts wrapped, they
get a free chair massage? You could partner up with a local
spa, or even a massage school who could also give every
customer a promotional coupon. You save your customers
time, take away their stress, and create a fusion marketing
partnership with the spa.

If you are in a household service business, offer to do
additional winterizing services for your customers to save
them time. Offer a free holiday housecleaning. If you
aren't in the cleaning business - again team up with a
cleaning service.

Give-aways are great. Give away free Christmas trees -
depending on where you are you could buy a couple hundred
for $10 a piece. The deal could be - spend $100 and take
home a free tree. Give away turkeys, or complete turkey
dinners - a lot of grocery stores have this promotion.

Everybody gives away calendars, aim for something different
but still useful. How about ice-scrapers if you live in the
north? Blankets, sweatshirts, caps - are all good
promotional items when the weather turns cold.

Holiday cards are great. People enjoy getting them and
displaying them. Hardly anybody sends Thanksgiving cards,
definitely consider it. In this politically correct age
(gasp) you have to be sensitive to people's religious
sensibilities. Send Happy Holidays cards and not Merry
Christmas Cards - unless you are absolutely sure your
customer celebrates Christmas.

If you have any kind of retail business, think about add-on
gifts that might be used as a second gift. A florist might
include a free gift-wrapped ornament with a certain level
of purchase that can be sent to a different address. Two
gifts for the price of one. Buy one get one free offers are
great at holiday times.

Use your creativity this holiday season and think about how
you can solve your customers' problems.


----------------------------------------------------
J D Moore - Marketing Comet
Small business marketing coaching that gives you more
customers, higher profits, and a lot more fun in your
business.
http://www.marketingcometcoach.com
blog - http://marketingcomet.typepad.com

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