When to start holiday marketing is a tricky decision. You want to stir up excitement and gain momentum early, but you don’t want to overload consumers with holiday fanfare and totally turn them off. There is no clear-cut right or wrong answer on when to start holiday marketing, although Dec. 23 is probably a shade too late. InternetRetailer reported on a…
Diving off the entrepreneurial precipice for the first time? Making plans for another profitable jaunt? Either way, any new enterprise can seem daunting with a thousand threads to tie off. That’s why a business opening checklist is indispensable, and we’ve got a couple of suggestions to add to yours. Before you throw open your doors, make sure to scratch off…
Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques
Wednesday, April 22, 2015 is the 45th anniversary of Earth Day, Since 1970, people across the nation and around the world have dedicated the 22nd day of April to helping make our home planet a cleaner, healthier place for all living things. With this green holiday quickly approaching, learn more about ways to become earth-friendly in your small business operations…
Designing Your Business Communication
Call it whatever you want. Freelancer. Entrepreneur. Contract worker. Solopreneur. Small business. When you’re a fabulously self-employed person, you must never miss an opportunity to connect with a possible customer. Networking is the pathway to growing a business and building resources; you need a few tools in your arsenal. Sure, you have a professional profile on LinkedIn and share behind-the-scenes…
Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques
Keep regular customers coming back for more by offering surprising new dishes and great deals. Daily specials can do the trick. After announcing your culinary creation of the day on Facebook and Twitter, greet restaurant visitors with colorful table menus complete with juicy descriptions and Instagram-like snapshots. Here’s How to Make a Specials Menu Quickly Have your Camera Handy When…
Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques
For years now, emails have been the go-to mode of communication in office and business settings. It’s fast, easy and a great way to keep a virtual paper trail. However, email can have the unfortunate effect of being a little too informal at times. There are certain things most of us would never dream of doing in a formal company…
David Ogilvy, widely considered the father of modern advertising, once said, “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your [marketing] dollar.” Obviously, headlines are important. Without a good headline, customers may never become interested enough to learn more…
If you’re like many small business owners, you juggle many different duties and responsibilities. You’re salesman, bookkeeper, order fulfillment, marketer and janitor. It can be difficult to keep all the balls in the air, especially when people keep throwing new ones at you. While we can’t help you with the janitorial duties (sorry!), we can help you with one aspect…
You know you have a great product or service. Your customers rave about how much they love it….once they finally buy. But you’re finding that it takes them awhile to make the purchase, and you can’t figure out why. Some days you even think about going back to the drawing board, revamping your product or rebranding your service. But the…
With the new year comes fresh opportunities to grow your business. Depending on what your goals are for 2015, you may need to learn something entirely new or just expand your knowledge. A great place to start, of course, is by reading a book (or two) on the subject. But a quick glance at Amazon and it’s easy to get…
Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques
2015 is just around the corner. Start off on the right foot after the New Year’s holiday by getting organized now. 4 Office Tasks to Do Before New Year’s Eve Update digital customer files. Delete emails that bounce back when you send group messages. Send out an email asking customers to update any new details including mailing addresses or phone…
Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques
‘Tis the season to give. To our family, our friends, our customers. But it’s also the season to give back to those in our communities who are less fortunate. Giving back is also a terrific way to build camaraderie amongst employees. When everyone works together for the common good, it can create a spirit of generosity and goodwill company-wide. The…
As the old year comes to a close and the new one approaches, many of us start thinking about resolutions to improve our lives and our businesses. We vow to lose weight, exercise more, make more money, get more customers. But then what happens? Most of the time…nothing. Studies show that 77 percent of those who make resolutions will not…
Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques
The year is winding down, so get organized! Before you usher in 2015 create a plan-of-action to let to your customers know just how much they mean to you in the new year. Here’s five office staples to keep on hand: Thank you cards: Send hand-written notes to your top customers after a large sale or transaction. Discount postcards: Need…
Designing Your Business Communication
Don’t wait any longer. Tell your customers just how much you appreciate their interest and business. If you’ve never written personal thank you notes to your top clients, do it before the end of the year. We can help you get started! Writing Thank You Cards to Customers Remind the Customer Start with a few sentences about the project you…
Grab the attention of online shoppers by launching a holiday email campaign. Build trust with your audience and watch the sales roll in. Here’s how! Set up an email service. For example, MailChimp allows customers to subscribe to your e-newsletter via your website or social media pages so they never miss a special offer or update from you. On the…
Designing Your Business Communication
The holidays are a perfect time to tell your customers how much you appreciate their business. Skip the mass email and make the note sincere. Send gorgeous holiday greeting cards! Here’s how to tackle this small business task in five easy steps. Print a customer mailing list. Use decorative mailing labels to add a seasonal flare to plain envelopes….
Designing Your Business Communication
Get your business in front of a huge audience this holiday season. Plan to host a public event or attend an activity that focuses on giving-back to the community and spreading holiday cheer. The key to a successful event? Leave the sales pitch back at the office! Host an open house. Explain what your business does with free demonstrations or…
Designing Your Business Communication
The e-revolution has changed quite a few things in the business world. One of them is the reliance on ecards in the place of hard copy greeting in the small business world. Some argue the ecard value by saying they are free and fast, and you can send out as many as you want instantly. Now that e-greetings have become…
Marketing & Sales Promotion Techniques
Christmas candy displays line supermarket aisles while tinsel and twinkle lights dominate craft and hobby stores. So, what are you waiting for? Now is the time to start promoting your holiday specials, sales and services. Most retailers launch holiday promotions in October or November — some even earlier. So grab the calendar and start mapping out your methods of spreading…