Marketing Your Way to More Customers

Imagine you’re hosting the party of a lifetime. The food and drinks are prepared, the house is cleaner than it’s ever been, the decorations look straight out of a magazine and you’re ready to be the “Hostess with the Mostess!” The only thing is, you didn’t tell anyone about it. Having a small business without a marketing campaign is pretty much the same thing!

If you’re like most business owners, you put your heart and soul into your venture and showing up simply isn’t enough. You have to tell people that you’re there! Creating a marketing campaign is an absolute must if you are looking to attract new customers, gain traffic to your shop, and boost those sales!

This is your chance to stand out from the crowd!

The small business world is a lot larger than we think, especially when you include all the online retailers available nowadays. Everyday consumers are faced with so many choices on who to buy from. It’s your job to remind them the answer is YOU! Get out there and remind the world (1) that you are there and (2) that you are exactly what they need.  Take some time to think about all the things that make your brand special, then create a marketing plan that plays up those exact characteristics.

Have a goal in mind and stay focused.

Writing content and creating marketing isn’t much different than creating your actual product or business model. Regardless of which one you’re working on, you should know the why behind what you’re doing in order to place your focus where it is best utilized. Ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish and how your marketing can help get you there. For example, if your goal is to gain more customers at your shop, then you could create a variety of social media posts to share where your local customers spend the most time (i.e., Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Don’t get caught up in posting a million things just for the sake of posting – really challenge yourself to be intentional with your marketing.

Grab a calendar and start planning!

Keep in mind dates for upcoming holidays or major shopping days like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Get customers excited and kick off a “share the love” campaign for Valentine’s Day, giving out a coupon to share with their loved ones! You want to be part of the buzz gearing up for these special dates that bring out the most shoppers. Hang signage, schedule social media posts and send email promotions in sync with these calendar milestones for the biggest turnaround.

Make it fun and grab their attention.

Every day there is a slew of advertisements fighting for our attention. Take time to create a marketing strategy that doesn’t feel stale or too much like other advertisements. Use your brand “voice” to keep it unique and show customers what you are all about while adding some fun into the mix. Remember that nobody is a fan of endless self-promotion, so think outside the box and put something of value out there, too. I promise this will make all the difference! Your marketing should plant ideas in people’s heads that make them see your product as having a story behind it and with a function for their life, not just a purchase. Developing a few different graphics or creating displays to show ideas of something to do with your product line is a great way to do this! For example, you could display a decorated table using your ceramics, feature kid-approved healthy meals if you sell food, or show sustainable gift wrap ideas with your holistic bath and body items, etc.

Don’t forget about staying on brand.

Get people excited when they see your business’ marketing – form a relationship with them and be memorable by staying on brand. You can do this by using your brand colors, prints, fonts and other special brand flavor, but feel free to play around with some festive elements as well during holidays. You can find free holiday stock photos online to pull in from websites like Pixabay.com and create easy to make graphics on free websites like Canva.com.

Always remember that people like to buy from people, not businesses.

Use your holiday marketing to remind both existing and potential customers that you are a PERSON! There are hands and a heart behind every product you offer and there is such a beauty to that.

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