Search Results for ‘holiday shopping’
Surfing the WEB for tips to make your company stand out on Black Friday
Think of Black Friday as an opportunity to bring in new customers by offering a few good Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Not only will this kick off your holiday season on a positive note (and hopefully add to a healthier bottom line) you can take advantage of the fact that people will be shopping online and therefor traffic will be stronger on these two days.
Since Black Friday is all about promoting your business and selling more, here are several ideas to help you plan a killer selling day (or days).
Be sure to grab your share of sales
The average Black Friday corresponds to around-the-store lines before the sun rises. Now, of course, we seem to be in a recession, but that may make November 28th an even more profitable time for every business that has something to sell.
Insane deals tend to get people moving on Black Friday, and folks who would prefer to get some sleep may join the mobs due to their financial situation. Like major retailers, you can try to draw them in by offering big discounts on a few items, and then see what else they spend while they’re in the store.
Read the rest of the Black Friday Boom Forecast here: http://www.smallbusinessnewz.com/topnews/2008/11/17/black-friday-boom-forecast
Small Business Can Make Big Plays on Black Friday
Black Friday is like the Super Bowl. It’s a huge event that draws millions of people. But only the big boys get to play on the field. People like you and me only get to watch.
At first glance, Rafi Mohammed seems to reinforce that with his advice for retailers to woo customers with steep discounts on Black Friday. He encourages retailers to use loss leaders to welcome people back from discounters.
For anyone tempted to compete with the big boys on price, this is a pretty good reason to abandon that strategy. It also looks like a pretty good reason to stay in bed Friday and let the big retailers deal with all those people.
To read more visit http://mainebusiness.mainetoday.com/blogentry.html?id=16424
Black Friday Bargains for Small Business
Black Friday — and the following Cyber Monday — can also be a great time to go shopping for your small business. Just ask Rhonda Abrams of USA Today. She suggests the following:
Strategies for successful small business Black Friday shopping:
1. Make a list of stuff you really need. Don’t buy just because something’s cheap. It’s tempting, I know.
2. Check to see which version of Windows 7 you need. If you have a server you’ll need at least the Pro or Ultimate edition. Upgrades are very expensive so buy the right one.
Read the rest of the article “Black Friday Bargains for Small Business” at USA Today ~
http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2009-11-20-black-friday-bargains-for-small-business_N.htm
Over at online betting zone Bookmaker, they’ve put out their oddsmaking team’s predictions. The majority of the team says between 161 million and 180 million of us will hit the stores and websites on Black Friday, and we’ll spend between $300-$400 per shopper. Second-best odds were for 131 million to 161 million shoppers spending $250-$300 apiece.
To read what else they have to say read Black Friday and Cyber Monday…Will They Rock? on the Entrepreneur.com blog here http://blog.entrepreneur.com/2009/11/black-friday-and-cyber-mondaywill-they-rock.php
And if you happen to be out shopping on Black Friday, here’s a few tips for you:
Make list: In any shopping maneuver, a list can help you plan ahead and shop more efficiently. Look through sales fliers and check out www.black-friday.net for information on which stores are offering what deals. Then you can prioritize the items on your list, and plan out a route according to what is most important to you. Also list any coupons you have that can be used to further reduce the prices of desired items.
Visit the store the day before Thanksgiving: After you know what you are looking for, visit the stores ahead of time. Familiarize yourself where the desired items are located in the store. Make friends with a sales associate to find out if there will be additional discounts, or if you can reserve something ahead of time (for most doorbusters, though, associates aren’t allowed to do this).
Read the rest of Holiday Shopping: Tips for Black Friday and Cyber Monday here: http://www.moolanomy.com/2135/holiday-shopping-tips-for-black-friday-and-cyber-monday-mmarquit01/
While you are at it, read 10 Fascinating Facts about Black Friday http://www.pcworld.com/article/182224/10_fascinating_facts_about_black_friday.html
November 23rd, 2009
May 9th is World Fair Trade Day - “Fair Trade” promotes and empowers poor farmers in remote areas to participate meaningfully in the global economy and lead to a better life for all. Join the BIG BANG!! BEAT POVERTY BEAT CLIMATE CHANGE BEAT FINANCIAL CRISIS BEAT A DRUM 2009 by buying from companies that practice Fair Trade.
Go to the Fair Trade Resource Network for a host of resources including where to buy, how to make a difference and how to promote World Fair Trade in your community.
Excerpt from the book “Quirky Marketing ~ 365 Ways to Promote Your Business Using Zany & Non-traditional Holidays (the original holiday marketing guide) ~ www.QuirkyOffer.com
May 9th, 2009
Longing to increase your traffic for the holidays and turn those prospects into buyers? Here are eight sure-fire ways to do so.
1. Links, Links, Links - Links are the “currency” of search engines. When you have high quality relevant inbound links the search become more “attracted” to your site – and increase your rankings. What are considered quality inbound links? A link that has a high page rank (according to PageRank the tool Google uses to evaluate the links scores from 0 to 10 – An 8 or above are considered very high ranks. You might be able to get these high-ranking sites to link to you if you advertise on their sites, sponsor their events.
2. Start a Blog – having an online journal is a good start as long as you are committed to keeping the content fresh and relevant. Posting a minimum of once a week is a must – daily is best. Spiders crawl the web looking for fresh content and because a blog is an online journal it was designed to have the latest content posted or seen first.
3. Encourage bloggers to “blog” (write about) your company. You can do that by sending them your stuff such as product samples, books you have written, etc. If they like your “stuff” they may write about it and link to you. Make sure the “gift” is of value – a keychain is just an advertising tool unless someone needs a keychain so sending a blogger a keychain (unless it lights up, writes, send messages, stores data) probably won’t go over big and will undoubtedly just get tossed aside.
4. Get involved in a social network or two. Toyota has done this by targeting younger customers using digital entertainment and online community to launch it’s new Yaris. Yaris has its own Web site with free music downloads, games, and wireless mini-episodes of “Prison Break.” It has tapped into the generation by advertising on MySpace, Youtube and several blogs that are highly trafficked by their target audience.
5. Optimize your website with “gift ideas” pages. Place them one or at the most 2 clicks away from your home pages for greatest effectiveness. Offer gift certificates and make them prominently displayed on your website homepage.
6. Showcase your Free Stuff – if you offer free delivery, free gift wrapping or a free gift with purchase make sure it is listed on the homepage – create a visual (with the words imbedded in the image) so that when the visitor scrolls over it, they know the “click here” and go to the page that explains the offer. Consider putting the offer in your title tag (using a minimum number of words – less than 12 is ideal)
7. Rearrange your site to fit the seasons. for instance, Christmas ideas should be most prominent during the holiday shopping season and everyday items should take a less prominent position. Make the holiday shopping area just one click away from the homepage. Remember you have only about 5 seconds to “grab” and “keep” their attention. Help prospects make the best use of their time and turn into customers.
8. Update your site map to include any new pages you create for the holidays.
NOTE: We just updated our retail florist website, Eden Florist & Gift Baskets. It now has a built-in Site map that updates itself (that and so much more). I invite you to check it out and see what Laura Wheeler and her staff at Firelight Web Studio did for us. It is amazing! For a view of our “old” website visit the Wayback Machine and see what we started with.
December 7th, 2008
December 1st is Cyber Monday ~ Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season in the United States that falls between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. “Cyber Monday” is meant to encourage consumers to make purchases online they could not make during the previous weekend which started with Black Friday. Cyber Monday sponsored by the National Retail Federation’s Shop.org division, has evolved into a significant marketing event,in which online retailers offer low prices and promotions. (Source: Wikipedia)
In recognition of Cyber Monday, I too have some “special offers” for my readers. They include:
Grow Your Business Audio Program on sale for only $39.95!
Sign up for How to Grow Your Million Dollar Business? Audio program, based upon the Summit which took place September 18-20 and 23rd is available at $97 now only $39.95. The complete audio program now includes 20 interviews, a 90+ page workbook and several bonuses. And over the next few weeks we will also be offering additional sessions on “Attracting Million-dollar clients,” “How to get Million-dollar Publicity” and more. You don’t want to miss these. Here’s what one person had to say about these sessions:- Heidi I was blown away by the huge names that you managed to gather together on the one teleseminar series. Just one of these speakers would have made the entry price a great deal. I have learned so much from these speakers (and how wonderful is it that most of them are female!) I feel that they have opened my eyes to a big new world and I am implementing right now some of the suggestions that I heard. Very inspiring! Now what shall I spend my first million on…? Katherine Reschke, Business and Mindset Coach ~ http://www.passionsthatpay.com
To get your copy of this program and attend the upcoming interviews go to www.GrowaMillionDollarBusiness.com today. Unadvertised BONUS: Purchase this audio program and you will also receive a complete set of your choice of one of our other popular audio programs. Visit: www.WomensSuccessSeries.com for more information
MOVING SALE ~ I have a few copies of Life Compass for Women available – Now thru December 30th, You can get an autographed copy for $4.95 (plus shipping) ~ Regular price is $14.95. This Indispensable Guidebook on Life Management for Busy Women features 16 of the top experts on Life Balance and Management Strategies. Every copy you buy, I will also include a copy of her “What’s Your OccuPlaytion” Motivational Book (value $6.95). This little book makes a great stocking. Need several copies?
Send a message to Heidi@speakingwithspirit.com with Life Management book in subject line. And you will get and additional 25% off four or more copies. For more information and to grab your copy ~ Visit: http://speakingwithspirit.com/books/life-compass-for-women/ (FYI we are moving our offices January 1st and won’t have the space to store them.
December 1st, 2008
There’s still time to get ready for a successful holiday season.
Here are a ten tips to make for a more successful holiday season.
1. Review last year’s sales records. Compare them to prior years. This will help you “forecast” what you could do this season. Has your business seen a steady increase each year. Have you had poor sales one year and brisk the next? If so, what was happening in the world? Was the economy strong or weak? Did a natural disaster affect your business? You must consider all things possible when making your forecast.
2. Check inventory. Do you have items from last year that you need to sell? Can you sell them at full-price (such as traditional items)? These do not include the trendy seasonal items that reflected the times and would be considered outdated by your customers.
3. Review the items you have pre-ordered – it is amazing how quickly we forget all those wonderful things we purchased during gift and trade shows in anticipation of a good holiday.
4. Review your notes from last year – the things you did right, those ideas for improvement for the next year and be sure to include them in your holiday marketing plans.
5. Check out your marketing and advertising from the last three years paying particular attention to the immediate past. Was it effective? Did it meet or succeed your ROI goals? Make a list of the media you want to continue and any new media you would like to try (conservatively). Start contacting the media now to get the best prices an dplacement.
6. Check web stats for best sales days, highest traffic days, conversion rates, best and least selling items.
7. If you offer more than one type of service/product, review each individually. For instance a florist might also sell plants, gift baskets, balloons, books, plush animals and other giftware. Which items did best, and which did not do well at all. This will help you buy accordingly for the upcoming holidays.
8. Brainstorm with your staff/marketing team/ management to come up with themes around specific holidays. Do you want to use eskimos in your christmas displays? Do you need candles and dreidels for your Hannukah vignettes? Are pumpkins a popular choice for Thanksgiving or fall leaves or does something else strike your fancy? Do your customers shop your store for Halloween.
9. Review your staffing from the previous year. Did you have too much or not enough staff?
10. Create a rewards program for the upcoming holidays. Rewards can range from commissioned sales, to trips, to dinners out, to movie tickets, to days off, to shopping sprees, to recognition programs. Be sure to include time for celebration where everyone can join in the fun as a group.
BONUS: Send your customers/clients a holilday card early. Don’t wait until December 10th to send a card. Send it today. I use
SendOutCards to promote my business and stay in touch with clients and customers. It is the best automated system I have found. Real cards to real people in the mail! Check it out at:
www.SendOutCards.com/Heidi Use all the things in your RETAIL REVIEW to create your holiday marketing calendar. The calendar will help you meet deadlines, update your websites, plan your open houses, place ads and create marketing materials necessary to promote the holidays to your prospects and customers. If you have the staff, give each a different area of responsibility such as window design, inside displays, overseeing of your website, etc. Be sure to look at your market and see if it has changed from previous years.
November 20th, 2008
Getting eCommerce Ready…
When it comes to eCommerce, it’s not too early to start thinking about how you are going to prepare for the holiday season. You don’t want to put everything about your whole business and everything you offer on your home page. Have landing pages for separate items. When you give people too many choices, they become paralized and will leave without buying. Showcase your number one items or best sellers or the one, two or three items you want to move on your home page. Here are 13 more tips to prepare for the holiday rush:
1. Make sure you have precautionary measures in place. Where does your business get hit the hardest during the holidays? Is it local deliveries, customer service, shipping? Focus your attention on getting those parts of your system ready for the holidays.
2. Get help. Taxing your regular help during the madness that can occur during the season, can do more damage than good. Consider outside help to get you through the holidays.
3. Automate anything and everything you can. This reduces labor costs and streamlines processes and in most cases helps the customer get quicker service.
4. Reduce time by auto-processing credit cards. That includes auto settle and authorizations.
5. Manage Inventory. With the economic uncertainty of the upcoming holiday season, it is good to keep a low stock inventory as long as you can order and get a quick turnaround on products you need when the time comes.
6. Consider drop shipping orders to cut down on inventory. Use softeware that automatically forwards those orders to your vendors for fulfilment.
7. Rely on someone else’s I.T. Staff by using a software service provider. They have the compliant issues in place and they may be more able to have a quick turnaround if a proble arises.
8. Personalize your marketing offers. Use your cusotmer database to increase revenues by creating a 1, 2, 3 touch approach to remind them you are there to assist their gift-giving needs. That could be a postcard, email and telephone call or any combination of tactics to get them to order from you.
9. Send emails wisely and prudently. Don’t innundate your email database with messages. They will get mad and ask to be removed. Remember everyone is vying for their business right now. Create email templates or edit and reuse those that have worked in the past. Saves time, and creative talent to work on other high-priority projects.
10. Automate your gift certificates. Gift certificates have gained in popularity and every year the % of people who buy them increases. Many people actually prefer receiving them too. If you don’t offer gift certificates online, think about adding this feature to your website. Its a new source of revenue and there is nothing to ship.
11. Make use of multiple stores like ebay and Amazon or Yahoo to test products, to sell overstock items and move last season’s inventory.
12. Consider a “membership” program such as a flower of the month or book of the month club program.
13. TEST, TEST, TEST. Make sure your ecommerce site works properly, is easy to understand and seamless. Do pages load quickly or do they take more than 5 seconds? Do you have lots of flash? Do they inhibit buying with obtrusive popups or automatic sound? Invite current customers to do a ‘beta’ test, and Offer discounts to them for their feedback.
The best time to think about next year’s holiday season is when this one is over. You can plan better when records are within your reach and everything is fresh in your mind.
Happy Selling!
October 25th, 2008
On one of the forums I belong to the question was asked ~ how often do you market your company, especially before the holidays?
Here is my response:
We never stop marketing! Here’s what we do for our retail flower shop and website. In early November we begin our holiday push by sending postcards, greeting cards and email reminders to our customer base. Even though a great deal of our business revolved around the holidays, we never assume people will remember us in November (Thanksgiving) or December so we know it is just as important to keep our name in front of our audience during this time as it is the rest of the year.
In addition to the physical stay-in-touch reminder method, we send out a weekly eblast for our floral customers reminding them to order early – showcase our current specials and offer a small discount if they order by a certain date. You would be amazed how many people call and thank us for the reminder…
We also partner with our local chamber of commerce and send out an eblast and a broadcast fax around the 7th – for the corporate clients who want to ship out of state – we do gourmet gift baskets so this helps us to really pull in some new clients.
I attend any and every networking event available and give out a holiday CD with our product line for the holidays – which also includes a history of Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hannukah, a coloring book for each of the holidays, the top ten flowers for the holidays, and several other goodies. People love these and once they were produced (about 3 years ago) we only have to update the product line on the CD. It is something people tend to keep.
In addition, we offer free downloadable information products similar to the information on the holiday CD, as well as a letter from Santa for Christmas and free coloring books for the kids. This type of content really drives traffic to the site during the busiest online shopping month of the year.
Although we don’t do as much social networking as I’d like (there are just not enough hours in the day when you are in retail), we do try to visit them at least twice or three times before December 10 to just stay in touch.
And the week after Christmas I do a short plan for the coming year - review last years goals and plan and adjust for any necessary changes or new trends on the horizon.
BTW, Our website, Eden Florist & Gift Baskets is getting ready to relaunch. Laura Wheeler of Fireflight Web Studio is creating a whole new look with greater functionality. Go there today to see it and come back in about a week. The new site should be live.
October 13th, 2008
