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Promoting your small business is an everyday activity. When holidays approach, businesses tend to shift promoting into high gear. But you need to think beyond the holidays.
In today's world, promoting your business is easier than ever. Social media promotions offer pathways to success that are quick and cheap.
It is now October, and many business owners are already snapping pictures and posting them on Facebook and other platforms. They are anticipating the spending that goes on in November and December.
Example: Ella runs a high end gift shop. She specializes in offering hand made items by artists and artisans. Beginning in mid-November, Ella begins putting up pictures on Facebook--every day. Pictures are meant to attract attention to her website and to her store. They show jewelry in all lines, items in leather and wood, ceramics, glass and other unusual and one-of-a-kind creations. Ella's promotions work for the holidays, but what about January, February and March?
Example: Pepe is a floral designer. His shop attracts and serves clients from a wide area. As with all florists, Mother's Day is the biggest day of the year for Pepe. He begins in March promoting the big day, and the orders begin coming in ahead of time. But what about June and the summer months?
Example: Myra runs a bakery. She offers all sorts of concoctions--specialty cakes, breads, cookies and others goodies. Her clientele includes businesses, corporations, private parties and others. They depend on Myra for the bakery items for holidays, birthdays, parties, meetings and other gatherings. To expand, Myra began offering to ship brownies anywhere to customers who placed orders on her website. This has considerably expanded her operation--accessing a much wider geographical area, but serving the same types of meetings and gatherings far beyond her town.
Of course, you promote for holidays. But don't neglect the rest of the year. With social media, every business can build by promoting year round.
And when you've exhausted your immediate area, put on your thinking cap. How can you use social media and shipping to serve a wider area?
Promoting beyond the holidays and beyond your immediate geographical area is key to building your business. Get with it.
