As much as we might not like to admit it, Christmas is upon us and that means one thing for businesses: more profits to be made. However, every single business has this in mind, especially at this time of year when wallets and purses are open more than usual. So how can you ensure that you stick out from the crowd when every other business man/woman has the same idea in mind? How do you ensure that people come to you for your products/services rather than the leading competitors? We’ve got some handy tips on how you can make your business more noticeable around the festive period, so check them out!
Utilise social media
Whether you’re someone who likes social media or not, it’s possibly the quickest and most powerful ways of getting your name around. If you haven’t already, make an account on each platform for your business so that you’re able to utilise the power of sharing using social media and remember these tips to boost it even further:
- Create competitions or giveaways on your accounts. Asking people to share and like your pages will dramatically increase your following; meaning that more people will see your posts in the future too! Nobody can resist a freebie, so you’ll find that your posts will reach further than you’d expect. Just remember to comply to the rules of each social media platform, otherwise you could find yourself in a sticky situation.
- To put it bluntly, people aren’t going to follow you just for the sake of following you. You need to give them a reason to click that like button, and this means posting regularly and uploading content/videos/images that people will enjoy looking at. It’s important to think of your target audience when choosing things to post to avoid anyone clicking the unfollow button.
- Use your social media accounts to promote any sales that you’ve got coming up. As mentioned above, it’s the fastest and most powerful way of getting your word across.
- Find a company that you can set up a quid pro quo relationship with. For example, if you’re selling make up products, find a company that sells hair or nail products that you can promote, and them likewise. This will give your business that little bit more of a reach; meaning more custom!
- Posting regularly on social media can take up a lot of valuable time that you need to be spending elsewhere, so it’s a good idea to invest in a scheduling service such as Hootsuite that can do all of the work for you. Not only will this help you during the festive period, as it can help promote your sales all year around.
Merchandise, merchandise, and more merchandise
One of the best ways of making the name of your business travel as far as possible is by printing it on pretty much anything you can get your hands on. Whether you’re attending events over the festive period and want to give out free merchandise, or you want to sell your merchandise in store, it’s a good idea to think about how you can tastefully print your name on these items. Here’s a few ideas that consumers are drawn towards:
- Pens/lanyards/notepads, or generally anything stationary always draws people in. these however, are often given away as freebies at events, so choose your stationary wisely.
- Glassware. Everyone loves a new glass to drink their favourite tipple from, especially over the Christmas period. Consider corporate glassware as an option for printing.
- Clothing such as t-shirts, hoodies, and caps are always a winner. A great way to make sure they fly off the shelves is by designing a spectacular piece that everyone will want.
Create offers that nobody can resist
As mentioned earlier, nobody can resist a freebie. You should consider tying this into promotions and offers over the festive period to lure customers in. Whether that means putting on a buy one get one free offer, or even a spend a certain amount and get free merchandise, it will certainly help boost your sales this winter.
It’s a good idea to check out what your competition are doing this Christmas so that you can try and come up with a better promotion to host yourself. Just be wary that competing companies might just be doing the same thing as you!
Host an event
Another great way of boosting your sales at this time of year is by hosting an event that anyone and everyone is invited to. This could be a fate that includes facepainting, festive games, refreshments, and even entertainment. Doing this will encourage people to visit your business and have a great time. And while they’re there, possibly indulge in your products or services? Either way, it’s a fantastic way of getting your name around and having fun while doing so!
Change up your uniform
While it’s important that you and any staff members look professional, Christmas time is the perfect chance to let down your guard and little and show to potential customers that you’ve got Christmas spirit. Adding festive items of clothing into your uniforms, or allowing staff to dress up over Christmas will ensure that your business is noticed. Let’s face it, wouldn’t you rather go into a store with festive cheer over one that’s lacking? Even if it’s something simple like popping on a Santa hat, you’ll be welcoming in more customers than before!
Vamp up your marketing techniques
Finally, marketing is essential at this time of year because as mentioned, people tend to be more willing to spend during the festive period. This is why it’s important to ensure that you’re on point with your marketing techniques. Here are some marketing techniques that you should be considering:
- Content marketing online is one of the largest grossing marketing techniques at present. With pretty much everybody online these days, it’s the best way of reaching out to potential customers. Having the link to your website/a particular product placed within relevant articles on suitable blogs is sure to boost your sales and make sure that your name is heard.
- Since everyone is out and about Christmas shopping at this time of year, creating banners and billboards for your business and placing them in busy areas is likely to have a positive effect on your business.
- The winter calls for snuggling in front of the TV with the fire on, and that’s why you should consider creating a TV advert for your business. It’s an incredibly effective way of reaching people nationally, rather than just locally.
As you can see, with a few clever techniques you can easily make your business more noticeable, especially around the festive period. Put these tips into place and you’ll soon see sales and profits rising!