This week we've been discussing ways to amp up your holiday marketing. Yesterday we talked about the advantages of Pinterest, today its about the true spirit of the holiday.

Tip #4:

Don't focus solely on making money.

Take this time to not only focus on ways to make money, but the spirit of the holiday as well.

Use this time of year to offer tips and hints to your customers on your blog or in your e-newsletter. If you’re a bakery offer up two or three of your favorite holiday recipes. If you’re a florist, offer people tips for creating holiday centerpieces and decorations.

You should also include one or two posts that aren’t directly related to your business. Posts that are just feel good, friendly posts for your customers. Maybe an article on buying gifts for the hard to buy for, or Christmas traditions.

You could also promote local events going on to support charities or other causes.

Check back tomorrow for more holiday marketing tips!

This week we've been looking at various marketing tips specifically for the holiday season. Yesterday's tip involved your employees; today is about using a specific social media website to your advantage.

Tip #3:

Discover the world of Pinterest.

Every social media outlet can be a great marketing tool, but around this time of year Pinterest offers some great opportunities.

Pinterest users will no doubt be spending hours scouring through pins for the perfect gift idea, so take advantage of this! Create gift guides via pin boards. Set up boards for specific needs like “Gifts for Mom,” or “Gifts for Pet Lovers.” Make sure each pin links to the product on your website.

Collaborative boards are also an exciting way to involve your customers. You could hold a drawing or contest to choose which customers get to contribute. Then add the person as a contributor (you’ll need their username or email address). Customers can then start pinning their favorite products from your website. Call the board something fun like “This Year’s Most Wanted.”

It might be time-consuming, but it can really be worth it if executed properly.

Check back tomorrow for more holiday marketing tips!

Marketing around the holiday season is a completely different challenge from most times of the year. Yesterday we began our series on holiday marketing tips by discussing festive updates to your website and  features to make holiday shopping easier for your customers. Today's tip gets your whole staff involved!

Tip #2:

Involve your employees.

Ask a few of your employees to pick five of their favorite products/services you offer, or to pick items they intend to buy for someone else. Create a blog post for each one, use product images and links to the relevant product information and pages on your website. Also, have the employee tell why they love each of the products/services.

This is an excellent way to showcase your products and services while making your customers feel appreciated.

Check back tomorrow for more Holiday Marketing Tips!

Marketing is important year round, but the holiday season can be a completely different challenge. Our team has compiled a list of some marketing tips specific to this time of year. We'll be providing one tip a day all week long!

Tip #1:

Give your site a mini makeover.
Don’t redesign the whole website, but make some festive updates. Think about what your customers – and potential customers – might be looking for and create categories for these sought after products and services. Try things like “personalized products,” “gifts for dad,” or “client appreciation gifts.”

Look at bringing the holidays to your home page. Add images and colors to draw attention to your new Christmas options. They don’t have to be big; a few small changes can go a long way.

Make sure your website is functioning at its best and without any glitches. At this vital time of year it’s important that consumers can easily navigate without technical difficulties.

If you need help with your website, we have web designers on staff, happy to help!

Check back each day this week for more Holiday Marketing Tips!

Thanksgiving is around the corner and it’s that time of year where giving back and community involvement seem to spike. But community involvement is vital to your business year round.

As you’ve built your business, you’ve relied on community support. To be successful, you need your customers. It’s a reciprocal relationship--your community needs your support, too. Those who support you need to see that you have a genuine interest in them as well.

What can you do to support community? Get involved. Join the Chamber. Volunteer at special events or on committees. Sponsor a local sports team. Be active and supportive! It will help you learn more about your customers and it will tell them that you are interested in the community.

It’s a win-win situation for everyone!

What are you doing to get involved?

Are you looking for ways to make your business more visible? Have you considered hosting a free event such as a Chamber of Commerce social?

Your local chamber likely schedules after hours events to encourage members to network, mingle and get to know one another. It’s an excellent way to show off your business, your facilities, and your staff. Add some refreshments and you have the perfect set-up to showcase your company. As host, make sure you welcome everyone and that your staff chats with your guests in a casual, comfortable environment. Hand over a business card at the conclusion of a conversation and you just might get a call the next day wanting to know more!

Like it or not, advertising in print material is becoming less effective because it is impacting fewer people. You can reach a rapidly growing audience with online advertising. A well-designed, effective ad will grab the attention of web users around the world. Make sure your ad is on a website that is pertinent to your targeted customers. You also want the ad to get to the point of what you're trying to sell. Link it to your own website for reasonably priced 24/7 promotion for your business. Find out more about online advertising today. The internet is here to stay. You need to be part of it.

We have talked about various forms of social media for your business, but are you using one that was created specifically for the business world? Linkedin is a beneficial tool for professional networking. You can build up a valuable contact base of people with similar business pursuits. You can also joing groups of like-minded, business-related people. Linkedin is great when used for employment purposes - both hiring and when looking for a job. Resumes can be posted and employers can list job opportunities. You can even hunt for possible employees that match your job opening. Consider making the most of your professional network. Signing up for Linkedin.com is simple and free. You can get started today.

When you were a child and drew a picture on a piece of paper, did you feel the need to fill up the entire page? Were you told it was wasteful to leave empty space? That belief may have been okay then, but it might not be a good idea for your marketing materials now. Fewer words or less design means higher impact for the words you do use. You don't have a lot of time to catch someone's attention and too many words will get lost. Only the main words will be read anyway, so don't clutter your materials with information that won't be read. Using fewer words will help you stick to the main point. Keep it simple.