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THIS WEEK
Marketing Tip: Planning Your Christmas Promotions
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| Marketing Tip: Planning Your Christmas Promotions |
It is getting near Christmas. The shops have had their decorations up since Easter, but the count-down really is on.
This year with the economic challenges out there, people are carrying a high level of fear and may not be as willing to part with their hard earned money as in previous years. This will make Christmas promotions an important part of most small businesses.
So how do you plan a Christmas promotion that works? Well let's start with what NOT to do (as they don't work) and build up to what does work in this climate.
- Tinsel doesn't sell products. Don't assume tinsel and a cheaply decorated tree is enough to draw people into your store. Great decorations are a start, but they are not enough to keep people buying.
- Forget the letterbox mailers. Letterboxes are crammed to overflowing with junk mail. You get a split second when someone sorts their mail to get their attention. 99% of all junk mail is never read. At this time of year you are competing with toy catalogues for attention so you are less likely to be read than at other times of the year.
- Don't discount heavily to get business. Drastically cutting your prices is not an effective long term strategy for any business. Yes you may get the odd price shopper, but generally they don't return to become loyal customers. You also annoy loyal customers who bought the same item at the higher price last week. You erode your profit margins at a time when you can least afford it. Leave discounting to the main chain stores.
What does work?
- Tapping into the changed emotional needs. People really need to feel confident to buy your product or service in this market. They are also looking for stress relief, low cost entertainment and ways to cut costs. But people are also looking to escape the doom and gloom – so gentle humour may also work at this time of year. They are also looking for experiences rather than "things". Your Christmas promotions need to reflect this change in sentiment.
- Getting out there. This is the time when there are a myriad of opportunities for many businesses to attend networking events, Christmas parties, awards nights. These are great ways to meet new people and forge strong relationships. This is not the time to hide behind closed doors in your office – get out more and meet more people.
- Revisiting your database. Promotional flyers that you send to your existing database (rather than cold mailing a new list) are great around this time of year. Look at special loyalty offers and ways to reward customers who you may not have seen for a while. You may also want to consider special invitation only shopping events at your store where you create a festive feeling, have a lot of fun and get people back into your store.
- Adding value. Rather than cut prices, add value to your base offering. One client of mine rather than cut costs on their sheds, added in lockable cabinets for all sheds built.
- Making it easy. Customers are pushed for time at this time of year. Look at ways to make it easy for them – gift wrapping, free gift tags, bundling your products into packages.
Most bigger stores had their Christmas promotions planned back in May. That's where smaller stores have the edge – you can now slightly change your direction in light of the world changes and cash in as a result.
| HR Tip - Staff Christmas Gifts |
Following on from the previous article you will also want to consider what gifts or ways of expressing thank you you will give to your staff this year.
 I often see many businesses spend a small fortune on gifts to suppliers and customers, but totally ignore their employees of give them a $3 box of Roses Chocolates (and they wonder why their employees sometimes get a bit snaky about it all!)
Your employees have worked hard for your company all year - generating the revenue that has made your business what it is. Yes suppliers and customers had a big role to play, but without your employees sales would not be made and products not sold.
Some businesses state that they are throwing a Christmas party and that is thanks enough - well yes and no. Often not everyone can attend the party, and it may be held outside of work time which means additional costs of babysitters, transport etc.
This may come as a surprise to many business owners, but employees don't always see attending the work Christmas party as an enjoyable reward for a job well done - it is seen as a chore to be endured.
It is all a matter of balance. Make sure you recognise your employees in some way over the Christmas period and take the time to be inclusive of all employees, not just a select few.
Lately I have been having a bit to do with promotional products and I discovered Brenn Ryan from Black Dog promotions in Melbourne.
Brenn is one of those very obliging guys who will help you find precisely what you need for your corporate promotion and will also tell you if what you are thinking about will actually work (or not). He is the sort of bloke who will give you honest advice even if it costs him business.
He is passionate about growing businesses and in his spare time he runs a very active forum www.freebusinesstips.com.au . This forum has stacks of businesses exchanging ideas and strategies and is worth visiting.
Brenn has some great specials on offer at the moment for Bic pens as well as coffee mugs so it is worth checking out his website and placing your order for your Christmas promotions www.blackdogpromotions.com.au.
In previous posts we have looked at the critical importance of backing up your data - but do you remember to also back up your website and your blog?
Recruitment Interviewing 101
exuberantly yours
Ingrid
Heart Harmony
PS: This week's Small Business Tips blog also included posts about marketing to parents via kids, when is a chicken shop not a chicken shop and I HATE music on hold.
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