It’s almost time for small businesses to face the holiday rush. The U.S. Small Business Administration blogger Caron Beesley shared these tips earlier this week on making sure your business is prepared for the holiday shopping season.
Ensure customers feel welcome by having someone greet them with a smile when they walk in the door. Offer festive treats, such as a cookie, warm cider, or product samples.
Utilize social media to advertise your deals, but also listen to and interact with your fans.
Non-retail small businesses can participate in Small Business Saturday by connecting with valued customers and let them know they are participating, possibly through a time-sensitive deal that can be redeemed after the event.
Ideas to capitalize on the increased traffic in a retail store include offering to make a small donation to charity for every email captured at the point of sale, hand out free samples in exchange for a customer’s information, or hold a raffle or competition. Follow up with all the customers within a week to advertise special deals.
Suggestions for marketing online businesses include making sure your website is festive with holiday graphics, create a dedicated holiday Pinterest board to highlight deals, use Facebook to highlight products, use banner art to highlight specials, and utilize shipping deadlines as a motivator.
For more of Beesley’s tips, view the entire web chat here.
