Category: Holiday Marketing (Page 1 of 5)

Memorial Day Sales & Ongoing Offers for Veterans

May 11, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Did you know that every May, “Memorial day sales” is one of the top searches on Google? In terms of annual sales, it is not as popular as “Black Friday sales“, but it is a more popular search than either “Cyber Monday sales” or “Labor Day sales“.

No matter what type of business you run – store, restaurant, realtor, etc. – if you offer any type of ongoing offer for active, reservist, veteran, and retired Military personnel, then let your local newspaper’s business writers know, as they will likely include you any editorial they are planning for the Memorial Day weekend. Stories like these are very popular this time of year, and again in November for Veteran’s Day.SEO Tip (4)

You should also include your ongoing offer to veterans and military personnel as part of your business’ Value Statement (a writing service I do provide).

Since Memorial Day is May 29th, you might want to take advantage and offer an early bird sale now to get ahead of your competition.

Consider This Billion Dollar Business Idea

April 20, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Looking for that billion dollar business idea? Well, I have one for you that was just under a billion in 2022, but might reach that height this year, considering its 20% year-over-year growth since 2019.

The billion dollar idea is pet Halloween costumes!

When doing research for my new 2023 Etsy Holiday Sales Planner, I found that, according to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent $710 million on Halloween costumes for their pets in 2022!

And, there is not as much competition as you think. There are only 3,000 listings for dog Halloween costumes on Amazon, and only 12,900 listings on Etsy. So there’s lots of opportunity!

Currently, 69 million US households own a dog and 45 million US households own a cat. Since the NRF also found that 1 in 5 pet owners plans to buy a Halloween costume this year, that’s 22.8 million costumes to be sold!NEW BUSINESS STARTUP CHECKLIST

Dogs costumes are three times more popular than costumes for cats. The most popular costumes for pets include a pumpkin, hot dog, bat, bumblebee, witch, lion, spider, ghost, super dog and devil. Consumers start searching July 31^st and searches peak October 23^rd.

My 2023 Etsy Holiday Sales Planner is available now.

You might also want to read: 54 Small Business Ideas for 2023.

How Every Business Can Sell on Black Friday

November 18, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

how every business call sell on black friday Black Friday (the day after the US Thanksgiving) has been a tradition for decades. People running in droves to the mall to get awesome deals.

A reporter recently asked me if Black Friday was over, and I disagreed. I personally think Black Friday will be back big time this year, mostly because COVID made us miss our traditions.

I also think fear of a recession meant people are holding off a little longer before making their holiday purchases, so Black Friday seems like a good time with just a month until Christmas.

But retailers have to offer BIG deals as this is what people are expecting.

Two Quick Marketing Ideas Every Business Can Do On Black Friday

It doesn’t matter what you sell, products or services, you can use the lure of a big Black Friday sale:

I always give this idea in my 12-Month Marketing Plans and that is to take advantage of all of the cars parked at the malls and leave flyers or cards for your “offer” on windshields.
If your whole family is going to the mall, give them t-shirts to wear that have your business name and url on the front and back. They become walking billboards for your business!

Okay, One More Easy Marketing Idea

Still another easy marketing idea is to work with a non-competitive store in the mall (or the mall itself) on a co-offer. For example:

If you’re a travel agency, work with a luggage store in the mall to offer a dual promotion or enter a contest to win a trip.
If you’re a realtor, ask a home decor store in the mall if you could “sponsor” a holiday theme display in the store.
If you’re a beauty salon, ask mall management if you could hand out gift certificates to moms standing in line with the kids waiting to see Santa.

Don’t forget Small Business Saturday, Second Hand Sunday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday all have opportunities to promote your business as well!

If you need more creative ways to get attention for your business, set up a 1:1 Phone Consultation with me.

Also Read

Google Trending Searches for October

August 29, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

google trending searches October The top Google trending searches for October provide inspiring and SEO-optimized ideas for your blog and social media marketing.

Here are some of the top Google Trending searches from last October, which are likely to repeat this year:

Corn maze near me
Pumpkin patch near me
Apple picking near me
Haunted hay ride near me
Fall rock painting ideas
Fall color map
What’s open on indigenous people day?
Facts about indigenous people day
Indigenous peoples day colors
Best Halloween party songs
Last minute Halloween DIY costumes
Witches brew recipe
How to make Diwali lantern at home?
How to make Rangoli?
Easy pumpkin carving
How to celebrate the Dia de los Muertos?
How to make tombstones?
Candy corn nail designs
When is mental health awareness week?
How to cope with anxiety?
Where to buy anxiety rings?
How many wild card games in MLB?

Try This Idea!

One of my favorite marketing ideas that I always recommend to local businesses is to create a one-page flyer that has all of the local fall attractions (such as corn mazes, haunted rides, etc.) and distribute it around the neighborhood, with your business information on the back. I guarantee that people will keep this flyer and put it on their fridge, making it a long-term ad for your business.

Click to download.

Want More Searches?

Find the other 65 top October Google Trending searches in my Etsy Holiday Planner, along with the top Google Trending searches for November and December.

Read 3 Awesome Holiday Product Ideas on my Instagram today.

About Me

Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Be sure to read an article on Yahoo I was recently quoted in: “4 Businesses to Start in the Fall ”.

My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.

Your Marketing To Do List for August

July 29, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

august marketing to do list Hard to believe August starts on Monday, so prepare your small business with my Marketing to do list August.

Back to School

If you sell anything back-to-school-related, the searches have already started. According to Google Trends, these were the top searches this past week:

“Back to School events near me” has increased over 100%.
“Back to School haircuts” and “Back to School cookie cutters” searches have both more than doubled.
“Bento boxes” searches have increased over 250%.

And the top back to school products are:

Mesh Backpacks
Clear Pencil Cases
Storage for College Dorms
Twin XL Mattress Protector
Bed Risers
Shower Caddy

Labor Day Sales Publicity

If you get the free HARO (Help a Reporter Out) emails, you will see that there have been several requests in the past week from major blogs and publications looking to feature Labor Day Sales. It’s a great way to get free publicity for your sale, and “Labor Day Sale” is one of the top searched sales of the year. Also read: Labor Day Sales Opportunity.

More PR Opportunities

If you’re a hispanic-owned business, start pitching to blogs now to be included in articles such as, “Hispanic Small Businesses to Support for National Hispanic Heritage Month”, which starts September 15th.

SEO Tips

Something as simple as adding the current year to your keywords can help your SEO, as people do search this way. i.e. Fall 2022, Back to School 2022, Halloween 2022, etc.

Create Social Media Posts

Post a reel to Instagram (as it is the most viewed type of content) of a quick pan overview of all of your new fall 2022 collection #reelsofinstagram.

Don’t forget about Pinterest, because it is still used as a search engine by millions of people. So create a Pinterest board titled with a long tail search phrase (4 to 6 words) related to what you sell and even make it seasonal i.e. The Best Fall Sweaters for 2022. Then make sure that every pin you pin to it, also has that long tail search phrase (or at least the keywords) in the pin title and description.

Be sure to read my post, Social Media Ideas for August, and my post Creating Social Media Posts Using Canva.

Halloween Products & Services

Halloween has become the second biggest retail buying occasion. Last year, spending on costumes, decorating and other Halloween items was more than US$10 billion. In fact, it is so big that many retailers have already launched their Halloween collections, which might inspire you:

More Marketing To Do Lists

My 12-Month Marketing Plans are essentially marketing to do lists, but much more detailed and specific to your business. They will help drive more traffic and sales, without spending a lot of money. Be sure to also read my post, My Top Marketing Ideas for August.

Prepare for Holiday Sales

Click to download

If you sell on Etsy, download my best-selling 2022 Etsy Holiday Sales Planner, packed with the top search phrases, product trends, planning tools, press contacts and so much more!

Me in the Press!

I was quoted in an article on Yahoo Finance called, “4 Types of Businesses to Start in the Fall“. Check it out for more inspiration!

About Me

A 20+ year marketing professional, small business consultant, ebook author & blogger, my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Forbes, Success Magazine, Yahoo Finance, American Express, GO Banking Rates, Big Commerce, Business2Community, SheKnows to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust!

I sell online on Shopify, Etsy, Gumroad and on Amazon back in its early years. This, combined with my decades of marketing & business experience means I can advise, mentor as well as come up with creative new ideas for your business. It really does help to talk to someone who is objective to get a new, but professional, perspective.

I have also written publicity pitches for clients that resulted in them being featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride – just to name a few. Be sure to try my Publicity Pitch and other Marketing Services.

I hope you enjoyed my marketing to do list for August.

A Few Highlights from My Etsy Holiday Sales Planner 2022

June 6, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

It’s never too soon to start planning for holiday sales! As it is the biggest selling time of the year, I have once again come out with my newly updated Etsy 2022 Holiday Sales Planner, now for the 6th year in a row. Below are a few highlights:

Holiday Decor & Entertaining

@theeverymom

In doing my product research, I was finding that holiday decor and entertaining “kits” and “sets” will be a hot item this year, with products such as Dog House Xmas Decor Kits, 12 Days of Christmas Ornaments, Holiday Mimosa Sugar Cube Kits, and Christmas Shelf Decor Sets (as in photo). I love sets, because it means you sell more products at one time to one customer.

Etsy SEO Facts

64 listings make the first page of Etsy search results for any search phrase. Of those 64 listings, 16 are usually ads. Of the remaining 48 organic (non-paid) results, you will typically see:

60% have the “Best Seller” distinction
50% are on sale
35% have the Star Seller badge
6% have the “Etsy’s Pick” distinction
4% are local sellers

All of these factors impact your listing’s ranking, just as much as keywords. Therefore, make sure to use your Best Sellers to upsell other products, as they will be the ones likely to get the most Etsy traffic. Also, if you have a product that has been given the “Etsy’s Pick” distinction, add the words “Etsy’s Pick” to the primary image to grab the attention of searchers.

Searches from Other Countries

The UK buyer is the second most popular buyer on Etsy, after the US. But spelling and terminology of certain holiday searches can be a little different. For example:

Brits search “Xmas” as often as “Christmas”.
They search “Christmas Gonk” instead of “Christmas Gnome”.
They search “presents” more so than “gifts”.
They search “baubles” more so than “ornaments”.
They search “dog jumper” instead of “dog sweater”.
They search “stocking fillers” instead of “stocking stuffers”.
They search “Happy Christmas” instead of “Merry Christmas”.
They search “Father Christmas” instead of “Santa Claus”.

Include Something Memorable in the Package

Last year I recommended including a Christmas Cookie Recipe Card in all product packages, so that when the customer pulls out the recipe card this year, they remember your store. But there are other things you can include (which you can print yourself) such as a Christmas Countdown Checklist or Letter to Santa template, or even affirmation cards for the new year, always with your branding and shop url on it.

There are 38 pages in my Etsy 2022 Holiday Sales Planner with ideas for advertising, promotions, publicity, social media, SEO, photography, and more, PLUS planner pages, PLUS my 80+ contacts for holiday gift guides, PLUS a timeline countdown of tasks to do, PLUS memorable dates, PLUS pages and pages of the top holiday searches. PLUS, I’m offering it for a super low price for the next few days.

Enjoy!

7 Marketing Ideas for Valentine’s Day

January 5, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Marketing Ideas Valentine's Day

Need Marketing Ideas for Valentine’s Day?

With Christmas gift time buying is over, so time to move onto Valentine’s Day! I came up with some fun promotional ideas to try.

Valentine’s Promotional Ideas

If selling gifts, create a graphic for social media of a Valentine’s gift recommendation based on each Zodiac sign. See this Instagram post for inspiration, but anything zodiac tends to get high engagement.
If selling gifts, ask a local florist if you can collaborate on their Valentine’s gift baskets. Pitch it as an opportunity to support other local sellers. Get more marketing ideas for selling gifts.
If you’re a florist, ask to set up a pop up stand in the lobby of a business office, just on February 14th.
Post a “Happy Valentine’s Day” reel to Instagram featuring a montage of people kissing each other (or kissing their pets or their kids) and ask followers to tag their “Valentine” in comments. If you use your friends, they will likely share on their social media. Click to view some cool Instagram reel ideas.
If you’re a retail store or restaurant, have a giant cutout heart for couples to put their heads in and take a photo. Make sure your business name is on it, and ask them to share to their social media (free publicity). Get more retail marketing ideas and restaurant marketing ideas.
If you sell craft supplies, create a DIY Valentine’s Card Kit, marketed to kids to give to classmates.
If you’re a realtor doing an open house around Valentine’s Day, ask a local interior designer or home decor store to add red and pink heart decor to the master bedroom. A fun thing for both you and the other business to both promote on social media. Get more real estate marketing ideas here.

More Valentines Success Tips

“Heart-shaped” product searches skyrocket in February (see my Instagram for the exact searches).
The countries that search the most for Valentine’s gifts are, in order: UK, Ireland, US, South Africa and Canada.
People will search for “Valentine’s gifts” using the following descriptives: BEST, GOOD, SEXY, UNIQUE, COOL, CUTE, ROMANTIC, MEANINGFUL, 2024.
Galentine’s Day on February 13th is a chance to sell a bundle or group of products, as women buy gifts to celebrate with their single girlfriends. So offer smaller gift items in sets of 4 to 10 and target this market.
Searches for Valentine’s gifts peak on February 7th.

Be Sure to Also Check Out

Free Download – Holiday Sales Success Tracker

December 17, 2021 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

For those of you who sell online, how were your holiday sales? I know things haven’t quite wrapped up yet, but I thought I would give a free download, which will help you put the holiday season into perspective.

My Holiday Sales Success Tracker helps you record and evaluate what you sold this year compared to last year, including what was your top seller and what was even your top selling day.

It compares Black Friday this year to Black Friday last year, as well as Cyber Monday and the key selling months of October, November and December overall. You can download it for free here. It will help planning your strategy for next year.

This tracker is from my Holiday Sales Planner, but it is a sample of the type of success trackers I offer in my Marketing Planner Bundle, as well as the type of “audit” pages I offer in my Business Strategy Planner.

How’s your small business doing? Were things going well and have fallen off? Are you still struggling to get things going? What are your business goals? Feel free to ask me a question at AttentionGetting{at}gmail.com.

Black Friday Ecommerce Checklist

November 11, 2021 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Black Friday Ecommerce checklist

Need a Black Friday ecommerce checklist? It is a great way to make sure you are ready for the biggest selling time of the year with this handy checklist.

Black Friday / Cyber Monday Checklist

Host a giveaway on social media, two weeks before Black Friday (so tomorrow) to attract the attention of potential new customers.
Check product inventory and supply inventory levels.
Check packaging and shipping supplies inventory levels.
Update store inventory levels if they are getting low, so you do not sell out and cause listings to deactivate.
Check all expired, sold out and inactive listings to see if there is anything that needs to be re-listed.
Update social media shop banners and avatars for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa & New Years products & sales.
Update store banner & avatar for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa & New Years products & sales. Be sure to add “Last Day To Order By” date.
Update shop owner photo to a festive one, just for fun.
Change email signature to show holiday, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.
Consider increasing daily ad budget for the month of November or just for November 25th to November 29th.
Only run ads on listings that have the highest sales conversion rate to maximize ad dollars.
Email customers Black Friday offers on November 25th.
Email customers Cyber Monday offers on November 28th.
Post to social media daily, and several times a day from November 25th to November 29th.
Comment daily on popular Facebook and Instagram posts that your target market reads, to get seen by their followers.
If you sell on Etsy, close orders as soon as they ship, to avoid shop getting paused.
Check that all links are working. Links from your social media sites to your store, and vice versa.
Include coupons or gift guides for Valentine’s Day in all packages.
If comfortable, encourage local buyers to do curb side pickup.
Email your local business writer(s) today and ask to have either your Black Friday, Small Business Saturday or Cyber Monday special mentioned in any write-ups they are doing.

Book a 30-minute phone consultation with me to get personalized marketing advice for your online business!

New here? Learn more About Me.

Category: Holiday Marketing (Page 1 of 5)

Memorial Day Sales & Ongoing Offers for Veterans

Consider This Billion Dollar Business Idea