Attention Getting

Google Search Trends

November 27, 2024 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

I want to alert you to a new section on my blog called Google Trends, On this page are the top trending searches for the month, but there are so many ways in which this information can help your small business.

I will give you one example for today.

A top search yesterday was for “What time do stores open on Black Friday?”. Therefore, if you regularly email your customers, this is a great opportunity to answer this question for them, and at the same time, mention any sales you are having. I guarantee you will get a much better open rate.

For example, your email headline would read:

🛍️ 🎅 Opening hours for all major malls in Boston on Black Friday…

Now, this is definitely more for a business with local customers, but there were other searches that could work for an email blast, such as “Best Charities to Donate to this Year” for Giving Tuesday coming up next week.

I will have more ideas on how to use Google Trends to help your small business in future posts.

15 Best Small Business Ideas for 2025

October 8, 2024 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

It’s time for my best small business ideas 2025 edition. Since 2012, I’ve helped thousands of people start and market their own business, and I can help you too!

Before You Start Reading!

You’ll want to download my 35-page best-selling Starting a New Business Planner that covers EVERY possible detail you need to do to get your new business off the ground!

15 of My Best Small Business Ideas for 2025

1. MICRO WEDDING PLANNER – Searches for “micro wedding” soared this year. This is a wedding with 30 guests, likely a result of people wanting to spend less money, but still have it be an elegant affair. A great opportunity for a wedding or event planner, especially if you can find more ways for the couple to save.

2. SAUNA INSTALLER/VENDOR Demand for outdoor saunas has skyrocketed over 400% since 2019, due to an influx of articles with proven facts about the health benefits. Whether you want to sell them and/or install them, it is a viable industry, particularly popular in the colder places in the country.

3. HEALTH COACH – First it was Life Coach, then it was Wellness Coach, and now Health Coach is the top search. A health coach helps people make lifestyle changes to improve their physical and emotional health. For this consulting role, it would be beneficial to be board certified, so it is ideal for someone already in the healthcare field as a possible side hustle, with hourly rates at $50 to $200.

4. VINTAGE FASHION – In 2024, searches for vintage designer/luxury thrifting reached an all-time high, especially for luxury vintage watches, designer shoes, and purses. So scour estate sales and grandma’s closet and start selling online, using vintage sales apps such as Vinted.

5. REMOTE WORK RECRUITER – COVID changed people’s perspective about working, and many found out that they really did like to work from home. Remote and hybrid jobs are the top searches on Indeed, therefore, a recruiting consultant who specializes in finding remote jobs or even creating a website focusing on such, is a very good business idea.

6. SOLO/SINGLES VACATION PLANNER – “Solo cruises”, “solo camping trips” and “solo hiking trips” are at all-time Google search highs, as people seem to be looking for new ways to meet people outside of the dating apps. If you are already a travel agent, this is a great side hustle. If not, try a website that focuses on this niche.

7. BURNOUT & TOXIC CORPORATE CHANGE COACHING – Again, these two topics were huge Google searches in 2024, so if you have any HR experience, you could market your services in these areas to both companies and individuals.

8. POP UP COORDINATOR – You’ve heard of retail pop ups and Christmas pop ups, and now restaurant pop ups are the hot trend of 2024. With the pop up market still going strong, there is likely a need for a local business that can match up budding entrepreneurs with the proper pop up space, as well as with suppliers that can handle their temporary business supply needs.

9. AI TRAINER – AI technology is moving fast into every aspect of life, and it can be intimidating to certain older segments of the workforce. Therefore, “AI Training for Employees” is one avenue to approach. Another one would be “AI Training for Executives” that would teach them how to use AI to cut costs and improve efficiencies.

10. POWER / PRESSURE WASHING SERVICES – One of the most in-demand services on the handyman website, Angi, is for power washing external surfaces such as sidewalks, driveways, decks, siding, and so forth. People are charging $60 to $150 to power wash a driveway, depending on the size.

11. STICK SHIFT / MANUAL DRIVING LESSONS – This is not the same as teaching someone to drive. The people searching for this service already know how to drive an automatic car and have their license, but now they want to learn to drive stick.

12. TYPING LESSONS FOR KIDS – Parents are frustrated at how their children two finger type, and typing lessons are no longer on the school curriculum. Believe it or not, this was a breakout Google search this year, so there is obviously a need.

13. PS5 REPAIR – This was one of the top repair searches this year, as people will happily hire someone to fix their broken Playstation 5 then paid hundreds of dollars for a new one. Might be a great side hustle for one of your technically advanced kids.

14. SELF SERVICE DOG WASH – I always love looking at the top “near me” searches on Google, and “Self Service Dog Wash Near Me” was in the top three this year. You would not need a big facility, you could probably even do it as a mobile business, but not everyone has a way to wash their dog at home, especially a big dog.

15. HOME LAUNDRY SERVICE – If you love to do laundry (you are likely alone), but many people hate it so much, searches for “someone to do my laundry” are at an all-time high, even requests for “can I hire someone to just fold and put away laundry?” You could offer it as a pick up and drop off service, and you would be able to write off your laundry room and appliances.

Shop my Etsy store or Shopify store.

Learn about my Resume Writing Service.

About Me

I have been helping small business owners, professionals, and entrepreneurs online since 2012. My advice has been featured in the New York Times, Success Magazine, Shopify Blog, Medium, and SheKnows, and was named one of the “Top 10 Small Business Blogs to Follow ″ by American Express. If there is another type of business or marketing service you need, or have a business question, feel free to ask me at attentiongetting@gmail.com.

Why You Need a Personal Brand

September 23, 2024 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Back in the day when I was working in marketing for a large technology firm, our CFO wanted me to write a bio for her, that she could submit for one of those “Top 40 Under 40” local business awards (she got it).

These days, there are many advantages and opportunities to presenting yourself as a polished, professional, personal brand.

THE COMPONENTS OF A PERSONAL BRAND:

A professional headshot
A killer resume
An engaging LinkedIn profile summary
An informative bio (always needed when working with media and events)
A brief but impactful social media bio (a shorter version of the above).

Whether you’re a lawyer, doctor, sales executive, upper management, realtor, travel agent, influencer, entrepreneur, or business owner, you want to make sure that your personal brand is consistent, compelling, and truly showcases you in a way that will impress.

WHAT HAVING A PERSONAL BRAND WILL ALLOW YOU TO DO:

Apply for higher level positions
Apply to be on boards
Apply to join professional organizations
Submit yourself for consideration for awards
Submit yourself for consideration for speaking engagements
Submit yourself for consideration for publicity opportunities
Attract new customers, clients, business alliances, partners, fans, and followers
Bolster your credibility and trustworthiness
Stand out from the competition
Grow your business or career
Prevent “imposters”

MY PERSONAL BRAND WRITING SERVICE

As a professional marketer and writer, I am offering a new Professional Branding Package, which consists of:

Resume overhaul (3 pages max)
LinkedIn profile summary (200-300 words)
Professional bio (100-150 words)
Instagram/Facebook bio (20-30 words)

Please email me at attentiongetting@gmail.com if you would like to see samples of my work. If you wish to order, just visit my Shopify store.

Embrace your personal brand and all the professional and financial opportunities it can bring you!

The Latest Google Trends Provide a Lot of Business Inspiration

August 27, 2024 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

I follow Google search trends regularly, so I pulled out several that to me, might give a small business a new idea for a product or service. Here are some interesting breakout searches I found in the last month:

Skyrocket Your Website Traffic with This Back to School Idea

July 23, 2024 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

back to school promotional ideas Did you know that “School Supplies Giveaway Near Me” is a top Google search every August? No matter what your business – be it a realtor, online store, travel agent, etc. – if you were to do a school supplies giveaway to your local community, for a roughly $100 investment, you can get thousands of local customers checking out your business. Plus, if you ask for their email address on the entry form, you substantially increase your email list.

How to Promote the Giveaway

Post the giveaway on your website or blog and optimize it for the search “School Supplies Giveaway” (the “near me” portion is assumed by Google based on where you are and where the searches are coming from).
Post the giveaway on Instagram, Facebook, and X. (Read: My Instagram Giveaway Tips)
Email the giveaway announcement out to local customers.
Email the giveaway announcement out to local schools and they might relay it on their social media sites.
Send an email to your local newspaper letting them know about the giveaway and they will likely promote it for free.
Send an email to any local mom bloggers or influencers letting them know about the giveaway and they will likely promote it for free.
If you have an office or store front, display the giveaway right in the window.

If you need more creative and affordable ways to promote your small business, try one of my Personal Phone Consultations or check out my 12-Month Marketing Plans.

My Killer Promotional Idea for June

June 4, 2024 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Have you ever been in a restaurant and saw a fish bowl indicating that you simply drop your business card in to be eligible to win a free lunch?

Why not approach your local retailers with this novel idea to promote your own business?

For example, let’s say you offer a dog washing service. Ask your local pet shop if you can put a fishbowl on the counter for people to be eligible to win a free dog wash by simply dropping in their business card (or they could fill out a ballot).

It doesn’t cost the pet shop anything, and both they and you now can also beef up your email lists with all of these new contacts. It also serves as free advertising for your biz.

Alternatively, you can also ask businesses to do the same arrangement if they are exhibiting at a trade show or selling at a farmer’s market. Again, they still get the new customer contacts (as do you) but you’re the one giving away the prize so it doesn’t cost them a thing.

Give it a try!

Try This Easy Marketing Idea to Connect with Customers

May 2, 2024 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

If you need an easy way to connect with your current customers – or an innovative lead magnet to attract new customers – a “Trends Report” is always a great marketing idea. Plus, it can help establish you as an expert in your industry.

I have created four Canva Trend Report templates for various markets – Real Estate Agents, Jewelry Store Owners, Travel Agents and Interior Designers – but you can customize them for any type of business, as well as upload your own photos and trends (I just used these as place holders) along with adding your own colors, branding and contact information.

For example:

a candle business could quarterly release their scent trends
a restaurant could release current food trends
a retail store could release their top trending products
a t-shirt store could release their top design trends
a life coach could release the current wellness trends

They’re ideal to use for:

Email marketing
Newsletters
Blog posts
Social media posts
Handouts at trade shows and other in-person selling events
Inserts in customer packages

Best of all, they are a quick and easy way to get attention!

Super Easy Email Marketing Idea!

April 3, 2024 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Want an excuse to email your customers, but they are likely tired of just getting your sales emails?

Well, in case you haven’t heard, there is a solar eclipse happening on Monday and people have a lot of questions as it’s trending like crazy on Google.

Therefore, email your customers reminding them of the date of the eclipse (Monday April 8th) and the best time to see it, based on where you live.

You might also want to give a few tips on how to best look at it, and even answer the most trending question, “Can you drive during an eclipse” (yes, you can).

You can also let them know when the next solar eclipse will be, which for North America will be August 23, 2044.

Keep it short and sweet and always end with your business information, including links to your website and social media pages. Your email subject line should also be something like: 🌓 What to Know about Monday’s Solar Eclipse…

It’s also a great posting idea for your social media sites as well!

What to Sell on Etsy

March 24, 2024 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Click to download What to Sell on Etsy

I always love these so-called experts who try to tell you they have the magic secret to big sales on Etsy. There is no magic secret as it really does begin with what you sell.

For example, if you’re selling a cheaply made product, that is priced way above what it is worth, and no one has a need for it, then no magic secret is going to sell it.

Therefore, what you can start with is finding products that currently have a high demand but low supply. This is a good way to find success on Etsy.

The first thing I do in my research is identify products that are highly searched, or are part of a breakout or rising search, and then compare to the number of listings for that product on Etsy.

I just updated my What to Sell on Etsy ebook, and here are a few lucrative ideas from the ebook if you are looking for something new to sell:

Did you know that people search 12,000 times a month on Google for a mahogany teak scented candle, yet there are only 800 listings on Etsy?
Have you heard of shower steamers? They are a lot like bath bombs but for the shower. They are searched over 60,000 times a month on Google, yet there are only 3,400 listings on Etsy.
Do you sell engagement rings? Did you know there are over 60,000 searches every month on Google for oblong engagement rings, yet only 100 listings on Etsy? I don’t even know what that is, but if you have a ring that suits the description, at least take advantage of the SEO opportunity (maybe this is how men search?).

So if you’re still looking for that big seller on Etsy, take a look at the latest version of my What to Sell on Etsy ebook.

MORE TO READ

Attention Getting

Google Search Trends