Small Business Marketing Strategist

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How to Get Valuable Research from Your Customers

research your customersResearch your customers on their social media sites to learn vital information you can then use to get new customers.

New clients always ask me how to get in front of their target market and get more customers. One of the problems may be that you don’t know enough about your current customers. Luckily for you, social media has made it very easy for you to find out more about the people who are buying from you (and from your competitors).

Follow Taylor Swift’s Lead

For example, a few weeks back I wrote a post about What Your Business Can Learn from Taylor Swift because she really gets it in that she understands that her fans are her customers. So when she wanted to send some of her die-hard fans Christmas gifts, she went onto their social media pages to learn more about them.

Now, as a business owner, have you done this? Have you tried to learn as much as possible about the people who have already bought from you?

What You Can Learn From Your Customers’ Social Media Pages

It is not as creepy as it sounds, but basically is an exploratory exercise to research your customers. Someone who has bought from you is likely representative of other people who would buy from you. By checking out their social media pages, be it Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., you will find out a lot of information about them such as which blogs they read (because maybe they sent out a link to a recent post), what TV shows they watch (because they have liked their fan page) even what stores they shop at (because they posted a photo of a recent purchase).research your customers

Tactics to Try

All of this information is really helpful in not only marketing your business, but also in creating future products and services your customers might like. Start by looking at their Facebook posts to see the type of content they have liked and/or shared. Then go to their Pinterest page and see which pins they have repined or liked or what type of boards they have created on what types of subjects. Go to their Twitter profile and see which media outlets they follow, which is really helpful if you are trying to find new places to advertise or get publicity for your business. This is why I always recommend to my customers to follow their customers on social media.

You can also use these same tactics to find out more about the people who are buying from your competitors, as likely their customers are following them on social media.

The more you know about your customers, the better chance you have of not only finding them, but selling to them.

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.small business seo

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!

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.

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© 2015 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Research Your Customers. 

Marketing I Love: 3 Favs of the Week

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

Time for another roundup of my favorites, this week a colorful Instagram account, a stylish online shop and a chic product packaging design. 

My Fav Instagram Account of the Week

I absolutely love the Instagram profile from Rachel Mae Smith of the blog, The Crafted Life. On her account she features a lot of bright and colorful photographs (her own) as well as simple but stylized images that relate back to her DIY and crafting blog. If you need a little color in your life, be sure to follow Rachel on Instagram at https://instagram.com/thecraftedlife/.

Favorite Instagram accounts

My Fav Online Shop of the Week

Koromiko is a true artisan online marketplace. Featuring a variety of designers in the home goods space (some jewelry), the online shop features a clean, simplistic design. I love how the opening slide show features a variety of different products working together, which is so important when you want to up-sell more items in your shop. Don’t you just want to buy everything shown below because it all works so beautifully together? I also love that Koromiko profiles the artisans right on the home page, as well as in the section entitled, “Maker Spaces” for a glimpse inside the artists’ workshops. Keeps you on the site longer.

favorite ecommerce sites

 My Fav Product Packaging Design of the Week

I have always said, packaging does not have to be complicated to be effective. I love the packaging design of I Am Fragrance. Each bottle details a characteristic of what the perfume represents. The word “perfume” is not even on the front of the label. Just a basic typeface and each fragrance distinguished by the color of the label and matching ribbon makes for an eye-catching design.

great packaging design

Check back tomorrow for my advice on clever ways to get in front of your target market … Gail 

arrowNeed help marketing your small business? Get my personalized Marketing Action Plan for your business and immediately see a difference in traffic and sales!

© 2012-2015 GAIL OLIVER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

6 Ideas for Your Retail Marketing Strategy

retail marketing strategy

Retail Marketing Strategy

Need a better retail marketing strategy?

There is a local retail store I really love, but I tend to only visit when I know that their seasonal and/or holiday products are in. So how do you keep customers coming back to your retail shop on a more regular basis? This is just one of the topics I cover in my 12-Month Marketing Plan for Retail Stores, but here are six ideas to help you out.

1. Always Have Changing Inventory

I know this is a challenge, but your regulars may not be coming back to your store because they assume it is just the same old, same old. So make it known that on the 1st of every month there are new items in the shop (through social media and putting signage in the windows and a sandwich board sign on the sidewalk), even dedicating an area of the store to “New In Shop” (a trick online shops do).

2. Consistent Deals

Everyone loves hunting for a bargain. That is why stores such as TJ Maxx have thrived. So try to have an ongoing “bargain hunter” section in your shop (maybe a back room) with discount priced or discontinued items.

3. Take Advantage of the Seasons & Holidays

People are definitely more likely to buy at certain times of the year, such as for fall decorating, clothes for a summer vacation, items for back to school, and these events are more time-sensitive, meaning customers may not want to take a chance on online purchases arriving in time. So make sure your shop capitalizes on these occasions in terms of product offerings and sales promotions.

4. Support Local Designers or Artisans

If once a month you profile a different local designer in your store in the form of a pop-up shop that they host (you get a percentage of sales), you now bring their customers to your shop (not to mention their friends and family).

5. Hold In-Store Events

The nice thing about in-person shopping is that it is more of an experience. Bring customers in by offering one-day demonstrations, special guests, exclusive services or a limited collection. Get creative such an in-store Easter egg hunt for the kids or a live in-store streaming of New York Fashion Week – whatever suits your business.

6. Email & Social Media Alerts

Email is still effective if used properly. Simply ask customers if they wish to get your monthly email alert showcasing new items in the shop, in-store events and one-day sales. Alternatively, ask them to follow your social media pages where you will post new items in the shop on the first of every month. Offer them a 15% coupon if they share the post with their followers. Put all of this information on a business card to give them, as well as put the information on the tags of the products you sell, on the final printed invoice and even on your store bags.

Retail Marketing Strategy

Retail Marketing Strategy

Time will tell if shopping habits change again, but for now, brick and mortar stores still have hope as long as they get a little more creative. Download today my PDF , 12-Month Marketing Plan for Retail Stores, to get more awesome ideas!

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© 2012-2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Retail Marketing Strategy.

How to Write a Blog Post

by Gail Oliver, Marketing Consultant

Want to know how to write a blog post? Follow my easy tips below and you’ll be writing in no time.

Blog Post Length

First, you need know that there are three types of blog posts in terms of length:

  1. Regular Blog Post – 300+ words
  2. Micro Blog Post – less than 300 words
  3. Cornerstone Blog Post – over 2,500 words, as this is what is needed to have the post rank well in Google search.

Therefore, decide what length you want to write. If it is your first time out, I recommend a regular blog post.

If you want to just keep yourself in front of your readers/customers, then I suggest daily micro posts, which are sometimes even just a paragraph. Seth Godin writes a lot of micro blog posts.

If you want organic SEO traffic from the post, then it has to be a cornerstone post. Google will not put a blog post on the first page of search results if it is any less than 2,500 words. But cornerstone posts are more than just word-heavy. They also involve having internal links, external links and many other technical things you need to do the post. I don’t recommend for your first blog post as it takes time to master.

How to Write Your First Blog Posthow to write a blog post

So, what’s your blog about?

Let’s say it is about dogs. If you just want to write about something current, go to Google Trends, type in “dog” and see what searches come up as “rising” searches. I did this and saw the rising search “Can Dogs Eat Raw Chicken?”. Therefore, maybe a good blog post would be to write about all of the foods that dogs cannot have.

How to Write a Blog Post Fast

A suggestion I give to a lot of my clients who want to use blogging as a form of marketing, but they are not writers, is to simply post a roundup or curated list of either other people’s blog posts or interesting facts from their industry. I find when I do not have time to come up with something original, I will post a Marketing Roundup of 5 things I found interesting this week in terms of product trends or marketing tips or industry news.

Make Your Post Unique

Now you have to do your research. Likely, someone has written about this topic, so you need to add your own twist. So, maybe you give your list, date it the current year so readers know it is very current, and maybe you extend it to add things such as plants and flowers that dogs can’t eat. Then, maybe you also create a printable of the list that customers can download and print. Make sure the download has your blog identity on it!

Formatting Your Blog Post

The key with an engaging writing style is:

  • Use headers for sections
  • Use lots of point form
  • Avoid using long paragraphs
  • Include photos
  • Include graphics for pinning and posting to social media
  • Include informative links to other sites (make sure they open in a new window)
  • Bold certain words

The truth is, people will likely skim your post. These tips are easy ways to make sure that the points that are the most important stand out to readers.

Internal Blog Links

A lot of blog themes will mention your past blog posts to readers at the bottom, but most blog writers know how important it is to simply link to those posts within a new post. For example, I am writing this post about Writing a Blog Post, but I might also might want to mention how writing a blog differs depends on what your business is and refer to Creative Blog Posts If You Offer Professional Services. By linking in another blog post of mine, that has to do with writing a blog post, greatly helps the Google SEO ranking, especially if it is a cornerstone post.

Use Your Thesaurus

When you know the topic of your blog post, determine your main keywords, and then make a list of synonyms. Google loves synonyms. For example, instead of repeating “writing” all the time, I could also use “authoring” “composing” “creating” throughout the post. Instead of just saying “blog post” I could also use “article” “content”.

You could also type your proposed blog post title into Google, and then at the bottom of the page you will see Google’s “Searches Related to”. If you can get a few of those search phrases into the context of the blog post, this will help your Google SEO ranking as well.

Get Blog Inspiration

Make a list of blogs you like, and then take note of what it is you like about their posts. Bring these features into your posts, whether it is how they sign off, the creativity of their topics or how they format their writing.

End with a Call to Action

Let’s be honest, you are not writing a blog post just for fun. You are likely writing a blog post to drive sales, whether you are selling a product or service. So end the blog post with a call to action. It can be as simple as simply asking new readers to follow your blog. Or it can be to check out a new product of yours or ask you a question about one of your services.

Proof Your Post

Most blog themes will have a spell check, but you also need to review for grammar and flow, and make sure all links work.

Publish Your Blog Post

Hitting “publish” is always scary, but if you see a typo you missed, you can quickly go back in, edit and resave the post before anyone notices!

Share Your Blog Post

This is the most important point. How do you share?

  • Email to your followers (this can be automatic through WordPress or an app like Sumo)
  • Post to Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
  • Post to Facebook groups and group Pinterest boards.
  • Post to blog sharing sites like BlogLovin‘ (be sure to follow my blog on BlogLovin’).
  • Publish to sites like Reddit and Digg.

How Often to Post

When I first started blogging way back in 2012, it was a general assumption that you needed to post everyday. Thankfully, this is no longer the case. It is better to post a quality post once a week, or you could do the strategy of micro posts every day. But you will find that your audience might tire of always hearing from you. You don’t want them to forget you either, so right now try to stick with once a week.

Blog Post Audit

Every few months, take a look at your old blog posts and do an audit. You want to update any information that is now obsolete, improve upon graphics, check that all links are working, and reshare.

Turn Regular Posts Into Cornerstone Content

Remember how I said earlier that creating a cornerstone post is a lot of work? Well, a good strategy is to gradually create a cornerstone post by going back over your 300 word posts and expanding up them. Try to add another 300 words every week, and in no time it will be long enough to be a cornerstone post.

Another option would be to merge two or more blog posts together to create a cornerstone post. The posts can still function in their original form, but just merge them into a new one for a cornerstone post.

Need a Blog Post Template and Planner?

I hope this post has helped you discover how to write a blog post. If you need more help, as well as a detailed “Before You Publish Checklist” and “Blog Audit Checklist”, check out my Complete Blog Planner or my Blog Post Planner Worksheets.blog planner pdf printable

© 2020 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. How to Write a Blog Post. 

10 April Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business

by Gail Oliver, Small Business Marketing Consultant

If you are on social media a lot, especially sites like Twitter, you have definitely seen trending hash tags such as #NationalPuppyDay (that was Monday) or #NationalCheeseSteakDay (that was yesterday). Now these “national’ days and observances may seem silly but they actually have a lot of marketing potential.

National Days for April

So what are some big national days coming up for April? Well, there is pretty much one (sometimes two or three) for every day of the month, but the ones that I think have the most marketing potential are:

    • #NationalChildrensBookDay (April 2nd)
    • #NationalBeerDay (April 7th)
    • #NationalPetDay (April 11th)
    • #NationalScrabbleDay (April 13th)
    • #NationalJellyBeanDay (April 22nd)
    • #NationalAdoptaShelterPetDay (April 30th)

How to Use National Days to Promote Your Business

It doesn’t have to be anything complicated to take advantage of all the trending these holidays do on social media and in the press. For example, you could simply send out a tweet with the cover of your favorite children’s book from childhood (with the hash tag #NationalChildrensBookDay) and ask people if they love it too, and if so to retweet. Be sure to retweet other people’s choices as well.

Cute animals always do well on social media, so for National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, why not do some good at the same time and go down to your local animal shelter, take a photo of a pet that needs a home, and post it to Instagram asking all of your followers to “like” it.

Other PR & Promotional Opportunities

There is a lot going on in April, with other events and occasions that present opportunities to get press for your business and capitalize on promotional opportunities. Just a few:

    • Opening day for Major League Baseball League (April 6th)
    • Coachella Music Festival (April 10th)
    • Game of Thrones season premiere (April 12th)
    • Earth Day (April 22nd)

This is why you will love my Social Media Posting Ideas because I give you creative ways to capitalize on these holidays, plus so much more!

 

 

 

© 2015 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. 

T-Shirt Business Marketing Plan

Are you selling t-shirts online? Then you need an easy, tactical T-shirt Business Marketing Plan to follow, with new tactics for every month of the year. I created just that with my best-selling 12-Month T-Shirt Marketing Plan.  Below is the plan for January so you can see what it’s all about!

T-Shirt Business Marketing Plan

Click to download all 12-Months!

T-shirt Business Marketing Plan for January

T-shirt Publicity Ideas for January
  • Email a story idea pitch to Buzzfeed or other media contacts for the story idea, “Favorite Romantic Tshirts for Valentine’s Day” or “Cute Couple Tshirts for Valentine’s Day”.
  • Check and submit daily to HARO (Help a Reporter) requests that apply (sign up for these PR requests for free).
T-shirt Social Media Marketing Ideas for January
  • Post a photo of a tshirt that says, “Happy New Year” (even just mock one up) on January 1st.
  • Post a photo of a blank tshirt for #NationalNothingDay on January 16th. 
  • Post a tshirt with a quote about freedom for MLK day on January 17th.
  • Post a photo carousel of any of your tshirts in the color blue every Monday for #MondayBlues.
  • Post a different video / reel to TikTok and/or YouTube on “How to Style Tshirts with Jeans” every Tuesday for #TuesdayTips.
  • Post a photo of a female celebrity in a tshirt every Wednesday for #WomanCrushWednesday.
  • Post a quote that is on one of your tshirts every Thursday for #ThursdayThoughts.
  • Post a winter fashion mood board featuring one of your tshirts every Friday for #FashionFriday #ootd. 
  • Create a Pinterest board called, “Cute T-Shirts” as this phrase gets searched 5 million times a month on Pinterest. Pin to it daily and make sure that pin descriptions also include the hash tag “#CuteTshirts”.
  • Comment daily on the Instagram and Facebook posts of lifestyle blogs so that their followers take notice you, such as Upworthy. 
T-shirt Email Marketing Ideas for January
  • Create a free email signature (use WiseStamp) and include a linkable shop banner, links to your social media and your latest blog post. 
  • Email your customers an after-Christmas sale on deeply discounted tshirts as well as any Valentine’s offers (particularly tshirts for couples), and your latest blog posts. 
  • Change up your email opt-in incentive to include a free calendar printable for the new year that has your shop name and url on it as a constant reminder.
T-shirt Promotional Ideas for January
  • Ask a few local clothing shops or shops on a college campus if they will carry your tshirts on consignment or as wholesale.
  • Start planning for selling opportunities at spring fairs, festivals, farmers market and clothing shows.
  • Consider selling your tshirts at Bonfire or TeePublic.
  • Comment daily (and leave your shop url in the comment if allowed) on the latest blog posts of popular fashion and lifestyle blogs, like PureWow.
T-shirt Content Marketing Ideas for JanuaryT-Shirt Business Marketing Plan
  • Write a short article on your favorite ways to wear t-shirts as part of winter fashion (including one of yours) and submit it to LifeHacker. 
  • If you haven’t already, create a blog to drive traffic to your shop. You can then circulate your blog posts on social media as well as on blog sharing sites like BLOGLOVIN’, even if your posts are something as simple as curated content, such as “Quote Roundup: Our Favorite Quotes of the Week”. It also gives you a reason to email your customers monthly.

Isn’t my t-shirt marketing plan awesome? And this is just January. Get the entire 12 months and download my 12-Month Tshirt Marketing Plan today!

Also Read: Do You Need to Offer Free Shipping on Etsy

© 2012-2015 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. T-Shirt Business Marketing Plan

Printable Poshmark Listing Template Planner

Poshmark has become one of the hottest places to sell your used fashions, so I created the ultimate printable Poshmark Listing Template Plannerselling on poshmark printable listing template planner pdf. Perfect to keep both your closet and your boutique in order, this planner download even helps you create your shopping list, includes a listing tracker and a sales tracker, and so much more. 13 planner pages in all!

If you are not familiar with Poshmark, basically there are three ways to sell:

  1. The first way is just going through your own closet and putting up your items for sale. You set the price, but people can bid and you can decide to sell for a lower price than you initially wanted.
  2. The second way is to do a little bargain shopping yourself, at local thrift stores, even discount retail stores. Then you can resell for a profit. These types of items, even if new, still fall under the category of “closet”.
  3. The third way is to create a boutique. This means you are reselling items from wholesalers.

Poshmark is particularly popular with GenZ, who do not like the idea of mass manufactured clothes and the effect it is having on the environment. They prefer used and lightly worn clothes due to it having less of an environment impact.poshmark listing tracker and listing sheet

One of the benefits of Poshmark, is that they handle the shipping for you. The customer pays for shipping, you do not have to absorb those costs, and Poshmark prints off the shipping label and emails it to you. They really simplify the process.

Poshmark has also recently expanded beyond fashion, so now you can also sell home items as well.

So, if you need a side hustle, extra money or maybe want to try this as a full time career (as many have), set up a Poshmark account, download my Poshmark Listing Planner and start looking through your closet. Plus, it’s so pretty!

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© 2020-2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Printable Poshmark Listing Template Planner.

How to Get Publicity for Your Business by Pitching Attention Getting Headlines

attention getting headlinesWant to know how to get publicity for your business by pitching attention getting headlines.

When you are trying to get publicity for your business, I have always said you have to pitch a story, not a product. Essentially, you want to give a potential headline to a writer or editor, and the more grabby (and timely) the better.

The print and online world is inundated with content, so attention-getting headlines have to stand out among the noise. Why make the writer come up with one on their own, when you can do part of the work for them. How do you get that headline? Try looking at current ones.

 

Products or Services Attention Getting Headlines

Maybe you want to get press for one of your products. Certain publications do product reviews or will write about a product that is innovative or cutting edge (i.e. Apple) but if you really want to get your product mentioned as part of an editorial, you need to give a story idea and then mention how your product would fit the story. Below are real headlines from popular blogs that might inspire you:

  • The Jackets You’ll Want To Wear All Spring (Refinery29)
  • 18 Dream Items to Punch Up a Master-Bath Wish List (Houzz)
  • 15 Easter Kids Outfits That Get the Celebration Started (Popsugar Moms)

attention getting headlines

Business Attention Getting Headlines

If you do have an innovative product, service or invention, or your business has enjoyed some recent success or accomplishment, that can be newsworthy to a writer, if you give the right headline, like these:

  • Forget Apple Pay. A Michigan startup says what you truly need is a Buetooth-enabled supercard (Mashable)
  • How This Entrepreneur Reworked His Business Idea in the Face of Financial Armageddon (Entrepreneur)
  • This Couple Ditched Their Tech Jobs to Pursue Their Passion for Beer (Business Insider)
Quirky Attention Getting Headlines

You know that I have always said the “quirky” or “unusual” will always get press. Here are some ideas for these types of stories:

  • 13 of the Most WTF Maternity Tops Ever Made (Buzzfeed)
  • 25 Books to Get You Through a Quarter Life Crisis (Bustle)
  • The 20 Most Amazing Things Only Rich Jerks Can Afford (Cracked)
Newsworthy Events Attention Getting Headlines

You also want to pitch headlines that are timely, based on upcoming events, current pop culture or trending topics.

  • The 3 Best Drugstore Sunscreens for Spring Break (College Fashion)
  • 50 Shades of Grey Activewear for the Gym (Shape)
  • The Best Way to Celebrate National Cherry Month (LONNY)
How to Write the Pitch

Now, if you have your headline, you are ready to write the email pitch. Keep it short as editors will not read a long winded pitch. For example:

Hello {name of writer or publication}

I see that in your April issue you will be focusing on Spring Fashion Finds for Kids. I was hoping that if you were planning any articles such as “Easter Dresses for Girls Under $100” that you would consider including my best selling lavender tutu dress for girls available at my online shop below:

{link to product}

Just $45, the dress comes in sizes 6x to 12 and is perfect for any spring event. 

Thanks so much for your consideration.

Mary Smith

www.kidsdressshop.com 

It’s that easy. Good luck pitching your business. If you need help, I do offer a very affordable publicity pitch writing service.

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© 2012-2015 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Attention Getting Headlines. 

Quirky Promotional Ideas That Get Attention for Your Small Business

quirky small business promotional ideasTime for some creativity with some quirky small business promotional ideas.

Last week the International Culinary Center in New York City recreated 10 of the most iconic Oscar dresses from the last several years in the form of decadent cookies (yes, that is a cookie on the right in the photo).

This idea of theirs got coverage by every major news outlet from USA Today to ABC News because it was timely (the Oscars were in the news) and it was quirky. The media is always looking for these types of stories and it can really help to get attention for your small business if you come up with the right idea.

My Quirky Promotional Idea for a Client

When I was doing a consultation for an outdoor garden center last year, they were looking for ways to get more traffic to their business, which was not really near any main streets of traffic.

I came up with an idea for them to make a giant topiary of a bunny, place it at the entrance of the business and publicize it as a great Easter photo opportunity for families (for free).

This idea works in so many ways:

  • It relates back to what they sell (outdoor garden center).killer promotional ideas
  • They were trying to get more families to visit the center.
  • A giant bunny will definitely get the attention of drivers passing by, especially if they light it up at night.
  • It is something the local press will want to write about.
  • If people pose with the bunny and post to social media, they tag the business giving them exposure to even more people.

It was a huge success by the way!

Upcoming Events To Use for Publicity

So capitalizing on popular events and holidays like the Oscars and Easter is not a new idea, but you do need to come up with a novel approach to make it newsworthy. Here are some other upcoming events in the next 2 months that have great PR potential:

  • Disney’s Cinderella movie (March 13th)
  • St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th)
  • First Day of Spring (March 20th)
  • Mad Men Final Season Premiere (April 5th)
  • Coachella Music Festival (April 10 – 12, 17-19)
  • Earth Day (April 22nd)
Social Media Events To Use for Publicity

It seems like there is a national day for everything, but these types of events (although some are silly) do trend big on social media:

  • National Oreo Cookie Day (March 6th)
  • National Pi (3.14) Day (March 14th)
  • National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day (March 29th)
  • National Beer Day (April 7th)
  • National Pet Day (April 11th)
  • National Talk Like Shakespeare Day (April 23rd)

If you would like me to come up with a creative promotional idea for you, just book a phone consultation! or try 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.

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© 2012-2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Quirky Small Business Promotional Ideas

How to Promote Your Business Locally

how to promote your business locallyI recently discovered some easy ways on how to promote your business locally.

Back in the fall when I was on vacation in Vermont, we went to a local restaurant for breakfast that all the tourists go to. Since I am always on the hunt for clever marketing ideas, I was impressed to see that the coffee mugs the restaurant was using all had ads on them for other local businesses that would be of interest to tourists. Pretty smart. The restaurant sells ad space on their mugs as an additional source of revenue and other local businesses get directly in front of their target market.

When I was at a popular indoor water park resort this past weekend (I really don’t travel that often) I was looking around and saw so many opportunities for the resort to sell some untapped ad space – on the white towels they hand out, on the giant refillable beverage mugs they were selling, to even putting peel off ads onto the rental locker doors (they really should hire me).

So many great advertising opportunities for local businesses that want to get in front of tourists, not to mention more money for the resort. How to Promote Your Business Locally

Therefore, have you thought about:

  • how your small business can advertise locally with opportunities such as these?
  • if you have a brick and mortar business, how it can earn additional revenue by offering advertising and promotional opportunities for other businesses?
Next Steps to Advertise

Simply approach any popular local business, look around and then ask if there is an opportunity for you to advertise your business and what they would charge. Maybe it is leaving cards at their counter, or giving them a clock to display that has your business name on it, like the one above.

Advertising Opportunities Your Business Can Offer

If you have a bricks and mortar business of some kind that gets lots of traffic, look around to see what potential ad space you have.

Bars are a great example, as beer companies put their logos on everything from lit wall signs to coasters to bottle openers. This is space you can sell (or at least get another business to supply for you, saving you money).

Some other advertising ideas:

  • Maybe you’re a restaurant that caters to students. You could put out table cards that advertise a local teen clothing shop.
  • Maybe you’re a popular coffee shop frequented by small business owners. Ask a local graphic design firm if they want to advertise on the face of a giant wall clock that hangs in the shop.
  • Maybe you’re a dentist with a large kid clientele. Ask a local store that sells kids products if they wish to advertise on the bag that holds the new toothbrush and floss handed out to each patient.

Only have an online business? Create a free download that has advertisers, such as a calendar. Offer to include business cards in packages you ship out to customers. The point is, get creative and you can make more money!

How to Promote Your Business LocallyMe in the Press!

I am quoted in the March issue of Success Magazine, an article entitled “All-You-Can-Eat-Marketing“, on newsstands now. Check it out! 

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© 2012-2015 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. How to promote your business locally. 

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