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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.

Is a Recession Coming? Advice for Your Small Business

July 7, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

is a recession coming With a recession coming, people will still continue to spend money, but it goes without saying that they will spend less, except for the wealthy.

Therefore, you have to re-examine who your business targets. Is there a way to pivot and focus offering products and/or services for people on a budget, and / or do you need to target customers with deeper pockets, who are unaffected by a recession?

Here are some examples of what you could do.

If You’re a Travel Agent

People will still want to take a vacation, but it will likely be a shorter one, maybe just a weekend getaway, and it will be closer to where they live to avoid having to take a flight or use too much gas. In fact, I was looking at a local hotel recently, and they were offering an additional 20% off to anyone in the area looking to take a staycation.

Therefore, a good solution would be to add weekend getaways and staycations to your offerings. Now, you still have that wealthy 1% who will take the high-end luxury vacations, so make sure to pitch to them as well as there will likely be other incentive perks for this type of travel, since there will be less demand.

If You’re a Realtor

You will probably be best to focus on people looking to downsize their home due to layouts or people strictly attempting to lower their cost of living. The middle ground price range will likely not be as attractive unless your clients are people relocating to your city from a higher priced area.

If You Own a Restaurant

You are going to have to push value offers such as two-eat-for-the-price-of-one type specials. And don’t give up on your takeout menu just because COVID is over. People will want to avoid the added expense of drinks and tipping, but still enjoy not having to cook.

If You Have an Online Store

Think about how people will change certain habits due to costs, as this might help you determine what else to sell. For example, customers might:

Give up their gym membership for home workouts. i.e. sell small fitness items.
Decide not to buy a new home but instead renovate or redecorate the one they’re in. i.e. sell home decor.
Ride their bike more than drive their car. i.e. sell bike accessories.
Eat at home more i.e. sell cookware, packaged food and accessories.

Much like COVID, a recession does depress people somewhat, which makes them turn to comfort items and activities. This includes food, alcohol, getting a pet, watching more TV, home baking.

Gifts always sell, but people will spend less on them. From Christmas gifts to wedding gifts, be sure to offer a variety of price ranges.

If You Sell Services

Some services will increase if it means anyone in the household who isn’t currently working now has to re-enter the work force as the family needs the money – so child care, housekeeping, food prep and lawn care services might actually increase in demand.

Need More Advice?

Please visit my Shopify and Etsy stores to see my small business marketing products and services. You can also ask me a question at attentiongetting@gmail.com.

Read This If You’re Feeling Bad About Your Business

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

Read This If You’re Feeling Bad About Your Business.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of these fly-by-night, so-called business or social media experts that brag how they made six figures right out of the gate and you must be a failure if you haven’t done it this quickly.

No One Gives Up a Successful Business to Give Advice

They all have the same story. Even though their business was so successful, they decided to give it up to help other small business owners by selling you their “success” secrets. I hate to tell you this, but no one ever walks away from a successful business. Repeat, no one. These people are really equivalent to snake oil salesmen. read this if you're feeling bad about your business

The worst part is they make you feel badly if your business has not taken off immediately. Seriously? Who tells people that you should be successful in your first 6 months, let alone first year of business. Starting a business is a marathon, not a sprint.

There is NO Magic Secret

I have said it many times on my blog – THERE IS NO MAGIC SECRET, no one thing you can do that will turn you into a six-figure business overnight, unless you are selling face masks at the start of the pandemic. That’s the only time I’ve seen it happen.

But those kind of businesses also start fast and end fast.

For example, let’s say that you are selling face masks and charging $30 per. I guarantee you there is nothing that some “magic” success course or ebook is going to tell you that will help that scenario. Why? Because the demand for this type of product has dropped very low, and the price you are charging is way too high – do you see where I’m going here? People don’t buy things just because you put it in front of them.

Get REAL Advice

Real business advice has to start with what you are selling, who are you selling to, what you are charging and your expected profit margins. Once this is solidified, is realistic and has true potential, then you can try all the marketing tricks, but even then, not all are what they seem and might not be right for reaching your customer.

Social Media is NOT Proof Enough

I see tons of online businesses that have hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, and yet little sales. And vice versa. I have seen businesses with little to no social media following, and they’re killing it. Don’t get so caught up in the “social proof” because a lot of time, it’s smoke and mirrors.

Sales are NOT Profits

The real truth is that a successful business takes time to build and grow. You have to set realistic goals or you will be very disappointed and give up on the business too soon. Remember, SALES ARE NOT PROFITS.

I know a lot of businesses that spend $90,000 to make $100,000. That’s actually pretty easy to do. Still think that’s a successful business? It’s not. Therefore, you might also want to read my post: Just Because Someone is a Top Seller, Doesn’t Mean They’re Making Money.

Even on Etsy, did you know that the ad budget can go as high as $1,000 a day? So you might see someone and think they are making tons of money, but not if they are spending $1,000 a day on ads.

The Rich Get Richer on Social Media

A lot of these Tiktokers and other so called social media influencers, for the most part, are rich kids. They will pretend they’re not, but they are. As I said, it’s easy to make a lot of money if you spend a lot of money to do it. But I guarantee they are still not making big profits, and big profits is what makes a business successful, not just big revenues.

What bothers me the most is the influence they have on young small business owners. They always try to lure them in by showing their “alleged” sales figures. What legitimate business ever does that? Do you know that some of these businesses will actually buy their own products just to falsely bulk up their sales figures? From a tax perspective, how stupid is that?

They also try to prove to these young business owners how rich they now are, by showing off on social medial all of the expensive things they are buying. That’s another red flag. You don’t get to just spend all of your profits. Most business owners draw a salary and have to keep money in the business to avoid the tax man. Young small business owners listening to these so called experts are going to find themselves in for a big surprise come tax time if they just spend everything they make.

Now, once in a while, a small business might get a bit of press that causes sales to skyrocket in the short term. But this can also hurt your business. Read this post of mine: When Too Many Sales Can Hurt Your Small Business (It Happened To This Seller)

It Takes Time

Remember, most businesses do not make any profit in their first year, according to Forbes. In fact, most new businesses need 18 to 24 months just to reach profitability. And then there’s the reality that 25 percent of new businesses fail in their first year, according to the Small Business Administration.

More than anything, I do not want you to give up on your business, just because it has not been successful overnight. Sometimes it might just be a small thing you need to fix or a more viable niche you need to target.

Be Sure to Also Check Out

About Me

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

I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012. 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.

101 Super Creative Small Business Promotional Ideas

May 11, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Welcome! Time to get inspired!

I love coming up with creative promotional ideas for my clients, so below are 101 of my favorite small business promotional ideas that I’ve come up with in the past for clients, a few of which are included in my top-selling Marketing Plans for Small Businesses.

First, Some FREEBIES!

As a thank you for reading my post, here are a couple of my free downloads:

For super affordable marketing and business downloads, check out my Shopify Store and Etsy Store

101 Small Business Marketing Ideas

Google “new businesses” along with the name of your city to find any local newspapers, magazines or blogs that like to feature brand new businesses for free and hit them up for a mention.
Post a compliment on social media for another local business that is non-competitive but has the same target audience, and they will likely repost exposing your business to their followers.
Email your customers the night before daylight savings time as a reminder to turn clocks back or ahead, as an easy way to get in front of your customers without seeming pushy.
Make hats or t-shirts with your business name and url on it, and give them to family members to wear everywhere, especially to public events like concerts, racing events, etc.
Hire a student to help you with the small marketing stuff like commenting on blogs, posting to social media, sending out promotional emails. Many teens looking to get into marketing will value the experience, and they likely know social media a lot better than you do.
Comment on at least 25 blogs or social media profiles every day that your customers read making sure that your user name is your business name, for free exposure.
Email your customers the day before Thanksgiving with tips on how long to cook a turkey, again, as an easy way to get in front of your customers without seeming pushy.
Whenever possible, use people you know in your company photos as they will likely repost the photo of themselves to their own social media site, putting you in front of all of their followers.
Offer neighborhood or street discounts on your products or services, telling people for every neighbor they get to sign up, you will take another 5% off the price, to a maximum of 40% off.
In early September, run localized ads on LinkedIn targeting either HR Managers or Sales Managers who wish to buy your products or services in bulk as gifts for employees or clients.
Every month, email your customers the events happening in your city this month. Always mention a sale or event that you are having at the very end.
Try a weekly Instagram post called “Follow Friday” where you recommend other Instagram accounts to follow, and they might return the favor, giving you exposure to their followers.
If you own a fitness studio, offer free workout classes on the day after Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras (from my Marketing Plan for Personal Trainers).
If you own a beauty salon, offer Shamrock nail art designs /manicures for St. Patrick’s Day.
If you’re a realtor, offer a free seminar on how to “green” your new home in honor of Earth Day on April 22nd (from my Marketing Plan for Realtors).
If you own a barbecue shop, have a free BBQ of bratwurst and sausages for customers during Oktoberfest, or give away a free package of sausages with every purchase.
If you own a photography studio, offer a free newborn portrait to the first baby born in the new year in your city.
If you own a lighting store, use red and pink light bulbs in all of your light fixtures in your store windows on Valentine’s Day.
If you own a dog food company, create Thanksgiving promotional dog treats that taste like pumpkin pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and so forth.
If you own a garden center, create a large bunny topiary and position it outside your gates the weeks prior to Easter to attract attention and as a great for photo opp for kids.
If you own a makeup company, create an advent calendar with a different mini nail polish for each day (from my Marketing Plan for Beauty Products).
If you own a spa, offer a chocolate facial on National Chocolate Day (July 3rd).
If you own a sports store, either put winter gear on a one-day sale or spring gear on a one-day sale on February 2nd, depending on what the Ground Hog sees.
If you own a greeting card company, make cards for the most obscure holidays like National Cat Day or National Hat Day (from my Marketing Plan for Greeting Cards).
If you own a fashion accessories store, display your scarves in various nautical knots in your store window during Fleet week (early October).
If you own a pets product business, post various reels of happy dogs jumping for joy, wishing everyone a Happy First Day of Spring on March 21st on TikTok and Instagram.
If you own a donut shop, and it’s an Olympic year, create a pack of five donuts iced in the Olympic Ring colors.
If you own a shoe store, displays colorful rain boots filled with tulips in your store window to celebrate spring.
If you own a pet store, offer Santa Claus photos for pets.
If you own a bar, hand out scratch-off cards at lunch hour on St. Patrick’s Day, with the discovery of a four leaf clover meaning a free green beer.
If you own a make up company, post photos to social media of beautiful landscapes accompanied by eye shadow shades that match the colors in the photo.
If you own a watch company, post a graphic to social media with one of your watches showing the clock turning back to remind people when its daylight savings time.
If you own a jewelry store, post a photo to social media spelling out “Happy Mother’s Day“, using letter initial necklaces on your social media pages.
If you own an online store, post an animated gif to social media of a piñata breaking and exposing a Cinco De Mayo sale of 25% off today only.
If you own a vintage store, post regular updates to social media of period TV shows, such as The Crown and Stranger Things (from my Marketing Plan for Vintage shops).
If you sell iPhone cases, post to social media your favorite free iPhone apps and ask followers theirs.
If you own a sandals company, post to social media pictures of cool pedicures or toe nail art.
If you’re an insurance broker, post to social media the craziest but true insurance claim stories.
If you own a green cleaning products company, clean up a run-down local park and post to social media a time-lapsed reel of the cleanup on TikTok for Earth Day on April 22nd (from my Marketing Plan for Eco-Products).
If you own a local clothing store, offer to take 25% off the price of any item if the customer takes a photo of the item and posts it to Instagram right there in the store (from my Marketing Plan for Retail Stores).
If you own a kid’s clothing company, post to social media a carousel of back-to-school-outfits for Monday through Friday, during the first week of August on your social media pages (from my Marketing Plan for Kids Products).
If you’re a wedding gown designer, post to social media an infographic of the most famous wedding gowns of the 20th century.
If you’re a book author, post to social media book club food suggestions.
If you own a dance school, post to social media your reviews of the previous night’s Dancing with the Stars routines.
If you have an online shop, ask your most loyal customers to pick their 5 favorite items in the shop and post to social media for 25% off their next order.
If you’re an accounting firm, post the most outrageous tax breaks given in other countries. Get more creative social media posting ideas in my best-selling 365 Social Media Post Ideas download.
If you own a lingerie company, re-create one of those pens that when turned upside down the clothes come off the photo of a woman (but instead of being naked she is wearing lingerie) as a fun promo item.
If you’re a motorcycle lawyer, create a 12-month pictorial calendar of unique bike detailing or cool tattoos.
If you own a baby skin care company, create a baby shower game printable as a free download on your website.
If you own a pizza delivery or local restaurant, include with each order to local college dorms a door hanger sign-up sheet for the next food order i.e. “Who Wants to Order Pizza Tonight?”
If you’re a wedding gown designer, offer a free fashion sketch of the bride in her dress (from my Marketing Plan for Wedding Shops).
If you run a local art museum, promote your latest exhibit by giving free drink coasters featuring the artist’s works to surrounding bars and restaurants.
If you have a dental office, put your label on dental floss containers and leaving them in a basket in the rest room at a local steak house.
If you own a children’s clothing company, give a free car window baby sun shade to customers, complete with your logo on it (free advertising on every car).
If you’re a wedding invitation designer, offer to design, for free, an email reminder that goes out to brides about their dress fittings for local bridal shops (i.e. this reminder was sponsored by...)
If you own a ceramics company, donate handmade salt and pepper shakers to a local restaurant, embossed with your shop name.
If you’re a food products business, offer free downloadable printables such as, “Spices That Go With Every Type of Food” (based on top Google searches).
If you’re a children’s book author, have coloring pages made of pages from your book and give them to local family restaurants to hand out for kids to color.
If you own a teen clothing or jewelry shop, give a free locker mirror with purchase (your shop url is on it and all her friends see it).
If you own a salon, make your business card a nail file.
If you own a wine company, make your wine label a peel-off, so customers can keep to remember the name of the wine!
If you own a clothing store, offer to do a home showing of prom dresses and accessories for groups of 8 or more (from my Marketing Plan for Fashion Brands).
If you own a makeup company, offer free 5-minute touch-ups to working women at lunch hour from a mobile unit.
If you own a coffee shop, hold a contest for customers to submit their best original coffee cake recipe and then create a recipe ebook as a free giveaway.
If you’re an artist or photographer, give free prints to a local designer to use in their displays at a home show (from my Marketing Plan for Art Shops).
If you own a paint company, go around to local neighborhood homes and hand out free paint swatch color suggestions for the exterior of people’s homes.
If you’re a realtor, hold your open houses at night and using a strobe light to attract attention.
If you own a comic book store, offer a free in-store viewing party for the premiere of a popular fantasy TV series.
If you own a travel agency, features a free, walk-in open-house “destination of the month” party in your offices, complete with music and food from that destination (from my Marketing Plan for Travel Agents).
If you own a pet shampoo company, conduct free dog washes at a local dog park on a muddy day.
If you own a salon, offer a special day where customers can bring their dogs into be groomed while the customer is getting their hair done.
If you’re a fashion designer, hold a contest to make a custom prom dress for one lucky girl.
If you own a yoga clothing store, have a yoga expert in the window of your shop doing and holding a different yoga pose every 2 minutes during noon hour.
If you own a bakery, have a bicycle cart that sells cookies at the local park during the morning kid rush.
If you sell make-up, co-market with a purse vendor by including free samples in each of their bags for a limited time offer (good for both of you).
If you own a bakery or cupcake shop, offer cupcakes in the flavors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream as a special one-week homage (from my Marketing Plan for Online Bakeries).
If you own a garden store, offer a free seminar on how to make a terrarium.
If you own a local beer company, hand out free samples at tail gate parties during football season.
If you own a salon, do free manicures for patients at a local hospital once a month.
If you are an artist or photographer, offer a free info session for interior designers on how to hang art.
If you own a karate school, hold a school safety tips session at a local school or day camp.
If you’re a personal trainer, offer easy fitness tips at a local weight watchers meeting.
If you own a veterinarian clinic, offer free nail clippings at a local dog park.
If you own a retail shop, paint a back wall in chalkboard paint to keep kids busy while parents shop.
If you own a toy store, position a bubble blowing machine out front to attract the attention of kids.
If you own a limousine company, offer to decorate the limo with the name of the bride or prom attendee i.e. Sarah’s Ride (use car/window letter clings).
If you own a coffee shop, let small businesses post one of their business cards on your “small business wall” whenever they buy a coffee.
If you have a storefront, keep a large bird cage filled with exotic birds outside your shop doors to attract the attention of passer-bys.
If you own a coffee house, host a book club for seniors in the afternoon.
If you’re a realtor, include the blue print of the home as well as a legend of the distance from the house to schools, community centers, and grocery stores in the online description.
If you have an online store, add an audio voice that says, “Welcome!” that announces the sale of the day when people land on your home page. There are audio apps that do this for Shopify stores.
If you own a car rental business, set aside part of your lot for cars that are ideal for very tall drivers, or new drivers, or large families.
If you’re an artist, donate your artwork to be hung in the hallway of schools and libraries (will be seen by parents).
If you own a furniture store, offer to help realtors stage homes in return for free promotion to new home buyers. Just a sign on the couch saying “you can buy this couch at…” (from my Marketing Plan for Home Goods).
If you own a landscaping company, donate a few uniquely sculpted shrubs (with a sign for their company on the planter pot) to anchor the doors of the most popular local restaurants or retail stores.
If you own a toy store, announce your sales in chalk on the sidewalk outside your store.
If you own a vintage store, sell your books in unique collections i.e. Nobel Prize Winners, World War II Novels, etc.
If you are an optometrist, make your business card an eye chart that actually spells out your name and address.
If you own a food truck, raise a large colorful flag on top of your truck that says “Food Truck” once it parks so it can be seen from far distances.
If you own a jewelry store, re-create the engagement rings of famous people and display them in your store window alongside their photo.
If you own a coffee shop, have a penned in play area for young children in the middle of the shop and tables for parents situated around the pen.

More Small Business Downloads at my Shopify Store and Etsy Store

Green Business Ideas for the Eco-Conscious Entrepreneur

April 21, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Green Business Ideas

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to write about “green” business ideas, especially since demand for eco-friendly and sustainable products and services has more than DOUBLED in the last five years.

Most in Demand Eco Products

In terms of products, the most demand, according to Google Trends, is for eco-friendly packaging, gifts, cleaning products, personal care products, cars, homes, furniture, clothing and phone cases, along with things like balloons, backpacks, mattresses, and yoga mats.

Make sure that you are clearly stating and showing your eco-friendly products in all of your marketing materials, along with any eco-friendly packaging and manufacturing practices if you wish to use this “green” marketing opportunity.

Most in Demand Eco Services

In terms of services, searches for eco-friendly tourism jumped 5,000% in the last couple of years, along with eco-friendly event planning companies, beauty salons, cleaning services, grocery stores, hotels, transportation companies, landscaping companies and wedding planners.

Again, if customers have a choice between a non eco-friendly service and an eco-friendly service, they will likely go for the latter. It is a competitive advantage.

Eco-Business Idea I Love

One eco-business I love is Inhabitr, where you can rent furniture and home décor items nationwide with the goal of keeping used home items out of landfills. Depending on the piece, customers can either rent it monthly or buy new, used, or later, after their rental period has started. Inhabitr even offers delivery, installation, pickup, cleaning and repair. It’s an ideal option for anyone who needs to furnish temporary housing, student housing, businesses, or rental properties, even house staging.

The Opportunity for You

This is a also great idea you can do locally if looking for a business idea. A few years back when visiting my niece who was graduating from college in Boston, and all of the graduating students just left their unneeded furniture on the sidewalk, presumedly to be picked up by the garage truck. The majority of the furniture was in perfectly good condition, they just didn’t want to haul it back to their home town. We are talking streets full of furniture. I remember thinking, someone could easily resell all of this, if they just had a truck. Maybe that’s you!

You might also like: 4 Eco Products Marketplaces and Free Business Card Templates.

Be Sure to Also Check Out:

Awesome Marketing Ideas for Your Retail Store

January 19, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Wouldn’t you love an easy to follow 12-Month Marketing Plan that will drive more traffic to your retail store?

Here is the plan for January from my 12-Month Marketing Plan for Retail Stores to inspire you or pass along to anyone you know that has a retail store. Get the plans for all 12 months by downloading my PDF today!

Retail Marketing Plan for January

Click to download.

Retail Publicity Ideas for January

You don’t have to just pitch publicity ideas to your local media, you can also pitch to national media as people do travel and if they read an article that mentions your store, they may take note when they visit your city. Just pitch a story that pertains to what you sell (and your city), such as “The Best Clothing Stores in Chicago”. Try pitching to these blogs who have written these types of stories: Trip Advisor, 10best, Frommers, Refinery29, USNews, Airbnb and Travel & Leisure.

Retail Advertising Ideas for January

Consider running an advertisement for your store in local real estate newspapers and newsletters.
Gift a popular local restaurant (that is near your store) a large clock for their wall that has your store name on the clock face, for free advertising to their patrons.
Check with local tourism websites and publications for possible free mentions of your store.

Retail Social Media Ideas for January

Do an audit of all your social media sites and make sure that your banner images on Twitter and Facebook show a photo of your store front and your address to create instant recognition with customers. Include a cross street map if necessary.
Post a graphic of all the big events happening in your town for the month of January.
Post a photo of a busy day at the store for #ManicMonday.
Post a photo of a dog posing in front of your retail store for #WoofWednesday.
Post a photo of the view outside your store window for #ThursdayThoughts.
Post video / reel of new items in the store for #SaturdaySwag.
Create a Pinterest board called, “Stores in {Your City}” as this is a way to find your local traffic on Pinterest. This is actually a popular search on Google. Pin your store to the board, as well as non-competitive local stores.
On social media, follow your local newspapers, radio stations, sports teams, and other popular local businesses like restaurants, entertainment venues, etc. so you can comment daily on their Instagram, Facebook posts and tweets to get your business name seen by their followers and your local market.

Retail Email Ideas for January

Email your customers all of the new items in your shop this month, as well as any sales or special offers, and a free one-page calendar download for the new year that has your store branding and address at the bottom.
Email your customers a list of all the big events in your town this month. Mention your store at the end.

Retail Sales & Promotional Ideas for January

Hold a huge one-day only January sale in the store complete with food, drinks, and a party atmosphere. Email invites to customers and tell them to bring a friend to get another 15% off.
Check for sponsorship opportunities with any local winter festivals.
Frost your store windows and create a wintery theme for the month of January, to grab the attention of passer-bys.
Add your store to the retail app Storemapper.

Retail Content Marketing Ideas for January

If you haven’t already, create a blog to drive traffic to your website. 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 and locally focused content, such as “What to do in {Your City} This Weekend” It also gives you a reason to email your customers weekly with a blog post.

Get hundreds of more tactics for your retail store by downloading my 12-Month Marketing Plan for Retail Stores.

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You might also like my post, 6 Ways to Get Customers Coming Back to Your Retail Store.

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8 Instagram Reel Ideas for Small Business

January 12, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

It has been proven that videos and reels on social media get higher engagement. They do not have to be complicated to make a big impact, so here are some Instagram Reel Ideas Small Business.

Effective Reels from Big Brands

This reel from Burt’s Bees is cool because it is a very quick transition from one product to the next.
This video from Pottery Barn is simply stop motion to transition in one piece of the table setting at a time.
With this reel from Bauble Bar, the model has on new jewelry every time she snaps her fingers.
This reel from Barbie shows how you can use static images and make them look like a video, simply by the type of transition effect that appears between images.
This reel from Justice also looks like a video, but it is again just stop motion with four images featuring the products in different positions as it transitions from one image to the other and then goes in reverse.
The store Mark and Graham simply took four images, and used stop motion to make it look like a video.
A time lapse video of you creating your product (or demonstrating how to use it) is fairly easy if you just string together short clips, like this video from Michaels.
Even your giveaways will get more engagement if you make them animated graphics complete with music, like this video from World Market that you can easily do in Canva.

My Instagram Reel Ideas

If you sell clothing, show your model walking down the street and every time she passes behind a building and reappears, she is wearing a new outfit.
If you’re a fitness trainer, show a spliced together video / reel of you running up various outdoor stairs in your city.
If you sell wedding gowns, film a bride walking down the aisle and with every step forward, her gown changes.
If you sell jewelry, show a video / reel whereby the model has one piece of jewelry added to her look one at a time until she is completely decked out in layered necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings.
If you sell cosmetics, focus the video on the model’s eyes and every time she blinks, her eye makeup changes.
If you sell wall art, create a stop motion type video / reel showing a gallery art wall being reconfigured in 3 different ways, all using your art.
If you sell real estate, splice together a video / reel of some of your listings showing their holiday lights coming on, one after the other.
If you’re a restaurant, post a video/reel that transitions from each of your menu boards for the past week.

Need more social media posting ideas? Check out my best-selling 365 Social Media Posting Ideas.

You might also like Free Business Card Templates.

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Get Inspired by this Brilliant Product Idea from Bauble Bar

January 9, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

I love creative product ideas, and this Pixar Toy Story Mr Potato Head stacking ring from Bauble Bar is brilliant. It lends to the nature of the Mr. Potato Head product, merged with a stacking ring, which have been so trendy the last few years. Plus, it makes a perfect gift for the Toy Story fan.

© 2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

Publicity Grabbing Product Idea from Salt & Straw

January 2, 2022 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

People love trends, and the media loves writing about trends. So if you were to do a limited time product (or service), like this ice cream 5-pack from Salt & Straw with flavors that were inspired by the year’s most viral moments, you will likely be able to get some free press.

The ice cream pack was featured on Food Network, Mashable, The Hypebeast and Reddit, so naturally it sold out.

© 2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

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