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Small Business Marketing Ideas blog posts

My Top Marketing Ideas for August

August 4, 2021 /

marketing ideas for augustAre sales a little sluggish? Need some marketing ideas for August? Here are a few things I recommend if you need to get things going for your small business this month.

August Marketing Ideas
  • If you’re a female-run business, pitch your success story now to your local newspaper’s business writer for any articles they are thinking of for National Business Women’s Day on September 22nd (they need a few weeks lead-time).
  • At very least, if you’re a female business owner, pose in a shirt with your business name on it, post the photo to your social media with the hashtag #nationalbusinesswomensday. Then ask followers to #like and #share for some free publicity. Also give a #shoutout to a few female businesses you support – maybe mine :).
  • Whether you sell online or in a brick and mortar, include a one-page holiday gift guide-type flyer for your business in every customer’s package, to get them coming back for those big Christmas sales.
  • Are any of your products a possible gift idea for a local business to gift to their employees and/or clients this holiday season? Then ready your pitch for early September as a way to get a few volume orders. Even if you are a service business, like a restaurant or travel agency, you can pitch gift cards or gift certificates for your business.
  • Did you know that “Labor Day sales” is the most searched sales weekend after Black Friday sales, and it accounted for $2.6 billion in revenue in 2020? So plan for an epic Labor Day Sale as a great way to clear out summer items and promote fall merchandise. Try something unique, like mystery boxes of products or other bulk purchase-type offers.
  • Fall is all about fairs, festivals and other Halloween and Thanksgiving events. So take advantage of your local market by seeing if there are affordable opportunities to advertise your business. This can be in flyers, signage and other marketing materials.

Easily and affordably market and promote your small business every month with my sure-fire tactics, outlined in my 12-Month Marketing Strategy Plans, where everything you need to do is laid out for you. Download today!marketing ideas for august

About Me

As a long time marketing consultant who has been blogging about e-commerce since 2012, I advise, coach and mentor small businesses selling online.  I first got involved in e-commerce back in 2002, wanting to sell online a book I had written. After years of selling on Amazon I decided to take the experience I had in e-commerce, merge it with my professional marketing background and start a blog with marketing advice for small businesses selling online. My advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, American Express Open Forum, Big Commerce blog, Business2Community and SheKnows to name a few.

 

 

 

© 2021 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. My Top Marketing Ideas for August.

My Favorite Marketing Ideas of the Month

March 2, 2021 /

Favorite Marketing Ideas

I love writing about my favorite marketing ideas.

So, I’m always on the lookout for effective marketing tactics that online stores are trying on their websites to make more sales.

Here are three good marketing ideas I found this week that you might want to try with your online store.

Favorite Marketing Idea #1: An Effective Rewards Program

Rewards programs are a great way to maintain customer loyalty, but they can also get your customers to do your marketing for you. Look at the effective way that Urban Outfitters uses their rewards program below, with points for everything from downloading the app to writing a review. I would also add points for sharing purchases on social media and referring to friends. 

favorite marketing ideas

Favorite Marketing Idea #2: New Location for Email Opt-In

Are you finding that people are just not signing up for your email list? Then put the email opt-in right in with your product photos, the way Society6 does below.

favorite marketing ideas

Favorite Marketing Idea #3: Use the Sidebar on Your Blog

If you have a blog as part of your ecommerce site, you should be using your sidebar to direct customers back to the shop, the way the blog Food52 does below, especially if you focus the ad graphic on one product category and add a “SHOP NOW” button.

favorite marketing ideas

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. Learn more about my services here. 

My Business Download Store
My Etsy Store
Read More of My Blog

 

 

 

© 2021 Gail Oliver. All right reserved. Favorite Marketing Ideas.

3 Awesome Marketing Ideas to Add to Your Website

January 28, 2021 /

marketing ideas for your websiteI am always searching for new ways to improve ecommerce, and I found three awesome marketing ideas to add to your website.

These ideas work no matter what type of business you have, not just ecommerce, but also real estate, beauty salons, restaurants and so forth.

A Really Effective Email Opt-In

I love what the Woven Nook has done here with their email opt-in. First of all, you have to give an incentive like a percentage off, or depending on your business, it could also be a free download. Otherwise, people will not sign up.

Then, I like that they are also asking for your phone number for text alerts, and your birthday for special offers. Plus, I love the photo with the visual identity of what they sell and their branding.

Awesome Marketing Ideas Website

A Promotional Graphic in with Product Photos

I love how Bauble Bar put this colorful sales graphic right in with their regular product listing photos. Again, you can do this no matter what type of business. For a realtor, put a graphic for a personalized service in between house listings. For a restaurant, use a graphic in between menu options to indicate when you will be open again for in-door dining. For a beauty salon, include a graphic customers can click to send a beauty service gift to a friend. Just think of it as an ad. Get creative!

A Stylish Look Book

The store Viet Trang Handicraft has a very simple but stylish look book, which is actually just a slide show that can be easily added to any site. But it does help to quickly see the range of products they offer and how they work together to upset more items, with a call to action at the end. Plus, you can upload this to your social media sites as well.

Get More Success Tips

 

 

 

© 2021 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Awesome Marketing Ideas Website

Fashion Marketing Ideas for Your Clothing Brand

September 17, 2020 /
Fashion Brand Marketing Ideas

Fashion Brand Marketing Ideas

Are you an indie designer trying to sell your own fashion or fashion accessories online? Maybe you sell through Etsy or Shopify or just through social media? My 12-Month Marketing Plan for Online Fashion Stores makes it super easy to master marketing and promotions and get your shop seen by shoppers!

8 Fashion Brand Marketing Ideas to Try

  • Create a Pinterest board called, “Cute Casual Outfits” as this phrase gets searched 5 million times a month on Pinterest, plus Pinterest boards do well in Google search results. Pin to it daily fashion mood boards that include your own designs, and make sure that pin descriptions also include the hash tag “#cutecasualoutfits”.
  • Explore adding your products (or even a coupon for your shop) to the monthly fashion subscription box, Wantable.
  • Find a muse who represents your target market, such as a local teen, a stylish friend or a popular mom who knows a lot of people in the neighborhood, give them a few of your pieces to wear in hopes they become a local “influencer” for you.
  • Submit an email pitch to InStyle magazine recommending one of your products for their Deals & Steals section (should be under $100).
  • Tweet out or post to Instagram a daily #FashionFail.

    FASHION BRAND MARKETING IDEAS

    Fashion Brand Marketing Ideas

  • Submit a story about “How to Save Money on Your Summer Wardrobe” or another type of cost saving fashion article to money and budget type blogs, such as WISEBREAD, with a byline at the end of the article that mentions your shop name and a link to your shop.
  • Post a favorite outfit from a popular fashion blogger every Monday for #MondayOutfit #ootd.
  • Create a mystery clothing box (a huge trend this year) as a promotional idea. It can be theme-based, seasonal-based or it can feature your products that are discontinued.
  • Download my 12-Month Marketing Plan for Online Fashion Brands with hundreds more proven tactics to do every month of the year. It will make marketing your fashion store so easy!
  • Related: 101 Small Business Promotional Ideas

 

 

 

© 2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Fashion Brand Marketing Ideas

5 Genius Holiday Marketing Ideas for Your Online Shop

August 17, 2020 /

Ready for some holiday marketing ideas? Did you know that searches for holiday gifts start as early as this month, so is your online shop ready?Holiday Marketing Ideas

Here are 5 marketing ideas from my Etsy Holiday Sales Planner that will help give your shop an advantage.

5 Genius Holiday Marketing Ideas
  • I always recommend posting on social media, curated content on How to Cook a Turkey, on the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, as this is when searches for this phrase skyrocket. Make sure your shop name in on the graphic so if it gets shared, it can be traced back to you.
  • Have you created a one-page holiday gift guide featuring items in your shop and the gift recipients that they would be perfect for? Start including these flyers in all of your customer packages now.
  • Email is a large part of holiday marketing success, so it might be worth investing in some holiday theme email templates as well as adding call to action buttons in the email itself. 
  • Download a free holiday recipe card template, add in a favorite Christmas cookie recipe, and then brand the card with your business name, logo and url. Include in all customer packages as this is something they will keep, and pull out year after year, remembering your business.
  • Holiday Marketing IdeasAdd in a few holiday theme product photos, including ones featuring Elf on the Shelf. People will share on social media if it is cute enough, especially Etsy.
  • Discover more great ideas, planning tips, holiday SEO keywords and more in my Etsy Holiday Sales Planner. 
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!

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.Holiday Marketing Ideas

I also have a wide variety of business & marketing downloads you can check out at my Shopify store.

More Holiday Posts

 

 

 

©2020 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. 5 Genius Holiday Marketing Ideas. 

 

Galentines Day Marketing Ideas

January 16, 2020 /
galentines day marketing ideas

Galentines Day Marketing Ideas

Need some Galentines Day marketing ideas for your small business?

First of all, Valentine’s Day is the day before Valentine’s Day (so, February 13th), and it is a holiday that started on the TV show Parks and Recreation. It is a way for women who are single to celebrate being single, and not feel left out by the couple-centric Valentine’s Day holiday.

However, a lot of businesses like retail stores, spas, florists, restaurants and even travel agencies are now finding ways to benefit from this holiday, so that these two days in February cover off everyone with a prime marketing opportunity.

Galentines Day Marketing Ideas

  • For example, if you are promoting buying gifts for him or her, also have a category in your online store that is for buying a gift for your single friend.
  • Your restaurant could host a Galentine’s dinner special for single female friends to get together. This is a great way to get a group reservation, which is much more beneficial than just the two people in a couple’s reservation.
  • You could add tshirts or mugs that say, “Happily Uncoupled” or “Happily Single” to your online store.
  • If you’re a travel agency, and Galentine’s happens to fall on a weekend, it is the perfect opportunity to promote a girl’s weekend getaway.
  • If you’re a spa, offer a special spa offer for the day, and the more girlfriends they bring, the more the price goes down.

Any way you spin it, it is also a great angle to get some additional business, not to mention publicity and endear your business to this segment of the population.

You heard it here first!

Find marketing and business downloads at my Etsy shop.

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©2020 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Galentines Day Marketing Ideas

Creative Restaurant Marketing Ideas

October 24, 2017 /

Restaurant Marketing Ideas for 2024

creative restaurant marketing ideas

Download for just $2.99 for over 300 tactics!

In need of some creative restaurant marketing ideas?

See for yourself below, with my tactics for January, and then download all 12 months!

Restaurant Publicity Ideas for January
  • Email a story pitch to Eater to be included in their cities features, such as“Popular Eateries to Check out in {Your City}
  • Check and submit daily to HARO (Help a Reporter) requests that apply (sign up for these PR requests for free).
Restaurant Advertising Ideas for January
  • Leave a flyer of your menu on car windshields in any parking lots near your restaurant.
  • Add your restaurant to LocalEats.
  • Add your restaurant to ChowNow.
  • Add your restaurant to TripAdvisor.
  • Check into sponsorship opportunities with any local winter festivals.

    marketing plan for restaurants ideas strategy

    Click to download at my Shopify store

Restaurant Social Media Marketing Ideas for January
  • Post a photo of a busy night at the restaurant (or kitchen) for #ManicMonday.
  • Post a photo of a beautiful winter #sunset or #sunrise with your restaurant clearly seen in the foreground.
  • Post a favorite local blog every Sunday for #SundayBlogshare (tag the blog so they repost).
  • Post a photo of an Irish coffee to announce that your restaurant will be offering them for half price today in honor of #NationalIrishCoffeeDay on January 25th.
  • Post a creative photo or special offer for any of the other National Days that apply to your restaurant: January 1: Bloody Mary Day, January 4: Spaghetti Day, January 13: Gluten Free Day, January 15: Bagel Day, January 20: Cheese Lover’s Day.
  • Post a #quote every Friday that has to do with food or eating for #FridayFeeling #FoodieFriday #FridayNight.
  • Have your chef set up a YouTube or Tiktok cooking channel and post a video of them making one of this week’s specials.
  • Comment daily on the Instagram and Facebook posts of local media, local sports teams & popular local businesses to get your restaurant name seen by local customers. 
Restaurant Email Marketing Ideas for January
  • Create a free email signature (use WiseStamp) and include a linkable banner to your restaurant’s website, links to your social media sites and your latest blog post.
  • Email your customers your winter theme menu as well as any early bird Valentine’s day offers or Superbowl party specials.
  • Change up your email opt-in incentive on your website to include a free one-page printable calendar for the new year, clearly labeled with your restaurant’s name and url, as a frequent reminder, and even include a recipe from your chef.
Restaurant Content Marketing Ideas for January
  • Write a short article on “The Best Places to Visit When in {Your City}” and include your restaurant and submit it to Buzzfeed.
  • 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’ and Medium even if your posts are something as simple as mentioning events going on in your city each weekend, such as “What to Do in {Your City} This Weekend“. It also gives you a reason to email your customers weekly.
Restaurant Promotional Marketing Ideas for January
  • Comment daily on the latest blog posts of popular local news media and magazines to get your restaurant name seen by your local market.
  • Ask local hotels if you can leave a copy of your menu in their suites.

    restaurant marketing plan

    Download for just $2.99 for over 300 tactics!

Get over 300 tactics and marketing ideas for the entire year in my 12-Month Restaurant Marketing Plan PDF making it super easy to market and promote your restaurant.

Download today!

Some Reviews:

restaurant marketing ideas

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!

Be Sure to Also Check Out
Want More Restaurant Marketing Ideas?

Download my easy to follow, 12-Month Restaurant Marketing Plan.

© 2023 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Creative Restaurant Marketing Ideas

Back to School Marketing Ideas

August 15, 2017 /

back to school marketing ideasThese creative Back to School marketing ideas will help your small business get a jump on things, as promotion always starts as early as late July.

Back to School Marketing Idea #1:

If you sell home décor items:

  • Move all affordable decor items (typically under $50), such as art, pillows, bedding, etc., up to the forefront for the college crowd looking for dorm décor.
  • If you sell art, a “College Wall Collage Kit” is essential.
  • Create a “Dorm Room Decor” shop section.
  • Offer a “Dorm Decor Bundle” to sell more at one time.
  • Create bundle categories, like “Dorm Laundry Bundle“, etc.
  • Create a special banner for your landing page that links right to the products (as shown below)
back to school marketing ideas

Dorm Laundry Bundle from Bed Bath & Beyond

Searches peak August 18th to 24th, and most popular searches are for wall decor, lighting, storage/organization and dorm essentials.

Shop banner at Target

Back to School Marketing Idea #2: First Day of School Outfits

If you sell kids clothing:

  • Create special back to school outfits, including shirts for little ones that say, “My First Day of School” (great for photos).
  • Move these items to the forefront of your shop.
  • Add a banner on the product photo that says, “Great for Back to School”.
  • Add flyers for any fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving clothing into the package.
Back to School Marketing Idea #3: Backpacks Are a Must

If you sell bags/purses:

  • Move all backpacks and cosmetics packs to your featured products.
  • Make a special offer, “Buy 1 backpack, get a second of equal or lesser value for 50% off”.
  • Offering personalization of any of these items (i.e. adding name, initials) is always a good value-add.
  • See my post, “August Marketing Ideas” to see what the hottest backpack is for 2022.
Back to School Marketing Idea #4:

If you sell beauty products:

  • Put together your own “Teen Pack” of items for the college or high school crowd and focus on acne products, skincare and shower products.
Back to School Marketing Idea #5:

If you sell gadget accessories:

  • Phone cases, iPad holders, charging stations and even laptop stickers all need to be at the forefront of your shop.
  • Again, offering personalization of any of these items is always a good value-add.
Back to School Marketing Idea #6:

If you sell kitchen/housewares:

  • Kids always need a new lunch boxes and food containers.
  • Post a reel to Instagram showing one of your lunch boxes getting packed, like this one.
  • New college kids want an entire kitchen supplies kit.
  • A great add-on to sell with any of these products is personalized labels.
Back to School Marketing Idea #7:

If you sell printables or courseware:

  • Teachers are looking for lesson plans, but also calendars, coloring pages, worksheets, classroom signs and decorations.
  • Offer a special discount for teachers just until the end of August.
  • Ask them for a shoutout on social media to get a special discount on a future order.
Back to School Marketing Idea #8:

If you sell party supplies:

  • Teachers and parents are looking for ways to celebrate the first day of school with banners, balloons, and yard signs.
  • Parents also like to throw a neighborhood party for themselves.
  • Always make sure to add the current school year i.e. Back to School 2022!
More Ideas
  • If you live near an outlet mall, this is one of their busiest times of the year, so leave flyers or cards for your store on windshields in the parking lot (if allowed).
  • Considering things are tight right now for some people, create back to school categories for every type of budget.
  • In all packages, always include flyers for any early Black Friday specials in your store.
  • Optimize your SEO by always including the current year in your keywords i.e. Back to School 2022. 
  • On your social media, promote all opportunities for free back to school supplies in your areas, a top search this time of year.

I hope you will benefit from these back to school marketing ideas! Discover more marketing and business tools, planners and advice in my Etsy shop.

Read More

© 2020-2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Back to School Marketing Ideas. 

Coffee Shop Marketing Strategy Plan

July 12, 2017 /

Do you own a coffee shop and are wondering how to drive more traffic to it? I have just the solution? My 12-Month Coffee Shop Marketing Strategy Plan gives you easy tactics to follow for each month of the year. Below I cover January so you can see what it is all about.

January Coffee Shop Marketing Plan

COFFEE SHOP PUBLICITY TACTICS
  • Email a story pitch to Eater to be included in their cities feature, “Essential Coffee Shops in {Your City}”
  • Check and submit daily to HARO (Help a Reporter Out) requests. 
COFFEE SHOP ADVERTISING TACTICS
  • Add your coffee shop to LocalEats.com
  • Add your coffee shop to Zomato.com
COFFEE SHOP SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING TACTICS
  • Post a photo of a busy morning at your coffee shop for #manicmonday.
  • Post a photo of a #sunrise with your coffee shop in foreground.
  • Post a favorite local blog every Sunday for #sundayblogshare (tag the blog so they repost). 
  • Post a This or That type post i.e. Dark Roast or Light Roast? #thisorthat #coffeeaddict.
  • Post a carousel of your favorite coffee mugs and give a #shoutout to the stores. 
  • Post a #freecoffee offer for your gourmet blend for #nationalgourmetcoffeeday on January 18th.
  • Post a #quote every Friday that has to do with coffee for #fridayfeeling #goodmorning #coffeetime #coffeebreak.
  • Set up a YouTube channel or TikTok and post a video/reel of your #barista making one of this week’s specials. 
  • Comment daily on the Instagram and Facebook posts of local media, local sports teams & popular local businesses to get seen by your local audience.
COFFEE SHOP EMAIL MARKETING TACTICS
  • Create a free email signature (use WiseStamp.com) and include a linkable banner to your coffee shop’s website, links to your social media sites and your latest blog post. 
  • Email your customers your winter theme menu as well as any early bird Valentine’s day offers and any upcoming events in the shop. 
  • Change up your email opt-in incentive to include a free one-page printable calendar for the new year clearly labeled with your coffee shop’s name and url, as a frequent reminder. 
COFFEE SHOP CONTENT MARKETING TACTICS
  • 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’ and BLOGARAMA even if your posts are something as simple as mentioning events going on in your city each weekend, such as “What to Do in {Your City} This Weekend”. It also gives you a reason to email your customers weekly. 
COFFEE SHOP SALES & PROMOTIONS TACTICSCoffee Shop Marketing Strategy Plan
  • Comment daily on the latest blog posts of popular local news media and magazines.
  • Create a rewards card by linking the points accumulation to various things i.e. 20 points for buying a coffee, 20 points for downloading your app, 5 points for leaving a review, 15 points for signing up for your email, 10 points for posting a photo of your coffee shop (with shoutout) to Instagram, etc. 
  • Offer a travel mug that has your coffee shop logo and address as part of your rewards program to garner free advertising.

Isn’t my coffee shop marketing plan awesome? And this is just for January. Get the entire 12 months by downloading my 12-Month Coffee Shop Marketing Plan today!

Also Read: Fun and Easy Local Marketing Idea

© 2023 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Coffee Shop Marketing Strategy Plan.

6 Killer Marketing Ideas for Your Lularoe Business

June 6, 2017 /

by Gail Oliver, Online Marketing Consultant

Lularoe is a direct sales clothing brand that has become a billion dollar business in just 5 years, selling their vibrant fashions through home based consultants. Direct sales businesses can be lucrative, but it can take time. So here are 6 killer marketing ideas for your Lularoe business, from my new ebook, Direct Sales Marketing Ideas. 

6 Killer Marketing Ideas Lularoe Business

  1. Since one of Lularoe’s most popular products is their leggings, attend free yoga classes in the park (or other free exercise classes in your town) wearing a pair of Lularoe leggings, along with a gym bag full of the leggings for on-the-spot sales.
  2. Have your yoga mat printed with, “Like My Leggings? They’re Lularoe”. Any print shop can do this for you onto a plain yoga mat. Free advertising!
  3. Repackage older items, out of season items or stock that didn’t sell into value bundles for sale or “grab bags”.
  4. Post a countdown graphic daily on your social media sites, leading up to your next Lularoe Facebook Pop-up Store to create momentum.
  5. Suggest to your Lularoe consultants that they hold a home party to coincide with a TV show viewing party, like the finale of the Bachelor or during the half time at a Super Bowl party.
  6. Create paper door hangers to hang on neighbour’s doors (or hit up an apartment building) inviting people to your next Lularoe Facebook pop up shop. There are many Etsy shops that can create custom door hangers inexpensively for you.

Get hundreds of more awesome ideas in my ebook, Direct Sales Marketing Ideas from my Selz store. Watch your sales skyrocket!

© 2018 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved.

Marketing Ideas Lularoe Business

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