Small Business Marketing Strategist
Every Thanksgiving, “How to Cook a Turkey” is one of the top searches, as you can see below. So, email your customers a helpful email on how to do this (just attach a link to a popular food blogger). Be sure to make “How to Cook a Turkey” the email subject line, and at the end of the email, mention your Black Friday sale. I guarantee a high open rate!
Shop my Black Friday sale.
©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Quick Thanksgiving Email Marketing Tip.
Black Friday (the day after the US Thanksgiving) has been a tradition for decades. People running in droves to the mall to get awesome deals.
A reporter recently asked me if Black Friday was over, and I disagreed. I personally think Black Friday will be back big time this year, mostly because COVID made us miss our traditions.
I also think fear of a recession meant people are holding off a little longer before making their holiday purchases, so Black Friday seems like a good time with just a month until Christmas.
But retailers have to offer BIG deals as this is what people are expecting.
It doesn’t matter what you sell, products or services, you can use the lure of a big Black Friday sale:
Still another easy marketing idea is to work with a non-competitive store in the mall (or the mall itself) on a co-offer. For example:
Don’t forget Small Business Saturday, Second Hand Sunday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday all have opportunities to promote your business as well!
If you need more creative ways to get attention for your business, set up a 1:1 Phone Consultation with me.
©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. How Every Business Can Sell on Black Friday
One of my most popular posts this year was 54 Creative Small Business Ideas for 2022.
Well I just updated it with some new small business ideas for 2023:
Home Grown Flowers – Did you know that flowers were impacted by the supply chain? So, buy yourself an affordable green house on Amazon and grow flowers for people to purchase for weddings, Mother’s Day, even poinsettias for Christmas. This makes a great seasonal side hustle; it does not have to be full-time.
Upsized House Plans (or Homes) for Boomers – Believe it or not, more baby boomers are upsizing their homes rather than downsizing. They want more space in their golden years to accommodate live-in elderly parents as well as out-of-town children and grandchildren who come to visit. As a result, the type of house has changed whereby they require two to three bedrooms with their own ensuite bath, wheel chair accessibility, and single level with a first floor owner’s suite.
Pop-up Store Liaison – A lot of commercial retail property is sitting empty after COVID, so it would help if there was someone who acted as a liaison between small businesses who wanted a short-term popup retail presence (just for a weekend, week or month) and the lessor, owner or realtor for the property. You make your money by getting a piece of the commission.
Spiritual Awakening Trip Planner – People are really investing in their mental health, so they like to seek guidance in far off exotic places that have a tradition of helping with spiritual healing, such as Varanasi, Machu Picchu, Kyoto, Bali, and Jerusalem. A great business idea is to be a travel planner specializing in these types of excursions, especially targeting single people travelling on their own.
Home Energy Expert – With energy costs at a record high, people want to find ways to save on their energy bills as much as possible. A service whereby you can come in and evaluate a home (or actually do the work) and provide ways for the home owner to better insulate and cut costs is invaluable, not to mention it can also qualify the home owner for various government rebates.
Wellness Coach – You’ve heard of a Life Coach, but a Wellness Coach focuses purely on your physical and mental health choices. People know they have to take better care of their health, but rarely make the time. A wellness coach gives you a plan and makes sure you stay on course.
Sleep Expert – It is believed that between 30% and 48% of older adults suffer from insomnia. It is becoming a serious health issue with many people seeking relief, so a sleep expert who could help solve their problem would be a service worth paying for.
Want to start your own business in 2023? Set up a phone consultation and I can advise on some ideas that would be right for you as well as how to get started. You can also download my Starting a New Business Planner.
©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. New Small Business Ideas for 2023
Need social media post ideas for your business for 2023?
I just updated my 365 Social Media Post Ideas Calendar for 2023. If you struggle with coming up with creative and engaging content to post, it can be a huge help.
The ideas are lifestyle-based as well as tailored to top searched content, but you can apply the ideas to almost any type of business, as I will show below.
This and That posts are great for engagement. For example, in December my posting calendar will say “Post a holiday movie theme This or That, such as “Elf or Home Alone?” (where followers give their response in comments). Even though it’s fun and gets people to respond, I realize it might not suit your business or brand.
However, it can inspire you to come up with something relevant to your business. For example:
It’s a great way to do research also.
Lists are always popular social media content. For example, towards the end of December, my posting calendar will say , “Post your 5 Favorite Books of the Past Year and ask followers theirs.” Again, you can tailor this to suit your business. For example:
When something is trending or happening in pop culture, people turn to social media to get answers. For example, in February my posting calendar will say, Post answers to top searched questions about BHM this month: “What does Black History month mean?”, “When was Black History month first celebrated?”, etc. Again, you can tailor this to your business. For example:
So if you struggle finding creative and interesting content to post to social media, find tons of inspiration in my download 365 Social Media Post Ideas with an idea for every day of the year!
Read more: What to Post to Social Media in December
No time to read? Try my 30-Second Posts
©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Social Media Post Ideas for Business 2023
It really is not that difficult to get free publicity for your business. One tip I always give clients is to stay on top of current news stories, so you can find ways to add your business to the story.
For example, if you sell online or retail, there is a lot in the news right now about inflation and people cutting back on holiday spending. So reach out to a business writer and ask if you can contribute your findings to any editorial they might be writing.
For example, “Jane Doe from XYZ Company, who sells their dog products online, has noticed that their holiday sales are on par with last year, but people are just buying earlier”.
You can do this with any type of business. If you’re selling real estate, you could ask to comment on a potential story idea such as:
“Mary Smith from MS Realty sees pent-up demand from the pandemic continuing to fuel sales despite higher interest rates and inflation on the rise.”
If you’re a travel agent, for example:
“Steve Johnson from AMC Travel offers these tips to cost-effectively avoid the Thanksgiving travel rush.”
Therefore, a take a look at today’s new headlines and see if there is any way to fit in the story.
For more inspiration, read my posts, Easy Way to Get Year End Publicity for Your Business and 9 Publicity Ideas for Your Small Biz.
If you need help coming up with a pitch for a relevant news story, my Publicity Pitch service has 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.
Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.
I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Be sure to read an article on Yahoo I was recently quoted in: “4 Businesses to Start in the Fall
”.
©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Free Publicity for Your Business
TikTok is becoming increasing popular with more than just the GenZ crowd. If you want to get your business noticed on TikTok, but you do not feel like doing a cutesy reel, an easy way it to use TikTok’s very popular #BookTok hashtag.
With over 80 billion views to-date, with the #BookTok hashtag you simply create a reel recommending a book and include the hashtag to get found in searches.
It doesn’t have to be a fictional book, it can be used to recommend a non-fiction book as well, so this makes it easier to find a book related to what you sell.
For example, if you’re a realtor or sell home-type goods, you could do a #BookTok for a favorite decorating book. If you sell clothing, try a #BookTok for a book about the fashion industry. If you sell kids products, create a #BookTok on your favorite kids books for Halloween.
If you do not like being seen onscreen, simply show the book cover and flip through the pages. Add a voice over about why you like the book or set the reel to music.
Give it a try and see if you can get in on this popular TikTok trend!
Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.
I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Be sure to read an article on Yahoo I was recently quoted in: “4 Businesses to Start in the Fall ”.
My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.
©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. A Quick Tip to Get Business on TikTok
Do you have a sales channel strategy for your business?
A sales channel is basically any place you sell your products and/or services. Not market, but physically sell.
It can be a store front or commercial space, an online marketplace, your website, your blog, your social media sites, through sales reps, in-person sales and so forth.
You do not want to put all of your eggs in one basket when it comes to your business. For example, for several years I was selling on a site called Selz.com. It wasn’t my only sales channel, but I did well on it. About a year and half ago, they were purchased by Amazon, who then decided a year later to just fold the company. So I was given two months notice that I was going to unexpectedly lose a sales channel.
If I had only been selling on Selz.com, I would have been in trouble.
It’s sort of the same philosophy as having more than one job or owning more than one company. Multiple revenue streams are important because if one gets shut down, for any reason, your business does not go down with it.
In addition to having multiple sales channels, it is also important to evaluate them from time to time to see which ones are effective, which ones are not doing well and need improvement, and which ones may just be costing you too much money in terms of fees and other issues.
This is why I came up with a Sales Channel Audit and Strategy Plan. You can get so busy, that you don’t stop to take the time to see where your money is going, and it might be going out the window on high fees. So, it is important to look at your sales performance on every channel, and what you are actually profiting.
I am not saying to dump channels with high fees, but you may want to redirect the traffic you are sending to the most profitable ones. Traffic from your publicity, social media, ads and so forth, should go to the sites that are giving you the most bang for your buck.
Do you know all of the places you can sell online? In case you don’t, I have a post called, 90+ Online Selling Sites and Marketplaces that you might want to read.
Click to download
So, take a few hours and make sure your sales channel strategy is making you the most money possible, with my Sales Channel Audit.
Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.
I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Be sure to read an article on Yahoo I was recently quoted in: “4 Businesses to Start in the Fall ”.
My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.
©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Sales channel strategy.
In my 12-Month Marketing Plans, one thing I always recommend is that you set up free Google Alerts.
What this means is you give Google certain keywords that you wish to be alerted for, so when a blog post, magazine article or news report shows up with those keywords in it, they send you an email letting you know.
For example, let’s say you are a Boston seafood restaurant. You can set up Google alerts for: Boston, Boston restaurants, Boston seafood restaurants and your restaurant name.
If you sell fashion jewelry on Amazon, maybe you want to set up alerts for: fashion, jewelry, jewelry trends, fall jewelry, Amazon, ecommence, gifts and even a competitor’s name.
So set them up today using the link I gave above. Again, they are free.
Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.
I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Be sure to read an article on Yahoo I was recently quoted in: “4 Businesses to Start in the Fall ”.
My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.
©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Google Alerts Set Up.
Why do you need to do a customer audit?
I recently decided to break up my Strategic Business Planner into smaller modules, because it could be a little overwhelming to do an audit of every aspect of your business at one time.
The truth is, you do need to do an audit of all aspects of your business from time to time, in order to rethink your overall strategy, but you can focus just on the most urgent issues you have.
One of the first components I broke out is my Customer Audit. Now, I took the audit myself, and discovered some interesting things that I hadn’t realized because I hadn’t been taking the time to look at my business.
One thing I realized was that my male customers seemed to be lower than previous years. Also, I have less UK customers than prior years. I also seemed to be getting more customers in their early 20s. All of this is valuable information in terms of my marketing strategy.
It made be realize that I hadn’t updated my email opt-in incentive for a while, and that there was more I could be doing in terms of my pre-sales and post-sales customer experience, among many other things.
My Customer Audit consists of 8 very easy-to-follow worksheets that will help you ensure that you are targeting the right customer (in terms of age, income, gender, etc.) as well as identify new customer segments, and evaluate your customer service strategy as well. It also prompts you to examine what is your customer experience, both pre-sales and post-sales, what are you doing to retain customers, what are you doing to get referrals and more pressing customer questions.
So many times businesses come to me wanting to find new customers, but are you getting the most out of the customers you already have?
Click to download
If you are interested in analyzing your current customer base and improving your overall customer experience, download my Customer Audit.
Do you need your Brand Story written or an SEO-Optimized Blog Post or a Personalized Business Consultation? As a 20+ year marketing professional and small business consultant, all of my services are super affordable.
I have consulted for thousands of small businesses since 2012, and my advice has been featured in the NY Times, Success Magazine, Yahoo Business, American Express, Big Commerce, Business2Community to name a few – so this is professional advice you can trust! Be sure to read an article on Yahoo I was recently quoted in: “4 Businesses to Start in the Fall ”.
My Publicity Pitch service has also gotten my clients featured in Real Simple Magazine, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful, Vanity Fair, Houzz, Martha Stewart, Glamour Magazine, LONNY, DesignMilk, Emmaline Bride,– just to name a few.
©2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. Customer Service Audit.
Everyone is looking to make a little extra money on the side these days, so I found three all-new side hustle business ideas you might want to consider.
The other day I noticed someone visiting one of my neighbors and picking up bunches of hydrangea flowers. My neighbor’s yard is lined in hydrangeas trees (which are rapid growers), and it turns out, she sells them to brides who pick them up on the day of the wedding. Typical price is $6 per stem.
Now, you could take this idea even further and purchase a small greenhouse for your yard and grow seasonal floral items, like poinsettias for Christmas or mums for fall. You could sell them to local stores and farmer’s markets.
Click to download
I have a relative who drives a city bus, but is thinking of retiring. However, he still wanted to do some part-time work using his driving skills. I mentioned that there is a huge backlog of teens trying to get driving lessons as many driving schools couldn’t operate during the pandemic. So I suggested he consider becoming a private driving instructor.
I also mentioned the possibility of being a “private” driver. When we were staying at a hotel years back, we had trouble getting a taxi to go to a destination that was about 45 minutes away. So the concierge recommended using their private driver service. The driver was not an employee of the hotel, but had their own business and the hotel just used them as needed. So for a little more money, we got a luxury car ride to our destination.
I had another neighbor who owned a utility trailer, the kind you could attach to a hitch and haul small stuff. Everyone on the street was constantly borrowing this trailer. So, if you have one, consider renting it out for a daily or weekly rate. It is particularly in big demand this time of year when college kids are heading off to school. The rate is around $25 a day, higher if demand is great and trailers are scarce.
Be sure to read an article on Yahoo I was recently quoted in: “4 Businesses to Start in the Fall ”.
About MeDo 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.
© 2022 Gail Oliver. All rights reserved. All New Side Hustle Business Ideas
I'm Gail Oliver and since 2012 I have advised thousands of small businesses and I can help yours too! Feel free to contact me at attentiongetting@gmail.com with a question!
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