Tag: creative marketing ideas

You Have To Try This Email Marketing Idea

April 30, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

I saw this email in my in-box and I thought the subject line was simple but brilliant:

This florist, who I have purchased from in the past, is using the various national days to drum up business, and you can do the same.

Below are some upcoming occasions to email customers about the way they did (except, you might want to say “This Month is” instead of “Tomorrow is“):

May 2 – Teacher Appreciation Day
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
May 12 – Military Spouse Appreciation Day
May 12 – Nurses Day
May 13 – Dog Mom Appreciation Day
May 14 – Mother’s Day
May 24 – Brother’s Day

Click to download

I have a detailed timeline of every major holiday, event and other occasion for each month of the year in my brand new 2023 Etsy Holiday Sales Planner.

Today’s Marketing Idea I Love

January 5, 2023 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

marketing ideas I love Happy new year everyone!

So here is today’s marketing idea that I really love, and that I thought you might want to try with your own business.

I was on the website of the furniture retailer, West Elm, and I really liked how they include this “Why West Elm?” graphic at the end of every listing description.

It focuses on five key elements of their value proposition, with short-to-the-point text and easy to understand graphics.

The goal is to reinforce to first-time customers your business’ values and credibility, to create trust in buying from you.

If you need help writing your website copy, About page, Brand Story, blog posts, press releases, listing descriptions, and so forth, I offer a variety of affordable marketing writing services that create engagement and are optimized for SEO. Just email me at attentiongetting@gmail.com to discuss or head over to my Services page at my Shopify store or on Etsy.

I know you’re busy, so here are more of my 30-Second Reads.

6 Creative Ways to Draw Customers to Your Booth at Fairs, Shows and Festivals

August 25, 2015 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Looking for some creative vendor booth ideas for the next time you are at a fair, trade show, festival or even farmer’s market? Here are six unique ones I came up with.

Creative Vendor Booth Idea #1

People tend to bring their kids to these things (don’t want to pay for a babysitter) so you need to keep the kids busy in your booth so the parents can stick around longer. I would make one wall of your booth a chalkboard and let the kids go crazy.

Creative Vendor Booth Idea #2

Nothing pulls people into a booth more than free food and beverages. Offer something less ordinary, like espresso, cappuccino or one of those large glass drink dispensers and they can help themselves. Plus, if you give them a drink they feel slightly obligated to look around your booth while they finish it.

Creative Vendor Booth Idea #3

You want to collect leads, and the best way is always through some sort of ballot box (you can capture names electronically through an iPad as well). The draw has to be attractive, such as a daily draw for a $200 Home Depot gift card (since these are home renovators attending the show).

Creative Vendor Booth Idea #4

Instead of useless swag give a useful handout, like a checklist of all the things you need to do to your home to prepare it for winter. This is something people are more likely to keep, even post on the fridge. Make sure it is well branded with your company’s info.

Creative Vendor Booth Idea #5

Have a fun mascot that kids can pose with (with your company’s name somewhere on the mascot that won’t get hidden behind a posing child). Then encourage their parents to post the photo to Instagram (maybe doing this gives them a second ballot in the draw). Posting the photo to Instagram gets your company seen by their followers.

Creative Vendor Booth Idea #5

Get the word out in advance on social media by tweeting out to people attending the show to bring a digital photo of their home for a free, on the spot transformation (you bring the photo into an editing program and quickly swap out windows, doors, siding, etc. so they can see the possibilities). Show the before and after transformations up on a big screen for all to see.

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.

Need Marketing Help?

5 Bright Marketing Ideas This Week

April 2, 2015 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

by Gail Oliver, Marketing Consultant

There were lots of great marketing and promotional ideas this week that got my attention. Hopefully some of these ideas will inspire your business.

This Week’s Bright Marketing Ideas

Vienna coffee company Julius Meinl allowed customers at any of their locations to pay for their coffee simply by leaving an original poem, all in celebration of World Poetry Day on March 21 (#PayWithaPoem).
Starbucks is celebrating their 20^th anniversary by selling a birthday cake flavored frappuccino.
Target is looking to add some more indie chic to their home decor offerings by now including products from artisan marketplace, Of a Kind.
Music festival fashion continues to be a hot commodity with major retailers such as Free People, Asos, TopShop, ModCloth and Roxy giving it a separate category in their online shops. H&M has even released a Coachella collection.
Yoga wear designer Lululemon has addressed a problem many men have and, as such, their ABC men’s pants are flying off the shelves. What does the “ABC” stand for? Anti-ball crushing.

Quirky Promotional Ideas That Get Attention for Your Small Business

February 25, 2015 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Time 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).
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.

3 Marketing Ideas To Try In November

November 25, 2013 / Gail Oliver, Online Small Business Consultant

Need some marketing ideas for November?

November can be one of the biggest selling times of the year for a lot of small businesses. As such, it poses a ton of opportunities for promotion.

So, here are three quick and easy marketing ideas to try in November for your small business.

1. Approach Editors About Valentine’s Gift Guides

Marketing Ideas for November

That’s right, holiday gift guides are in full swing, so if you missed out you might as well start on the next big gift buying holiday. Valentine’s Day is 11 weeks away so start emailing editors of blogs and magazines that your target market reads with possible gift guide topics that could work for what you sell. i.e. Valentine’s Gift Ideas for the Dog in Your Life, Valentine’s Gift Ideas for a Boyfriend of 2 Months, Valentine’s Gift Ideas for Kids, etc.

2. Comment on Thanksgiving Posts

Marketing Ideas for November

As long as your avatar and user name denotes your business, commenting on social media posts is free advertising for you. Over the next two days comment on as many Thanksgiving recipe pins you can find, because that is what people will be looking at.

3. Approach a Local Shop

Marketing Ideas for November

Small local shops are always looking for opportunities to bring more shoppers into their store, especially during holiday shopping season. Approach a store that compliments (but doesn’t compete with) what you sell and see if they will let you set up a special table just for your products. You will handle all transactions, giving them a 10% cut at the end of the day. The additional benefit for them is that you will bring all of your friends, family and customers to their shop that day. Plus, they have something to promote, “Special Vendor in the Shop Today!“.

Tag: creative marketing ideas

You Have To Try This Email Marketing Idea

Today’s Marketing Idea I Love