By: May Ellen Merrigan of the Merrigan Group
Overnight, fall arrived. The temperature dropped. Leaves began to turn. Suddenly, “finishing strong” seems like a great way to end the year. Putting forth the effort now to fast start the first quarter might feel overwhelming to some entrepreneurs. “It’s all I can do to think about the holidays,” you may gasp.
Take a deep breath and then “Take Ten.” Pump up the results of your marketing efforts with these ten easy steps.
Ten Ways to Finish Strong
1. Play with promotional strategies that pop. Strengthen your general plan (open house, special sale, gift ideas). Is there a story you can tell, a picture you might show, an alliance you could form? Develop a distinct theme for use throughout all communications this season. As you create new ideas, a synergy will begin that will help you hone and expand your message.
2. Make your end-of-year appointments. Call your graphics person, marketing strategist and web developer. Arrange for a general communication meeting to brainstorm promotional ideas. Be daring and different and include all of your vendor partners.
3. Plan your content strategy. List every piece of communication, including each advertisement, blog post, email and newsletter. How can you gain more visibility for materials you’ve already produced?
4. Invite two or three best customers to add input. Host a coffee or tea party for a few of your good customers and delve into their minds. Let them remind you of the things they love about your business. Write down the descriptive words and phrases they use and incorporate these into your plan.
5. Review social media and determine to use it effectively. The public hue and cry about social media serves to remind us to get social. If you’ve not stayed current, ask for help. Think outside the box. Incorporate one social media strategy into your plan. Find your customers online.
6. Seek collaborative opportunities. Use creative partnering to extend your money, time and visibility. Brick and mortar businesses might organize a social event for stores in their strip center. Service businesses could produce a collective open house or preview party. Even better, team up with another business to offer a product with purchase. This is about getting the word out.
7. Stay visible. The activities and bustle of the season may tempt you to go within, focusing exclusively on your own business. Resist. Find ways to network with other entrepreneurs. Listen to their ideas. In the process, you’ll boost your own creative output.
8. Perform a self-evaluation. Rate the effectiveness of each strategy and its return on investment. Vow to find new ideas to replace those that are least effective. Then look for promotions you can adapt to use in your business. Note what works for others. Even better, ask them, “How’s that working for you?”
9. Clean house! Review and archive files – paper and computer.
10. Enjoy this time! Resolve to have fun each and every day. Celebrate your blessings. “Take ten” every day just to reconnect with all that is good.
Marketing and publicity consultant Mary Ellen Merrigan, Merrigan Group LLC, founded her blog, ProfitMeister, to provide DIY (Do It Yourself) marketing strategies for independent businesses. She is the author of The Six Week Marketing Plan, a content-packed e-book that simplifies marketing today.
Overnight, fall arrived. The temperature dropped. Leaves began to turn. Suddenly, “finishing strong” seems like a great way to end the year. Putting forth the effort now to fast start the first quarter might feel overwhelming to some entrepreneurs. “It’s all I can do to think about the holidays,” you may gasp.
Take a deep breath and then “Take Ten.” Pump up the results of your marketing efforts with these ten easy steps.
Ten Ways to Finish Strong
1. Play with promotional strategies that pop. Strengthen your general plan (open house, special sale, gift ideas). Is there a story you can tell, a picture you might show, an alliance you could form? Develop a distinct theme for use throughout all communications this season. As you create new ideas, a synergy will begin that will help you hone and expand your message.
2. Make your end-of-year appointments. Call your graphics person, marketing strategist and web developer. Arrange for a general communication meeting to brainstorm promotional ideas. Be daring and different and include all of your vendor partners.
3. Plan your content strategy. List every piece of communication, including each advertisement, blog post, email and newsletter. How can you gain more visibility for materials you’ve already produced?
4. Invite two or three best customers to add input. Host a coffee or tea party for a few of your good customers and delve into their minds. Let them remind you of the things they love about your business. Write down the descriptive words and phrases they use and incorporate these into your plan.
5. Review social media and determine to use it effectively. The public hue and cry about social media serves to remind us to get social. If you’ve not stayed current, ask for help. Think outside the box. Incorporate one social media strategy into your plan. Find your customers online.
6. Seek collaborative opportunities. Use creative partnering to extend your money, time and visibility. Brick and mortar businesses might organize a social event for stores in their strip center. Service businesses could produce a collective open house or preview party. Even better, team up with another business to offer a product with purchase. This is about getting the word out.
7. Stay visible. The activities and bustle of the season may tempt you to go within, focusing exclusively on your own business. Resist. Find ways to network with other entrepreneurs. Listen to their ideas. In the process, you’ll boost your own creative output.
8. Perform a self-evaluation. Rate the effectiveness of each strategy and its return on investment. Vow to find new ideas to replace those that are least effective. Then look for promotions you can adapt to use in your business. Note what works for others. Even better, ask them, “How’s that working for you?”
9. Clean house! Review and archive files – paper and computer.
10. Enjoy this time! Resolve to have fun each and every day. Celebrate your blessings. “Take ten” every day just to reconnect with all that is good.
Marketing and publicity consultant Mary Ellen Merrigan, Merrigan Group LLC, founded her blog, ProfitMeister, to provide DIY (Do It Yourself) marketing strategies for independent businesses. She is the author of The Six Week Marketing Plan, a content-packed e-book that simplifies marketing today.
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