The Secret Weapon to Stay Ahead of the Competition

You smell the freshly cut grass and the tangy barbeque sizzling on the grill. You sip a nice, cool beverage by the pool and start to fall asleep.

Ah…summer. It’s time for rest, relaxation and fun. But wait a minute…Wake up!

It’s also a time to be aware of your business. Why?

Well, while you’re napping, your competitors may be doing something you’re not…something that can significantly squash your future sales… and even put you out of business.

What is this secret weapon?

Planning future promotions.

That’s right. Even though the sun is blazing (and you’d rather not work), it’s time to think about snowflakes and holiday sales. Before you know it, the holiday season will be here, and if you don’t act now, you will miss out on some great publicity and marketing opportunities… so what’s a business owner to do?

Here are three, quick tips to fight the holiday battle now:

1.      Figure out what your target market will want.

Start thinking about how you can fulfill the needs of your customers in the months ahead and get them to buy your products and services.

Will an updated product, discount coupon, layaway process, gift-with-purchase, or other special discount bring in more sales? What do you want to accomplish this holiday season?

Be creative and think of ways you can promote your unique benefits while exceeding customer expectations.

And even if you can’t afford a big sale, you can always provide extra customer-service, work with a charity on a special, holiday event, have a theme day, hold a contest, or create other, free activities that will bring customers in your door.

2.      Make plans now.

Got your big, promotional ideas for the holidays? Great!

Write down all of the activities, responsibilities, budgets, deadline dates, and specifics necessary for you to make your plans a reality. And don’t forget to include all of the marketing and public-relations tactics that go with each activity.

This way, you’ll know what needs to be done when, and who is responsible for accomplishing each task. Not only will this help you meet your goals, but it will help you avoid last-minute surprises and missed deadlines.

3.      Start promoting.

Once you have your plan in place, start your promotion activities. After all, many media venues are already working on their holiday issues, and you don’t want to miss out on interviews, articles and advertising placements.

Be sure to get your Web site ready too. You’ll probably need new, holiday copy for search engine optimization, landing pages, newsletters, brochures, blogs, social media, and other, promotional materials.

Got it all together?

Fantastic! Now, you can go back to the hammock and that tall glass of lemonade. You are in control and ready to take on the competition in the cooler months ahead… And if not, give me a call, and I’ll help you get it done!

Do you need help writing good, search engine optimization copy for your website and marketing materials? How about publicity to get people to your site? Please let me know here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’m here to help. (Also, look for my new book, “Simple Publicity,” coming soon!)