The busiest buying season of the year is right around the corner! Is your business positioned to maximize the profit potential? If not, now is the time to make a plan to ensure you are ready for those major holiday shopping days! Each of the traditional holiday shopping days offers a unique opportunity to promote your business and increase your income.
Black Friday
November 25th
Black Friday represents the beginning of the shopping season for many consumers. Consumers expect great deals, but that does not mean you have to discount your existing services. Instead, you can create special “Black Friday” only packages. These packages could be a “sampler” of your services provided in a single session or over several appointments. You could also offer a service with a product package where the customer receives something yummy such as BIOTONE’s Sugar Body Polish Trial Size Kit.
Small Business Saturday
November 26th
“Buy local” campaigns picked up speed over the last 4 years with an all-time single-day high of 16.2 billion dollars on Small Business Saturday in 2015. These campaigns should highlight what makes your business unique and valuable to the community. If you work with or support local charities, this is a great time to let people know!
Cyber Monday
November 28th
Cyber Monday is the biggest shopping day of the year! Consumers are hanging out at home, clicking and buying and buying and clicking. Even if you don’t sell your products and services online, you should be prepared to market your business electronically via emails and social media.
Super Saturday & Christmas Eve
December 17th & 24th
Super Saturday and Christmas Eve are two of the most frantic shopping days of the year for consumers. They have procrastinated to the very end and still need that perfect gift! Good thing you are there to save the day with special promotions on your signature therapies! Promotions can play on words to highlight the benefits of massage and encourage a little investment in self. Something like “Stressing because you haven’t found that perfect gift? We can help! Buy one 60 minute massage session for yourself, get 50 % off a 60-minute session for a friend!”
The shopping season from Black Friday to after Christmas allows you to market your business to new and existing customers repeatedly. You can even offer loyalty points to existing customers who recommend your services as great gifts. This can be easily accomplished by encouraging existing clients to share your online web and social media promotions with their friends. All you have to do is track the referrals and decide what reward to offer those who refer, perhaps a complimentary session or extra time added to their next appointment.
Campaigns can be via mailers, blogs, newsletters, social media, your website, posters, or holiday cards. Many find that a multi-platform approach reaps the most rewards. Regardless of technique, make sure your promotions are available for a limited time and quantity. Campaigns should be designed to target the specific audience you are interested in attracting, which often starts with handing out pre-event postcards to your existing clients beginning a few weeks before Black Friday. People are going to be shopping. Why not position your business to benefit?