7 Holiday Marketing Tips on a Limited Budget

When we think of holiday marketing - which can be critical to your business success - we often think only of promotions and discounts. But you don't have to cut your margins or break the bank to stand out from the crowd any more. Here are seven budget-friendly steps you should consider to promote your small business while meeting the needs of your customers this holiday season.

1. Host an "Open House"

If you operate a retail business, restaurant or any gift-oriented business, why not plan an open house event in mid-November? Use it to showcase holiday season gifts, menus and merchandise. Offer up a glass of warm cider or mulled wine, and really get people into the spirit of the holidays. This will give customers an opportunity to check out your merchandise or holiday menus in advance. You could throw in a special offer or coupon that customers can redeem anytime up until December 24.

2. Work the Holiday Magic for Your Faithful Customers

Think of ways to generate repeat holiday business from your existing customers. Special offers, sneak previews, free shipping, or secret sales are all great ways to make your faithful customers feel special without breaking the bank.

3. Feature Product/Services of the Day or Week

I love this low cost marketing idea from Ivana Taylor at SmallBizTrends : why not create 12 days of "your product" or a product or service of the month? Feature and market a product or service every day or every week during the holidays. Think about focusing on high margin products or items your customers don't know about. "Companies in the food business use this strategy a lot," explains Ivana. "Think beer of the month, cheesecake of the month, or coffee of the month... Maid service companies could feature an extra cleaning detail each month, trainers or consultants can offer featured webinars, reports or newsletters."  And don't forget to communicate this themed promotion on your website, social media, email, posters, and flyers.

4. Offer Gift Certificates

Whatever your business, selling gift certificates, gift cards and e-certificates is a great way to give your customers a convenient gift option. They also help you generate sales well into the New Year, with recipients often spending more than the value of the certificate.

5. Partner With Other Businesses

It's likely that many of the businesses in your community also rely heavily on the holidays for a good chunk of their income. Is there a way you can partner with complementary stores or restaurants to cross-promote each other's businesses? For example, a cosmetic store and a hair salon might develop a promotion that offers a time-limited discount off each other's respective goods and services, if the customer frequents both. SBA guest blogger Rieva Lesonsky offers more tips in her blog: Forget the Competition, It's Time for Co-opetition.

6. Get Involved in Community and Charitable Events

Getting out there and supporting charities or sponsoring or getting involved in community events is a great way to generate awareness for your business during the holidays. Even if you don't have the budget to donate large sums of money, think of other ways to get involved, such as offering volunteer services, equipment or even space.

7. Use Your Website and Social Media to Promote your Holiday Activities

Your online presence, email marketing, and social media networks are a great way to target and connect with local consumers through timely updates and compelling calls-to-action. Develop holiday themes for your email templates and update your website and Facebook profile picture with a festive look.

Then be sure to channel any offers or promotions through social media. You can even offer deals or events exclusively to your social media fans to help drive foot traffic and generate leads. And don't forget to engage in two-way dialogues. Ask your fans about their holiday activities. For example, a restaurant might highlight a holiday dish of the day on Facebook and ask fans to chime in on their favorite dish or items they'd like to see on the menu.

 

 This weeks tip is brought to you by the Caron Beesley and the SBA

Create Your Own Website

Create Your Own Website

Seating is limited.  FREE to Conejos Chamber members.  $15/person for non-chamber members.

Thursday, January 17, 2013  4:00-6:00 p.m.

Conejos County Library in La Jara, Colorado,

17703 U.S. Highway 285,  81140

Just off Highway 285 by the Conejos County Arena

*Website is hosted for free up to one year by Google/Intuit platform.

Please RSVP to Donna Wehe at 719-589-3682 or donna@slv-sbdc.com

HOW TO RANK WELL ON GOOGLE SEARCHES

If you want to increase your visibility on the Internet when someone searches for your business, watch this 13 minute video produced by Eric Spellmann.

Tax Workshop for the Self-Employed

$20 per person

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Taught by CPA Bob Gjellum

5:30-7:30 p.m.

Depot, Alamosa

 

Please RSVP to Donna at 589-3682 or donna@slv-sbdc.com

Start Your Own Business Workshop

      

         Start Your Own Business Workshop

(legal registration, EIN, sales tax and more)

Wed., December 5^th 2012

4:00-6:00 p.m.

Del Norte Computer Center – 1025 Spruce Street in the La Hacienda Development

$10 per person; limited seating;

Scholarships available

$5 discount for chamber members

Please RSVP to the Small Business Development Center

 at 589-3682 or donna@slv-sbdc.com

Crestone Telecom is a Unique Business Model

 

        Ralph Abrams is the Executive Director of Crestone Telecom, LLC, is an innovative start-up company that delivers high speed broadband Internet and VoIP phone service to the Crestone/Baca/Moffat area in Southern Colorado.  They also incorporate local community involvement into their business model and offer membership share ownership of different levels in their LLC.

            Ralph often describes his life as hitting all the points of the wheel.  From an early age, Ralph worked the counter in his Dad’s wholesale supply house in Huntington Long Island, learning over 30,000 different electric parts, and how things went together as he helped the electrical contractors. 

            Along the way he learned how to drive a semi truck and eventually started a trucking business in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Often working 60-70 hour weeks, the company grew to eventually have 40 employees and generated close to four million dollars a year in revenue.  The general downtown in business in the late 1980’s inspired Ralph to shift his focus to renovating distressed properties around Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan.  Once again, Ralph built a strong business of approximately 75 rental units and a positive cash flow.  Ralph says his skills are to watch the bottom line, get the best bang for the dollar, present a high quality product at a reasonable price, and always go the extra mile in terms of customer service.  These are the qualities instilled in him from the very earliest days working for his father.

            After studying Hinduism, and later Buddhism, he became deeply involved in spiritual communities, managed and directed a number of spiritual centers, which brought him to Crestone.  He started a construction business, building energy efficient, affordable housing, employed local sub contractors, and kept a crew of three working pretty steady until 2009 when the economic downtown hit Crestone and construction job opportunities became scarce.  It was then that Ralph asked himself: “What other economic base can Crestone use to help maintain economic stability?”  The answer was a reliable, high speed, internet service.  And thus began a year of inquiry, research, and grass roots effort that resulted in the formation of Crestone Telecom.  Ralph used the free and confidential services of the SLV Small Business Development Center, along with other local economic development groups in pursuit of developing this company.  You can visit www.crestonetelecom.com to find out about the other founding members and the details of this unique business model.  To request the SBDC’s services, you may contact Donna Wehe at 589-3682.

                                                    http://crestonetelecom.com/

Fraud Alert

Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler is notifying Colorado businesses of another possibly deceptive solicitation issued by “Compliance Services.” The entity has mailed solicitations titled “Annual Minutes Requirement Statement Directors and Shareholders” to businesses in Colorado. These solicitations offer to prepare documents to satisfy the annual minutes requirement for a $125.00 fee. Though most corporations are required to keep records of annual minutes, they are not required to file these records with any third party.

Although the solicitations contain disclaimers stating that “The preparation of minutes of annual meetings does not satisfy the requirement to file the Periodic Report required by COLORADO REVISED STATUTES Section 7-90-501,” the solicitation is creating confusion. Please be aware, the minutes of annual meetings are not required to be filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office or any other government agency or third party. In addition, records of annual meetings are separate from the annual report filing with the Secretary of State’s Office, which for most businesses is just a $10 fee, online at www.sos.state.co.us.

If you have any questions please contact us directly at 303-894-2200, then press 2, or emailbusiness@sos.state.co.us.