Walking around in town and everywhere else, I can see business people pitching tents and tables in all the malls trying to market their services during the festive season. Companies are displaying all the offers they have and each one has a different tool to woo clients to buy their services. While the festive season is a time to celebrate and appreciate what you have, you should never let your business slip. As hectic and over-stressed the season can be, it is also a great chance to build on your good will. Christmas and New Year’s is a great time to stay connected with your old clients and those who are valuable to your business network. Truth be told, if a business cannot make money during this festive season, then they will not make money for the next four months when that part of the year is usually very dry after people having spent all the monies during the festive season, then come the month of school fees. Here are a few tips to help you create the warm holiday frenzy you need to boost your holiday sales: Early preparationsWhen you have plenty of time to prepare and plan, your marketing effort will be most effective. This would include planning for the most desirable Christmas package for your business; emailing your client list and offer them some gift ideas based on what you have to offer; building up a network that will be beneficial in the lead-up and days-after the holiday season. Basically you prepare yourself and your target market for the upcoming festive season – get them excited and motivated! Make use of email marketingInexpensive email marketing is a great tool to spread the word around. People are looking for creative Christmas gift ideas for their loved ones and themselves each year. Why not send out a holiday edition of email newsletters to your subscribers if you are in the print media? You can offer a free list of unique Christmas gift ideas or some last minute Christmas gift ideas. Along with that, you want to announce promotional packages and Christmas specials and special holiday offers you’ve come up with for your own business. Make your offers more attractive with a special holiday price. Let your clients suggest the gift packagesI have seen it in weddings where the bride and the groom place a gift register in some selected shops, whereby if family and friends are interested in buying them gift , they already have in mind of what they want- so they open a register as a lead. Interacting with clients and let them suggest the kind of gifts they would prefer can be a great idea in forging a business relationship that will go a long way. Work with other local businessMany business people don’t realize the importance of cross promotions. It’s important not only in the sense that you can get more people to notice you, but it also helps you target a bigger market and create more value for your business. Convenience and variety is a big reason why people purchase. When you combine what you and other business have to offer, you attract more clients that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise. You can make a long term joint venture with someone else, or you can strike a one-time only sales event for this special occasion.Creative Christmas gift ideas are not limited to retail business. Expand your list to include other service providers – like photographers, graphic designers, etc. With strategic planning, a business person can make the festive season a prosperous one for his business and the profits gained during the season can go a long way into covering for the months that business will be low. Ends
