8 posts categorized "Holiday Marketing Series"

Entry By Jason Brick

We're in the final stretch, our last week of preparation for Black Friday...this Friday. Although you've missed most of the action if you're tuning in this week, take a look at the whole series to help you get ready for next year. If you've been with us the whole time, congratulations! With a bit of luck, your hard work is going to pay off with the best retail season of your business's life. 

This week combines your final exam with graduation. You have just one thing to do this week: Your Big, Bad Black Friday Bonanza. But the action doesn't start on Friday. Although every business and situation demands its own schedule, you'll do well if you stick to these basic guidelines. Now is time to stage everything for the action later in the week. Find time to take care or all of the following little tasks:

• Catch up on any cleaning that fell by the wayside in past weeks
• Confirm with every member of your staff they they understand their schedule and duties, and can commit to fulfilling them. 
• Do whatever is necessary to ensure that any items you've ordered from suppliers will arrive on time. 
• Schedule text messages reminding winners of your contests and all elite team members of your early bird sale for Wednesday night. 
• Schedule text messages each day this week, each of which includes a countdown reminder (just 76 hours until...) and a teaser for one of the great specials you'll be running on Black Friday.

Tuesday

Finalize your schedule for Wednesday night and Friday. Wednesday, you'll be running a one-to-two hour exclusive early bird event for your winners, elite team, and guests. Determine the best time according to your industry and area. For example, a retail shop might stay open an hour late, while a restaurant might hold an exclusive mean during the lunch rush. 

For Friday, you'll want to follow the lead of your competition. If the other sporting goods store in town opens at 5:00, open at 4:50. If the bar across the street runs happy hour until 8:00, run yours until 9:00.

Tuesday shouldn't be the first day you think about the schedule. Now is the time to confirm the final details, nothing more. 

Wednesday

Run your early-bird special, and support it with text and social media reminders before and during the event. Bonus points for door prizes, time-sensitive extra discounts and anything else to get people as excited as possible. If you run out of stock during this sale, feel free to sleep in on Friday. You've earned it. 

Thursday

Take the day off. Hug your family. Watch the game. 

Friday

Run your sale. By now, you and your staff should be mostly ready. You've planned your work...now work your plan. If business every starts to flag, send a text broadcast offering a limited deal for people who show up in the next hour. Use that instantaneous communication to keep people coming in all day long. 

But that's not all! Black Friday is the beginning of the holiday retail season. With such a powerful start, what plans do you have to ride the momentum all the way to 2013? Tell us about it in the comments. 

Entry By Jason Brick

We're in the home stretch. Just two more weeks of work and events until Black Friday has come and gone again. For those of you joining us for the first time, read weeks one through six of our Small Business Holiday Marketing series. It's a bit late to get full benefit, but you'll find a few ideas you can still take action on. 

This week, you'll feel a bit like a racer lining up on the blocks. You'll finish the last of the warm-ups and start getting ready for the big event. To that effect, we'll focus our energy on three things:

1. Collectors Series, Week Two
2. Clearance Event
3. Changing Your Front Area

With those done, you'll have everything in place to go hard during next week's sales. 

Collector's Series, Week Two

Last week, you sent a series of small discounts and offered a wider discount for people who came in with multiple coupons. This week, you'll go one further. Send three more messages out, sending each on every media platform you use. Again, these will be small deals like a minor discount or free drink with a meal. The difference will be in the value of collecting. Any customer who uses all three deals this week gets admission to next week's Black Friday sales. People who come in several times this week are folks you can pre-frame for big sales and your best deals. Make sure they know they get to bring some friends to that early admission.

Clearance Event

This one's simple. Remember in previous weeks when you went through your front and back areas, identifying items that aren't moving. If you haven't already identified the items that will make the best loss-leaders for next week, do that now and set them aside. Everything else goes on display at the front of your store, offered at as steep a discount as you can offer without experiencing physical pain. Everybody who buys anything also gets a ticket for early admission to your Black Friday event. 

Changing the Front Area

Do this later in the week, after consumers have bought most of your clearance items. Now is the time to rearrange your displays -- and even your furniture -- to make the shop ready for Black Friday. You'll know better than us marketing experts about how best to arrange your shop for a major sale. Just do it this week when you have time to make adjustments. Don't wait until the last minute.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Out of curiosity, how do our retailers balance the Black Friday thing with time for family during this holiday season? Tell us about it in the comments below...

Entry By Jason Brick
Click here to catch up with weeks one through five. We're about three-quarters done, but that doesn't mean you can't get good value from following the rest of the series.

It's time to get serious this week as we round the last corner and see the finish line ahead. If you've been keeping up, you now have a solid list of new subscribers and a customer base that's already used to participating and being involved with your brand. It's time to start capitalizing on that involvement to make everybody excited about what comes next. We'll do that with three pieces:

1. Collector Series Week One
2. Social Media Poll
3. Deep Clean Front Area 

Collector Series

This week, put out four posts with small-scale deals, using different media for each one. A restaurant might drop a 10% o ff lunch coupon via SMS, a free drink on Facebook, a happy hour special on Twitter and a deal on Pinterest. There's one catch. In addition to the individual deals, offer a larger deal for people who come in with multiple coupons. Maybe an extra appetizer, or a free T-shirt. This rewards people for engaging with all your marketing feeds, and encourages people to subscribe to multiple lists. 

Social Media Poll

Use Facebook for this one, but announce it via an SMS broadcast. The idea is simple. Find out what kind of Black Friday deals your customers would like to see most. Run two to three instances of the poll, narrowing down options each time. A sporting goods store might run the poll like this:

• Poll 1: What category of gear would you most like to see on ubersale this season? High school sports, Water gear, Winter clothes or High-ticket items?
• Poll 2: Folks want to see high-ticket items on sale this se ason. What price point are you thinking you'll have for your most expensive holiday purchase? $50 to $100, $100 to $200, $200 to $500, over $500?
• Poll 3: Most people chose the $200 to $500 category. What would excite you most? Some $600 to $800 items brought down to $500, or $500 items brought to the $300 level?

By the end of the week, your most engaged and enthusiastic customers will have told you exactly how to win their business on Black Friday.

Deep Clean Front Area

Close early one night in the middle of the week and clean the ever-loving bejeezus out of every area your customers might see. Scrub walls. Paint scuffs. Throw out those little piles of accumulated detritus. While you're at it, pull merchandise that's been sitting around unmoved for a few weeks. Set them aside for prizes and giveaways for next week.

Can we ask a favor? We can tell by the huge number of social shares that you're getting value out of this seri es. Could a few of you leave a comment to tell us what we're doing well and what you'd like to see different? It will help us close this series with the biggest possible bang. Thanks.

Entry By Jason Brick

Ed. Note - Sorry about the late publishing date this week, but we've been digging out from Hurricane/Snowmageddon/Snowpocalypse Sandy

Click here to read earlier entries in this series. Though you've joined the class half-way through, you can still turn a lot of these ideas into easier work and higher profits. 

This week features Halloween on Wednesday, so a lot of our time will focus on preparing for, running and recovering from that. As in previous weeks, we're looking at three tasks:

1. Promoting and Running a Successful Halloween Event
2. Gathering Data With a Halloween Contest
3. Week Two of Your Pass it On Event

Halloween Event

Different businesses and communities will have different appropriate events. A day care might host a not-too-scary haunted house, while a local bar could run a sexy costume contest. If you're in the right location, you can always take part in the safe trick-or-treating street festival most towns are doing these days. 
Whatever the event, you need to make sure it involves the following key points:

• A signup sheet or quick reference code for all visitors with a clear call-to-action to join your text message broadcasts.
• Flyers or postcards announcing upcoming events and specials -- which you will announce via text and social media channels.
• Inexpensive door prizes, and discounts for bringing new friends to the party.

Keep in mind that sales and fun during the event are not the real goal of your Halloween shindig. Your real goal here is to increase the number of people who know about your business, and to learn how to contact as many of them as possible. 

Halloween Contest

Not everybody will be able to come in on Halloween Night to join your big event, but you don't want to leave them out. Broadcast your Halloween photo contest via SMS, social media and emails. Again, what the contest is about will depend on your audience. Kid-friendly contest might be about costumes, or photos of jack-o-lanterns. Adult businesses might be considerably more risque. 

The point here is engagement and participation, so offer a discount or free prize for all participants and a bigger gimme for the winners. Also offer an additional benefit for any new subscribers to participate, and for people who bring in a friend. 

Pass It On Week Two

Last week you put the word out about your subscription drive, which you'll run this week right alongside your party and contest. This may seem like a lot of work, but it capitalizes on the energy of the holiday and you'll get more participation. 

You set up tiers of prizes, for escalating people brought in as subscribers, likers or otherwise signed up with your media channels. Each day this week, announce the results and send one message on each major channel about the prizes and the deadlines. By the end of the week, you should have a significant increase in the number of people signed up to hear about what's going on with your business. This means more people participating in your bigger sales days going into November and December. 

How's this working out for you, readers? Tell us your stories and ask us your questions in the comments.

Entry By Jason Brick

See all entries in this Series to catch up if you're joining us mid-season. This series is meant to help you use the slower pre-holiday weeks to ramp up for high performance from Black Friday to New Year's Day. 

This week we start prepping for the first big holiday of Q3 and 4: Halloween. We'll riff off that enthusiasm and start launching two of our most important tools for success on the bigger holidays in the coming months. You'll spend your time on the following tasks:

1. Halloween Hints Text Series
2. Pass It On Week One
3. Hiring Holiday Staff

If you're coming in late in the game, this is a week you can't afford to skip. You'll need to double-time it this week and next to make sure you're up to speed.

Halloween Hints Text Series

Three times this week, and three times next, broadcast an SMS message to your subscribers with a seasonal hint related to your business. Don't be salesy on this. Make it informational. Ideas include safety tips for family outings, news about local events, even reviews of movies coming to the local revival theaters. The idea is to get people looking forward to your text messages as a source of news and entertainment. Once you establish this thought, you'll get a much better response rate. 

Pass It On Week One

This week, you leak the news about your big subscription drive for next week. Put the word out in social media, SMS messages and print flyers in your shop. Set up three to five tiers of prizes, each for bringing in a new person for your social media and SMS communities. You'll run the contest next week. This week, choose what the prizes and deals will be -- and let everybody know what to expect. 

Hiring Holiday Staff

Not every business needs extr a help during the holiday season, but most do. Now is the time to interview and select that help. Do it earlier, and people will flake out on you. Wait much longer, and all the good help will be taken by other shops. Before advertising in general, reach out to former staff who left on good terms -- especially kids who went away for college or quit after summer work .
Let's hear some reports from the front. Who out there has success stories or tales of terror? Questions about how to make this work the best? Comment below to join the conversation!

This is part three of our series to get you ready for the holiday rush season. Find Week 2 right here , or start from the beginning here.

This week we start getting the word out and collecting names, as well as a little house cleaning. You'll focus your efforts on three areas:

• Running an SMS Savings Poll
• Conducting a Social Media Drive
• Deep Cleaning Your Back Areas

This week is like the beginning of a chess game. Your moves won't be the ones that directly win the match, but they position you to be more efficient and powerful later down the line.

• Running an SMS Savings Poll
  Brainstorm four different ways to offer savings to your subscribers throughout quarter four. Examples might include buy one/get one, a free small item with a larger purchase, high percentage discounts on set items, or discounts for buying in bulk. Whatever you decide, use your knowledge of the business to select the four that will mean the most profit for you. 
  
  Then broadcast an SMS poll asking your subscribers to select the deal they like best. Honor that poll so your most engaged customers feel a sense of ownership and belonging. This will immensely increase how many people show up for your sale events. 
• Conducting a Social Media Drive
  SMS, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter are all reasonably effective marketing tools -- but none are as effective as all four together. Starting on Monday, offer something special -- such as membership in your elite team from last week -- to anybody who signs up to follow your social media feeds. Announce the deal in every platform you use, and give an extra bonus to anybody who gets a friend signed up. Moving forward, you'll broadcast your announcements on every platform you have. 
• Deep Cleaning Your Back Areas
  If your facility is messy at the beginning of the holiday season, it will be a disaster by the end. Spend time this week going over all your non-public areas with a fine-tooth comb. Throw out things you don't need. Organize areas for better storage. Dust. This new cleanliness is proven to help your team feel more energetic and focused...and you might find some forgotten products to add to your clearance pile. 

Readers, how are we doing so far? What's your experience with the program? Comment below to help us help you better!

Entry By Jason Brick

See Week One of this series to take you from early October to Black Friday itself and the best holiday season of your business's life. Don't worry if you're starting late -- you'll just have to do a little double-timing to catch up. 

This week is all about setting wheels in motion. As the holidays approach, you'll be neck-deep in events and sales -- so use this time not just to get things moving, but to take a little rest before things get too heavy. In addition to your regular business and operations tasks, you're going to take on four assignments:
* Set Your Event Calendar
* Start Your SMS Countdown
* Set Up Your Elite Team
* Identify Your Clearance Items

With these finished, you'll be set for this week, well on the road to holiday sale success.

1. Set Your Event Calendar
   Using last week's schedule of events, sit down with your calendar and decide what dates you'll put each event on. For example, Week Five has a Halloween Contest and a Halloween Event, and Week Eight includes your Black Friday Bonanza. Write the dates down and share them with your key staffers.
2. Start Your SMS Countdown
   Beginning this week, make a note at the end of each SMS marketing broadcast of the time left until your next major event. Something quick like "Just 8 days until our Halloween Contest! Be ready!" If you're short on characters, send a countdown message on its own. If your SMS service allows it, you can plug in the reminders for the entire season, scheduled to launch on appropriate days.
   
   As your details coalesce, put some information on your website and include the link in some of your broadcasts. Use the countdown to build awareness and excitement among your subscribers.
3. Set Up Your Elite Team
   If you don't already have one, this is a group of "super-subscribers" willing to go the extra mile for your business. Set up a distribution list among these key employees and customers, be it email, social media, or another text group. Collect the names with a combined invitation on SMS and social media, along with the promise of extra goodies to come. This team will be instrumental in the success of many of your events in the coming weeks. If you already have an elite team, set a goal to double enrollment in the next few weeks.
4. Identify Your Clearance Items
   Dig through your stores and find the stuff you're not going to move any time soon. If you're a restaurant, identify a handful of quickly-made, high-margin items. Tag them with post-it notes or make a list, whatever will help you remember them as things move forward. You'll use these for your giveaways, prizes and clearance sale in the coming weeks.

We invite reports from the field, be they questions, comments or complaints. Comment below to start the conversation.

Entry By Jason Brick

The secret to a great holiday season is to start your work well before the holidays are underway. This gives you the longest "lead time" to set up your facility, train your staff and inform your customers. In many small businesses, October represents a retail slump -- meaning now is the perfect time to get started on holiday preparations. 

This is the first in a multi-part series that will take you through Black Friday to help you get your business ready for the best holiday season ever. 

Week One

This week will be all about preparation: setting your calendar, informing your staff, understanding concepts. Though every business has its own separate details, all sorts can benefit from taking action on their Subscribers, Events and Facility every week. Below you'll find a basic schedule for this holiday season plan:

• Week One (This week): Understand, Prepare and Ge t Your "Game Face" On
• Week Two (Next week): Start SMS Countdown, Set Up Your Elite Team, Identify Clearance Items
• Week Three (October 14 - 20): Savings Poll, Social Media Drive, Deep Clean Back Area
• Week Four (October 21-27): Halloween Hints, Pass it On Week One, Hiring Holiday Staff
• Week Five (October 28 - November 3): Halloween Contest, Halloween Event, Pass it On Week Two
• Week Six (November 4 - November 10): Collector Series Week One, Social Media Poll, Deep Clean Front Area
• Week Seven (November 11 - November 17): Collector Series Week Two, Clearance Event, Re-Arrange Sales Area
• Week Eight (Thanksgiving/Black Friday Week): Big, Bad, Black Friday Bonanza

Helpful Hints

As you get ready for your Best Holiday Season Ever, keep a few things in mind. They'll help you "stay the course" as things get increasingly hectic week after week.

• Stay on schedule -- it can be easy to procrastinate in October work intended for December, but that defeats the purpose of this whole process.
• Use down time -- you'll have some slow periods in the first weeks of this process. Enjoy and use this "calm before the storm."
• Look for opportunities -- this program is by no means complete. There's plenty of room for your to tailor the framework to your situation. One advantage of having this kind of plan is it gets your mind looking for ways to make it even better.
• Watch your numbers -- following a long-term plan without watching and assessing your statistics is like driving fast without headlights. Keep track and make changes as the need becomes evident.

Any questions, notes from the field, ideas for improvement, or other comments? Jason and the entire Ez Texting staff will watch this series with special care to help you stay on track and succeed.