Many businesses slow down during January, due to consumers trying to recover from their spending during the holidays. While that is great for their personal budgets, it is not so great for you and your business. You need to find creative and successful ways to market your business during the slow month of January. Read on for five ideas to help you promote your business.
Have a Sale
We are suckers for a good sale. In the middle of the financially dead January, host a large sale. People are seduced by buy two get one free, BOGO deals, and coupons. Give a special coupon to your subscriber’s list and put a different one on Facebook. If you can’t afford to host a large sale, include a small free gift with each purchase. Everybody loves “free” things.
Host an Event
Host a free event in your store to get people in the door. If you can, make it family friendly. People are dying for ways to get their kids out of the house during the winter. Have a coloring contest, dessert sampling, hire a local princess company, anything you can think of to get people in the door. Once you can get them in the door, they are more likely to buy something. If they don’t buy something that day, their positive interaction with your company will make them more likely to come back in the future.
Visit Neighboring Businesses
If you are slow, chances are those nearby you are slow as well, so go for a walk and make some new contacts! Bring them some company swag that they will be able to use so that they remember your visit. You might make some useful business contacts during your visit.
Use Social Media
Even if people aren’t coming into your store today, you can remind them about your business by utilizing social media. Have an active account on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin and other sites to remind them what you do. Social media is how the modern world connects, so if you are not using it to your advantage, you are missing out.
Update Your Website
If you don’t have a website, make one. If you do have one, make sure that it is up to date. Start a blog on your website that will give people relevant news and information about your business. Once it is ready to go, announce it on social media! A slow January may be hard financially, but you will find that you finally have much needed time to take care of a few odds and ends around the office.