Editor's Note
If you’re thinking “It’s too early to start thinking about holiday marketing and promotions, I haven’t even chosen my Halloween costume yet!” - GOOD. That’s what I want you to think, so I can get a head start. I felt that cool breeze in the air today and I thought to myself, “I’ve only seen one smooshed candy corn so far this year, but I am ready for the holidays.” So, I did some highly scientific research (googling, Facebook stalking, and asking friends in my co-working space) and these are the top five things I am keeping in mind while I situate myself to make the most out of end-of-year bounty.
Define your goal and relate it to your Mission.
Don’t just fling a huge social media ad buy out into the ether. Remind yourself of the core objective of your work, and your vision for your career, then set a SMART (Strategic, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant + Time bound) goal for your promotion. This is crucial to me as an ideas person because it keeps me from distracting myself with too many wild ideas. My one SMART goal for the last three months of the year is to have 5 new event clients (worth at least $11,111) who have never worked with me before.
Consider every possible touchpoint.
What is the way you best connect with your clients? Do they find you on Instagram? Do they hear about you through word of mouth? Have you been getting clicks through Facebook or Google ads? Or is email marketing where you really get traction? Meet your potential clients in the spaces that have worked for you before - put 80% of your effort there, and let yourself experiment with 20% of your effort.
Use scarcity and urgency to close deals.
This is just basic selling science that unfortunately a lot of us have not been trained in, so here is the crash course: You have goals to meet, and so does your potential client. Luckily for us, they correspond at the end of the year, so all you need to do is remind them that you are in demand, and they need what you are offering. I use discounts very sparingly, but if you are trying to confirm your end of year calendar and budget, a closed deal at 90% of the rate that you wanted is a lot more valuable than a fizzled out conversation at your top dollar asking price. Give a client a deadline to decide, an incentive to do so, and be prepared to move on to the next if they don’t make the move you wanted.
Don’t hold back: get the word out consistently and wholeheartedly.
If your business is anything like mine, your ability to promote and spread the word about your work is the major difference between whether or not you and your fiancé go out to dinner or eat leftovers on Friday night. We can’t afford to be half-assed or embarrassed to announce the great work we are doing in the world. Share your offer everywhere, and be proud of what you are offering. Your work is worth celebrating, and the slight possibility of accidentally telling someone what you are promoting twice, is nothing compared to the shame it would be for someone to not be aware of it at all.
Lastly, the best promotion is a gift. Even better if it is a surprise.
Your customers and clients are your lifeblood, and they’re worth the extra care and attention (especially if you have the type of business where you can have a repeat customer…) Take a moment and think about what you could do to surprise, delight, and show gratitude for the people who make your business world go ‘round. Ideally, this gift is personalized, relevant to the client, and in some way also reminds the client of your value as well. And you don’t need to spend a lot on a gift for it to be high-impact. It’s the genuine nature of the gift, and the relevance and memorability to you and the recipient that will deepen your relationship and result in more revenue this year and beyond.
xx LAMARKS, Editor & the FF Team
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