Running your own business is tough, especially given the events of this year. Sales are a fantastic way of generating a buzz around your business and driving traffic to your site or your shop. Seasonal sales in particular prove to be very successful. So how can you create a successful seasonal sale?
The first step is to create a detailed plan. You will need to set out the length of the sale, prices and how you will promote it. When deciding your prices, be sure to consider the most appealing prices for your customers that still allow you profit. It might mean 10% off or 50% off. It all depends on your margins. A great way to build up momentum is starting off with smaller discounts and building up to a grand finale. It can mean having a couple of days where there is a major discount. If your business is smaller, you may consider running it a little longer in order to reach as many people as possible.
Marketing the sale is key. Think about “Black Friday”. People go crazy for the sales, even though the discounts aren’t much bigger than sales at another time of year. The reason it’s so popular is the way it is marketed. “The biggest sale of the year” and the fact that it is so close to Christmas. People want to feel as though they have gained something, not spent. Advertise on socials, build up hype way before the sales begins. People may seem disinterested at first but the more they see an advert, the more inclined they will be to check it out.
Once you have your plan, it’s time to begin creating the materials. Create the coupon codes and the visuals. Begin posting actively on social media and interacting with followers or potential clients. Facebook Ads don’t often have a high return but it is good for making impressions for little money so that may be worth considering.
When the sale begins, prepare to adapt your plan. You may see that advertising 10% off isn’t drawing people in, you may decide to offer a free gift or something like “3 for 2”. Again, it depends on your product and your margins. If business is doing poorly, then turnover may be more important at profit at this point, especially if it’s just for a short period of time.
Another thing you can try is repackaging your product in something more festive. Think about the little bundles of products that aren’t too expensive but make ideal gifts. That can be another way for you to advertise yourself during the festive period. You can offer additional services such as gift wrapping or delivery in time for Christmas. Those are the elements of a seasonal sale that you want to keep in mind and test out.
If you don’t have a strong online following, you can build it by holding giveaways. These work better if you have a physical product to sell but it can be done with services (i.e. win a free photoshoot) and digital products. In order to enter the giveaway, you ask people to like your page, share and tag a friend. If you hold the competition for around a month, you can build quite a following.
Ultimately, as a business that is starting out, you will want to try out different things and log the results. That way, you can modify it the following year to see if you can improve sales. Advertising is one of the most profitable industries on the planet so understandably, there is a skill to it. Doing everything yourself isn’t easy but it is possible. A lot of business is trial and error to see what resonates with customers and what doesn’t. So to hold your seasonal sale, you mainly want to change your style of advertising making it seem like a perfect purchase for whatever festivity is going on.
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