Four advertising techniques to stand out in the Christmas advertising clutter

Image courtesy of JaysLondonXperience - WordPress.com

So it’s Christmas and inevitably businesses of all sizes and types are eager to share their Christmas ‘deals’ and ‘steals’ with their different customer groups.  In a bid to get your business’s message out to the right audience, you might be tempted to force all the messages that you didn’t get out during the year into the one Christmas advertisement. 

There are significant dangers in putting too many messages in one advertisement, Christmas or otherwise.  You run the risk of confusing the customer possibly resulting in lost business because your competition took the time to do their advertising right.

Today, I am sharing with you four advertising techniques to help your business stands out from the competition in the Christmas advertising clutter:

·         Have a focus for your advertising campaign – Too many messages in one advertisement will end up confusing the customer.  If a customer has to contact you to clarify your message, it means that there are multiple prospective customers who are also confused by what you are trying to say.  Drill down to a single, clear message and focus, focus, focus!

·         Use multiple media outlets – Consumers get advertising messages from multiple media outlets, therefore it is recommended that you use as many media channels as possible to send your message.  Get the best mix of traditional and non-traditional media and maximize each channel to ensure that your brand receives the best overall value.  Using multiple media outlets also helps to improve customer recall.  The likelihood that recall is improved when a customer glances at your ad in a magazine; hears your advert on the radio and then catches it on Television.

·         Start early – There is an old adage which says ‘it is the early bird catches the most worms’ and it is just as true in business as it is in real life.  If your business is first out of the gate with your advertising campaign, your business has an increased likelihood of gaining some new customers.  Business is about continuous planning and though life happens, particularly as a startup, planning for each stage of business in advance will definitely help you to be ahead of the game at all times.

·         Provide solutions – A definite technique in standing out is offering a solution to a customer problem instead of selling a product.    Most if not all products were invented when a problem was identified.  For example, hammers, wrenches and pliers were made when houses, furniture and other like items were required by a customer. Promotion of your business is all in the packaging, position your business as a solution to the customer’s problem and yours will definitely become a sought after product in this busy holiday season.

Marketing a Consulting Business during the Holidays

Not every business sells something.  Some businesses, like mine, are a consultancy.  We too want to capitalize on the holiday spirit, but how do we?  The following are some of the best tips to market your consulting business during the busy holiday season.

Increase awareness – A consulting business thrives on constant attention but during the holidays, traders grab the lion share of the customer’s attention.  It is therefore up to the consultant to show the client that they do need our services.  Consulting businesses may increase business awareness by using the some of the usual methods such as; email marketing, cold calls and networking.  A short email to inform the potential client what services you offer, whether its décor, marketing or accounting services is always useful; to attract new clients, cold calling companies or emailing marketing information outlining the value in your offering is also a good option.  Networking, one of the most critical parts of a consulting business should not be neglected.  This activity puts you in direct contact with both current and potential customers.

Form new/additional partnerships – Networking can help a consultant to identify other consultants whose services complements the other.  A partnership between consultants can benefit both businesses.  For example, Event Planners and Decorators/Designers have a unique opportunity to join alliances, especially for the many events during the Christmas holidays.

Referrals – Don’t be afraid to ask clients for referrals.  If you have a website, encourage them to go online and say something nice about your services.  Also, if your business involves providing business training, always get (written) feedback from workshop attendees. This can provide additional information for your future marketing campaigns.

Get involved in the community – If you can, volunteer a service or two during the holiday to help a charitable organization.  Your business’s involvement in the affairs of the community shows that you are not just ‘all about the Benjamin’s’ but that you are concerned about societal happenings.  Volunteering also builds up goodwill for your business.

Looking for a Business to start during the holidays; here are five!

Image courtesy of www.fabcos.com

The Christmas season is as great a time as any to start a business.  After all, the need for money does not decrease plus it is such a busy time of year, that there is no shortage of ‘jobs’ around for an entrepreneurial mind to capitalize on.  Couple this with the requisite experience and qualifications, the start of your next business venture could just be a thought away.

Today, I am sharing with you some of the more popular business ideas on which Entrepreneurs may capitalize during the upcoming season:

1.       Cleaning service – With many persons working outside of the home, a cleaning service is a God-send especially with the holidays’ just around the corner.  Many persons want to spruce up their home but with tighter than usual schedules due to the demands of their own jobs, time will just not allow.  Start by putting together a competent and capable team.  With the anticipated influx of work, it may be useful to have more than one team so that multiple jobs can be done at once. Promote the business through flyer distribution and business cards but more importantly ask clients for referrals.  Target homes in and around your area as a first step.

2.       Gift Wrapping – No matter how tight the economy becomes or how expensive stuff gets, Christmas will always be a time for gift-giving and a gift wrapping service is a great solution particularly for businesses that provide gifts but have no gift wrapping service.  While it may be more worthwhile to secure ‘contracts’ for the service, go after individual jobs too.  Artisan fairs are a great target market for this type of service.  It may also be useful to approach some of the large supermarkets/shopping clubs and haberdasheries’ which also sell gift items in addition to groceries.  They do not provide gift wrapping services and may find your offering too good to refuse.

3.       Christmas Decorating – Many businesses use Christmas decorations to get their business in the mood for holidays.  Providing low-cost but creative and attractive décor services will give you an upper hand particularly with businesses that are in trading.  Corporate offices too sometimes join the fray particularly if they are the more visible, socially responsible, philanthropic type.  Engage potential clients early with image-based proposals.  Be flexible to the client’s needs and budget and get ready for the business to roll in.

4.       Disc Jockey – Christmas is also a great time for parties.  Many corporate offices host intimate ‘get-togethers’ for their staff to celebrate the season.  Cold calling companies to find out what their plans are and offering your service is a great start.  Follow up with an email, showing your catalogue and highlighting your experience.  If you get five out of 10 parties, you would have achieved a 50% success rate in your first attempt.

5.       Catering service – Great food, and lots of it, is a staple of the Christmas season.  At this time of year, business’s host Customer & Staff Appreciation events, more often than not, separately.  Clients and colleagues also get together for celebration and sharing; there is also the gathering of friends and family.  Inevitably, food will be a requirement for all these gatherings.  Your catering business which provides tasty, creative menus will come in handy.  Approach potential companies through links with family and friends working in specific organizations.  A personal recommendation is quite useful for this type of business.

Increase sales by including Mobile Money payment option for the holidays & beyond

Mobile Money is a relatively new concept in my local jurisdiction but worldwide its use has been on an upward trajectory since 2014. 

Below are two important 2015 statistics on the industry from the GSMA Mobile Money Programme:

-          Mobile Money is now available in 93 countries

-          Mobile Money providers are processing an average of up to 33 million transactions per day

To bolster these statistics, another study conducted by the US Federal Reserve Board at the close of 2014 reported that 39% of all mobile users with smartphones have made a point-of-sale (POS) payment using their mobile phones in the 12 months prior to the survey; and of the users with smartphones who made a POS payment 31% did so by scanning a barcode or QR code displayed on their phone screen’s at check out.

Here in Jamaica, our largest commercial bank, the National Commercial Bank recently launched Quisk, a mobile money account that allows money to be sent from one person to another but more importantly with the capability to make purchases using any mobile phone.

Image courtesy of Google Play

This kind information augurs well for startup businesses, particularly as we approach the holiday season.  While online and debit/credit card sales have been established as legitimate ways to secure sales, mobile money now introduces the opportunity for businesses to really not miss a sale.  And the fact is that businesses at the startup stage may not yet have an established location from which business is conducted.

A formal definition of Mobile Money, according to www.worldremit.com defines mobile money as an electronic wallet service, available in many countries, that lets users store, send and receive money using their mobile phone. It is also defined as a method used to make electronic payments and a popular alternative to bank accounts.

For the holiday season and beyond, startup businesses in particular are urged to add this payment option to the already existing ones to increase their sales potential.   Some of the main advantages of this method are quite obvious; increased safety in cash handling, easy access once both parties have a mobile phone and convenience to shop anytime and anywhere.

However a significant plus of this payment option is that it uses the network of the service provider and therefore does not require an internet connection.  

Startup businesses that operate in a pop-up shop or more informal scenario would then be able to capitalize on sales particularly in the lesser developed areas of their locale.  Mobile Money also reduces the amount of paperwork required as money is sent directly into the business’s account.