Summer is almost over, students are back in school, the leaves are starting to fall and it’s time for small businesses to boost their brand awareness and sales. Autumn is a transitional season, and a chance for small businesses to start gearing up for the holidays. In fact, Autumn is the optimal season for a small business to refocus its marketing strategies and concentrate on the holidays by adhering to the following three tips:

No. 1: Focus on business seasonality. This can be achieved by creating a content calendar for the rest of the year to examine the seasonality of your business. A content calendar can help a small business owner or manager come up with a seasonal marketing plan, focusing on events and holidays that are in line with your products and/or services. Don’t forget to take a look at sales data during fall from the past few years to determine the patterns of your customers and their buying habits.

No. 2: Develop fall-themed promotions. When the leaves start to fall from the trees in autumn it is a good time for small businesses to branch out to customers by way of season-themed promotions. This can include giving seasonal gifts and giveaways, sponsoring a contest, offering special discounts or hosting an appropriately themed event. For example, on Halloween host a costume contest and give out prizes for best costumes, thus ensuring your business is synonymous in the minds of consumers with that particular holiday. For Thanksgiving, feed the hungry, and offer incentives to people who do the same, or host a Toys for Tots donation drive before Christmas to show that your business is concerned about the welfare of others and is trying to make the world a better place.

No. 3: Have a Small Business Saturday sale. Small Business Saturday is a shopping holiday held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities. It is not only one of the busiest shopping days of the year, which encourages holiday shoppers to patronize businesses that are small and local, but a perfect opportunity to show your customers how much you appreciate them by having a sale, thus attracting even more consumers on the day that celebrates all things small business.

Blog by Dale Myers. the NALA's Head Writer.