THE TOP 3 AUTUMN MARKETING TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

In fall, which is right around the corner, the leaves and the weather are not the only things that change, as the small business climate also experiences a notable transition. In fact, autumn is often the busiest time of the year for small businesses. Summer is over, and your clients are once again turning their thoughts to work, as well as your products and services. It’s a great time for you to ramp up your marketing efforts and take advantage of this abundant time of year with the following three tips.   

No. 1: Plan for the holidays. It’s never too early to start working on your holiday sales, promotions and cause marketing. For example, if you have a physical location, team up with other businesses in your area for a holiday sidewalk sale. This not only attracts new customers but cross-promotes your business with the others participating. This is also an ideal time to support a charity, such as Soles4Souls, a nonprofit global social enterprise committed to fighting poverty through the collection and distribution of shoes and clothing, or Toys for Tots, whose mission is to collect new, unwrapped toys each holiday season and distribute them as Christmas gifts to children in need. Small businesses that host donation drives show they are a business that cares about the wellbeing of others. Remember that Millennials, the largest generation America has ever seen, prefer to do business with companies that care.

No. 2: Attend a trade show.  Perhaps the biggest source of new clientele can be found at trade shows. A trade show is where you will find a highly targeted customer base under one roof. These are people who are looking for what you are selling. Small Business Expo 2018, which was ranked by Intuit as the No. 1 “Must-attend conference” for small business owners, is the largest business-to-business trade show, conference and networking event in the country. For a full list of Small Business Expos in 2018, please visit www.thesmallbusinessexpo.com. For more information about becoming an exhibitor and putting your business in front of thousands of business owners, please visit www.thesmallbusinessexpo.com/exhibit.  

No. 3: Create a marketing plan. This is crucial, as a marketing plan will help you achieve your business’ goals. Your marketing plan needs to include a business summary, business initiatives, target market, market strategy, and budget. Remember, your business is only as strong as your marketing plan. It will help keep your business on track with goals and objectives, but should also be flexible enough to adapt to changing market conditions and business opportunities.