Christmas Marketing- 5 Quick Tips

There's always a quickening of the pace when Halloween fades away revealing the quick sprint to Christmas. Your business is in gear-up mode now that everyone is back from summer vacations and the kids are expecting their first report card. How did Christmas sneak up so quickly...again? It's time to think marketing for the holiday season. Actually, it was time to think about it yesterday. But because so many of us are playing catch up, it's good to know it's not too late to start planning. Here's a quick list of Christmas Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses.

1. Get Down Write Personal
Prepare your Christmas mailing list now, find a card you like and get early-bird ordering rates. And please, take time to sign them yourself. A personal touch goes a long way in our new digital society.

2. Standing Out is a Good Thing
Find a unique customer appreciation gift that says thank-you for another year of business. Try goodie baskets, peronalized notepads, homemade coffee cakes, tins of cookies,or a gift card to a nice restaraunt.

3. Create Mountains out of Mole Hills
Take inventory of your products and services. Can any of them be tailored for the holidays? (ex. could a simple change in packaging make your product more appealing to Christmas shoppers?)

4. Deck the Halls
There's something about seeing Christmas lights that makes you more prone to open your wallet. While you don't want to turn your business into something off of "Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation," a few little holiday touches may inspire larger orders.

5. Be a Sneaky Elf
Everyone is looking for Christmas ideas for Johnny's stocking or for Rose, the twice removed cousin. If you have a product that could be a gift, remind your customer to not only buy one for themselves, but add a few more to their cart. They'll brighten up as you solve their gifting delimma and you'll brighten up because you made another sale.

Add Google to Payroll

The internet is where it's at. Or so people keep telling us. Small businesses are often slow on change and frankly a little behind the times when it comes to technology. However, more and more of us locals are trying to figure out how to harness the power of the internet to bring more business through our doors. I've done some research and it seems that a great and cost-effective avenue to try is GoogleAdWords. Information can be found at www.adwords.google.com. Here's how it works: You choose the keywords that best describe your business in the most unique way. When people search google for your keywords, then your ad appears (the one you create yourself). When you set up your account, you bid for an amount of money you will pay when a person clicks your ad. For instance, you can decide you want to spend no more than 2 cent a click. Everytime someone clicks your ad, it will only cost 2 cent, and in return, you get a qualified lead and hopefully a sale leading to cash in your pocket. Go to the website and check it out. Remember to come back to our blog and tell us how it went.

Recent Educational Land Transaction Promises more Mint Hill Growth

The Charlotte Business Journal released a short statement that caught my eye because it had to do with MORE building projects for our town. On October 8, the Journal reported that Charlotte Meck Schools bought 65 acres in Mint Hill at the Clear Creek Business Park. This new dirt will be home to a new high school capable of holding 2,500 students. If you are like me, you are excited about the growth but sick of seeing construction and orange barrels at every turn of Albemarle Rd. I guess you can't have progress without a little mess.

Auction in Mint Hill

"Did I hear $120?" Grab an early dinner and head on down to the Mint Hill Masonic Lodge on Lawyers for the Mint Hill Women's Club annual auction on October 29th at 6pm. The event is free of charge and will boast gifts from handmade crafts to specialty high-end items. One of our long-time customers, Ernest Perry, of Perry's Jewelry at Southpark will be the featured auctioneer. There will also be a silent auction for the majority of the items being sold. Grab your spouse and make it a date. Support your locals and grab some early Christmas gifts at the Women's Club Auction. Proceeds go straight to our community!

3 FREE Customized Scratch Pads for Churches!

FREE STUFF FOR CHURCHES!
Place an order, ANY order to qualify for 3 customized notepads. This is a $20.00 value! We don't mind if you just come by to ship UPS with us or make some copies, ANY ORDER COUNTS. We'd just like the opportunity to meet you. See our mailer above for more details about our FREE offer and read a list of our simplified services for churches. You can also visit us on the web at www.artechgraphicsinc/org. Take a moment to register on our site to use our ONLINE QUOTING FEATURE and to receive emails with special offers like this one!