Small Biz Marketing Ideas For Spring

Seems that when the weather’s cold, so too goes marketing – and sales.

If you want to heat up sales, it’s time to come out of hibernation.

I love creating marketing campaigns that revolve around holidays. Here are some marketing ideas that are great to get your business going in April:

World Health Day | April 7th, 2017

World Health Day is celebrated on April 7th every year to promote awareness to different health topics. Can you tie your marketing promotion into the topic of “health” and what will be on everyone’s mind this day?

On Social Media

Create A Quiz (you can do this with Qzzr): You may be thinking “Who wants to take a quiz?” Actually people LOVE taking quizzes – when they’re fun, provide some personal insight, and can be shareable. That’s why they’re perfect for social media. Here’s an example of a quiz I made that’s been taken 6,000 times, is a huge lead generation source (people leave their email at the end to get their result), and has brought in $8,9246 in direct sales.

Product Samples Giveaway/Contest: You could run a giveaway on social media to boost engagement on your Facebook page. Make the contest appealing with inviting graphics and a fabulous prize and watch the submissions roll in!

Special Promotions

Healthy Packages: Use this special day to your advantage. Create and market special “healthy” packages, because everyone wants to be healthy and everyone loves a fun and unique experience that they can’t get elsewhere. … Promote your packages through email, SMS and on social media. If you want to use redeem codes, perhaps go for something easy to remember such as ‘HEALTHDAY’.

Easter Weekend | April 14 to 17th, 2017

Americans are expected to spend over $16 billion this Easter, making it right after Christmas, one of the most profitable holidays of the year.

On Social Media

Greetings & Promotions: This is about brand awareness! Put yourself out there and advertise your promotions in advance to allow people time to make sure they don’t miss it. Or, say thanks to your customers and simply post inspirational graphics to your social channels.

At Your Brick and Mortar Location

Basket Bundles: Attention grabbing, baskets are an easy way to sell more retail over the weekend. Perhaps you can even add a few Easter eggs in there and provide gift packaging for those who’d like it.

Charity Food Drive: For many, Easter is a time to be thankful for sacrifices made by peers. Why not organize a food drive-in in your store over the weekend? In return, you can give out extra loyalty points or perhaps a unique sample basket.

SMS & Email Marketing

Competition: If you wanted to host a contest through SMS or email, you could go for something like “Egg Play on Easter Day” and have people answer trivia questions for prizes.

Newsletter Promotions & Announcements: You’ve worked hard on your Easter planning. It would be a shame you didn’t share your offerings with your customers, clients and patients. Don’t forget to send a newsletter to your email database. Click here to get the top 101 email subject lines

Extra

‘Easter Egg’ Postcards: If you want to do something special for your best customers, clients or patients, send a handwritten postcard with a too-sweet-to-miss-out-on offer sent to their house. It’s a lovely little touch, but I wouldn’t suggest doing this for your entire database! The key here is targeting.

Mother Earth Day | April 22nd, 2017

On Social Media

Advertise With Graphics: No matter what you do, social media is always a good way to get the word out there. So if you’re planning something for Earth Day this year, spread the word with graphics!

On Your Brick and Mortar Premises

Donate To The Earth: Requiring little to no preparation, put a donation jar at your checkout and invite customers to put a few coins in for our planet. Perhaps you could have this initiative running for a week or two and set up an online donation link as well. Give the collected money to a local organization helping the cause.

No Paper Receipt Day: The 3R’s they say. Encourage your customers to receive their receipt by email going forward and take advantage of Mother Earth Day to increase sign ups! By taking action first to reduce waste and save trees, your clients will be more inclined to follow your example.

Simple April Small Biz Marketing Ideas To Increase Loyalty And Engagement

Connect On Social Media

The crucial thing to keep in mind is that social media was never meant to be a one-way conversation. Interact and follow the 80/20 rule:

> 80% of your posts = not a sales pitch

> 20% of your posts = pitches for your product or a special offer, etc.

When someone connects with you, take a quick look at their profile. Try to understand who follows you and what their interests are. A personal use of social media is usually spontaneous. However, when you’re trying to generate business, the key is planning, planning, oh and… planning.

Here are few tips to help you vary your content and increase engagement across each and every of your social media channels:

> Ask fun questions, be current, create a space for discussion

> Post a poll

> Post videos, tutorials, setup Q&A’s

> Post facts and inspirational quotes

> Share your knowledge

> Use photos

> Use hashtags to reach more people, but also to start conversations

> Interact with your fans

> Share the love your customers,clients, and patients give you (reviews, etc)

You can’t go wrong with playing up the holidays when marketing your business. What marketing campaigns will you be implementing in April? Share in the comments below.
(NOTE: If you struggle with figuring out what marketing campaigns to do every month, check out the Silver Platter Marketing Membership – it’s like having marketing handed to you on a silver platter!)

About Stacey Riska

Stacey Riska, aka “Small Business Stacey” is a serial entrepreneur who is passionate about saving small business and rebuilding Main Street. She helps small and local business owners become a #SmallBizMarketingWiz by teaching them marketing strategies that get MORE: MORE leads, MORE customers/clients, MORE sales, and MORE money. Stacey is the founder of Small Biz Marketing Specialist, THE go-to place for marketing tips, techniques and strategies that get results. Stacey is also the creator of the Daily Deals for Massive Profits Training Program, an online video training program that teaches small and local business owners how to use daily deal sites like Groupon to skyrocket their business growth and get massive profits. In this program she teaches from experience, as it was the key strategy that transformed her coffee and smoothie business from being $500K in debt to a 7-figure profitable business. When not saving the small business world, she enjoys sipping red wine, eating chocolate (who doesn’t!) and spending time with her amazing husband.