For many small businesses, particularly those in the retail sector, the lead up to Christmas is one of the most profitable times of the year. However, the time immediately after Christmas can be just as lucrative, but there are certain processes that you need to abide by, including hosting a January sale and these three points explain how you can prepare your small business for a sale in January. 1. [...]

Some of the most recognised marketing tactics used by businesses of all sizes right around the world are popular promotions and offers such as ‘Buy One, Get One Free’ and ‘2 For The Price Of 1’. While in general these offers are great and can lead to increased sales and better brand awareness, they can have a negative impact upon your business and the following three points explain how you [...]

Last week, we talked about creativity within business and how to know when it’s time to move out of your comfort zone as a small business owner. While understanding how to know when it’s time to be creative is imperative to all small business owners, it’s just as important to know how to actually be creative. And although the main purpose of being creative isn’t to stick to [...]

The following is a guest post from Carol Wilson.  – Numbers are reassuring.  They quantify and organize our experience of life in a way that words can’t, and generally make things seem more manageable.  It isn’t surprising, then, to see such a wide use of numbers and figures in advertising—just think of how many commercials, posters, billboards and other forms of marketing you’ve [...]

When it comes to small business advertising, it’s one of those parts of running a small business that many people fail to get right, for the simple fact that they don’t truly understand how to advertise in the most effective way possible. Splitting the process down into three separate steps, the following information gives a basic introduction on how to advertise your small business effectively. 1. [...]

Walk into almost any retail outlet around the world today and you’re practically guaranteed to see at least one sign saying ’2 for 1′ or ‘Buy One, Get One Free’. Great ways to entice customers in and to make them spend a greater amount of money than they were initially planning on doing, these types of offers take more planning than most people realise and the reason why [...]

Strategy. Tactics. Execution. Whether you’re a veteran business owner or a n00bie entrepreneur, these three steps form the basis for your most productive (that is, profitable!) marketing efforts. Today, I’d like to walk you through a seven-day plan for all business owners and marketing professionals to implement their most productive marketing efforts. Day One: Marketing Research Research: industry [...]

A decade ago, it was recommended that if you had a business of any size, you should have looked at getting a website of some sort to help promote your business. Five years ago, a website was seen almost as a necessity to any business, irrelevant of whether they were an online retailer or not. Today, not only is a website something people automatically assume a business will have, there is a distinct [...]

There’s no doubt that everyone loves to get something for free. Whether it’s a sample of their usual aftershave, some of their favourite food or just some free coupons or discount vouchers which mean that they can save on their regular outgoings, getting something for free is always enjoyed. It’s because of this that one of the ways that you can boost your sales is to give something [...]

A naturally slow time of year, no matter whether you’re a five star hotel or a one-man electrical contractor, you can almost guarantee that your sales are going to take a bit of a hit during January. Just because this dip in sales is expected, however, it doesn’t mean that you just have to sit back and accept it and these five points all explain how you can increase the amount of sales [...]