23 Sep

5 Ways To Market Your Brand During The Autumn Days

Posted in Synergy Suggestions on 23.09.14 by John Meloche

New discountsWell, here we are. It’s official. The autumn season has begun. And although the weather in Synergy Marketing’s home headquarters of Toronto, Ontario isn’t proving it just yet, the fall season is bound to bring about some significant changes. Of course, the weather is bound to cool off and those leaves are soon set to change colour and fall to the ground. Yes, autumn is here. And that means changes need to be made at your business as well.

If you have not begun any fall promotions as of yet, it’s not too late. But there’s certainly no more time to waste. Just one day into the new fall season, it’s important to begin celebrating the seasonal change at your place of business in order to attract more customers through your doors. In the business world, there is practically always a reason to acknowledge changes in the calendar. It helps to show that you are staying on your toes.

More importantly, the whole “keeping current” atmosphere of your brand communicates to customers that there is always something new to check out. The more incentive you give for people to visit you, the more business you will conduct. On eHow.com, R.L. Remenyi, writes that you “can use the transition from summer to autumn and the autumn holidays to implement several marketing strategies to keep your business visible to your target audience.” Here are five.

1. Offer Autumn Specials. As mentioned, using a change in the calendar to offer your customers something special is generally a good idea. Remenyi suggests that you “cut prices, offer a discount on your services (and) give away a free product with a purchase or hand out free samples” as part of a new fall special. Naturally, promotional products work perfectly with this idea. Perhaps, our fabulous winter toques would work best for this time of year.

2. Participate in Autumn Events. “Get involved with fall community events,” insists Remenyi. This way, you’ll be able to place yourself in situations where everyone can see you. This gives you opportunities to meet new people and introduce your business to them. Becoming a sponsor for an autumn event is a great way to spread the good word about your brand. And the fall presents many great opportunities to do so, including Halloween events.

3. Create an Autumn Newsletter. Newsletters are always great ways to provide exclusive information to your most valuable customers. Remenyi recommends that you create an autumn-themed newsletter to promote the various fall events you plan on hosting and specials that you plan on offering. “Invite them to stop by an event and see you, tell them how they can get fall specials and include a recap on your summer,” she suggests.

4. Use a Direct Marketing Piece. Your newsletter, by the way, can be sent via email. However, going the old-school tried-and-true method of mailing out postcards and flyers may still be able to help your business. Especially if your mail out includes coupons that can be redeemed in-store, a direct marketing piece can be a fantastic way to drive more traffic to your place of business.

5. Thank Your Clients. This is a tip that we practice year-round at Synergy Marketing. “In the spirit of Thanksgiving, say thank you to your loyal customers and clients,” writes Remenyi, “Your customers will keep you in mind since you are extending a thoughtful gesture, not advertising a product.” And there’s no better way to say “thank you” than by handing out a practical and useful promo gift.

Get yours today by calling us up at 1-877-748-9884 today!

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19 Sep

Filling Out Our Fall Marketing Idea List

Posted in Synergy Suggestions on 19.09.13 by John Meloche

fallTreeIn yesterday’s blog, we discussed a few ideas that entrepreneurs can use to help boost sales during the fall season. We’re practically there already! School is in and the weather simply isn’t as hot as it was just a few weeks ago. It’s time to accept that summer is over. With that said, it’s important to welcome the fall season by having your store celebrate it in various ways.

As Rachel Hartman points out on the Intuit Small Business Blog, there are a variety of ways that you can use the fall season to your advantage at your place of business. Decorate your store, offer season-related discounts, incorporate students in your company and support local sports teams and community groups – these are just a few of those ways. In today’s blog, we’ll review a few more.

Say “thank you.” The autumn season is, after all, a season of giving thanks. With Thanksgiving coming up next month, you may want to break out the thank you cards early. Give them out to customers either in person or by mail. Handing out promotional products, as you’re likely well aware, is also a great way to say “thank you”. For decades, promo gifts have proven to build customer loyalty.

They are your ways of showing appreciation to those who support your business. Of course, you can do this all year round. But with Thanksgiving coming up, you may want to tie in your promo gift to your “Thank You” promotion which may also include special discounts on seasonal items. By the way, your thank you notes and promo gifts help to get you referrals as well!

Offer space to community groups. Writes Hartman, “if you have extra room in your business, consider opening it up to local residents. For instance, if you run a cafe or a business center, try hosting study sessions for students. If you own a youth fitness center, offer some of your space for PTA meetings during the week. As well, make special deals available for those who come in.”

This is a great way to generate more interest in your business from audiences that may not generally visit you. Offering discounts to those visitors is also a great way to keep them coming back. This fall, you’ll want to do all you can to introduce your company to new people. Growing your business during the fall will pay off mightily once the holiday shopping season comes along.

Keep customers in the loop. Offer your expertise. Give advice. Show your clients you care. Keep them informed about the many different things going on with your business. But also, keep them informed of things are that going on in your community. This will help your brand have more a “family friendly” feel to it. You’ll be making friends, not just ties to new customers.

This goes a long way with customers because it will help them to build their trust in you. It doesn’t hurt to be liked by the people who come into your store. In fact, it is what you should be aiming for all the time anyway. This tip, of course, doesn’t have to be relegated to your fall promotions only. Keep it, as well as the others discussed in our recent blogs, in mind all year long!

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18 Sep

Fall Into Some New Fall Marketing Ideas

Posted in Synergy Suggestions on 18.09.13 by John Meloche

autumnAlthough summer doesn’t officially come to an end until this weekend, it’s pretty much done. The chill is already in the air and any day now, those leaves are going to start changing colour. For your business, that means the ways in which you promote have to change as well. It may not yet be time to start putting up Christmas decorations, but times are certainly changing.

In many stores, Halloween displays are already up. Although the annual spooky celebration is still over a month away, the displays demonstrate the need for business owners to think ahead. On the Intuit Small Business Blog, Rachel Hartman writes that the fall season presents a number of opportunities to entrepreneurs. She offers up several ideas on how to utilize the changing of the seasons to boost business.

Go back to school again. Okay, so maybe you graduated a long time ago and have no intention of returning back to the classroom. After all, you are in business for yourself so when would you have time for classes? In actuality, Hartman recommends that you offer “school-centered deals and promotions”. You may even want to consider hiring students who may be able to help you reach a younger market.

Then again, maybe taking a class isn’t so bad an idea after all. Many long time business owners get a little too caught up in their own way of thinking simply because they’ve been in business for many years. It doesn’t hurt to learn something new. There must have been advances in your industry since the day you first opened your doors. Expand your mind and knowledge of your business world and see if it doesn’t help.

Support local sports. Get involved in local schools as well as youth sports leagues and see if you can sponsor a team. School is in, obviously, so the more noticeable your brand is among the student population, the more young customers you are bound to attract. As well, you may want to have your business name and logo don the sweater of a local sports team.

Consider this. Every game played is an advertisement for your brand. During the game, you may want to be present so that you can offer special deals for team members and fans, suggests Hartman. “Pass out samples, coupons, or free T-shirts to those who come to the game,” she writes. Doing so is an awesome way to attract members of your community to your company.

Think themes. There are a variety of fall themes that you can celebrate at your business. Fall colours are loved by most whether they enjoy the cooler weather or not. Give your place of business that “warm and cozy” fall feeling by putting up season-minded decorations. As well, come up with special seasonal sales where your prices “fall back”. This will inject some new life into your store!

“I actually like celebrating Halloween early,” shared one of our clients earlier this week, “I get the scary stuff up and it intrigues people to take a look around my store. They end up asking questions about where I got certain decorations and those conversations end up turning into ways that I can help them with something I’m selling. It’s fun and it’s good for drumming up business.”

Be sure to check out tomorrow’s blog as we provide some more marketing ideas for fall!

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