Plan Ahead TO STAND OUT!

This is certainly gearing up to be a very unique holiday selling season for businesses. Events have been cancelled, fundraisers postponed indefinitely, and everyone needs to do their best to shop online for products and services. Many businesses depend on the holidays to make their year. What are you doing to prepare ahead to STAND OUT from your competition?

Where should you start? Is your website up to date to ensure your contact information, e-commerce and other shopping options are functional? Do you have a promotional plan to attract new customers and keep your current ones engaged? Are you consistent and interacting with your social sites? How are you managing your business flow? Is inventory due to shipping delays an issue? Now is the time to get your business up to speed before you get too busy and focused on other things. You may have to forewarn customers to begin shopping early for a guaranteed special holiday or that items may be limited or hard to get.

Website: This has to be right! Does your website have the COVID messaging for your area? Are you conducting business differently? You may need to update your home page with a brief message regarding special hours, social distancing guidelines or other temporary changes. Is your e-commerce or order online functioning? Run test orders often to ensure everything is working smoothly. You can always refund from your end. You don’t want to hear from a customer that they had any issues. As you know, if anything is too difficult, you will lose the sale.

Google and Facebook/Instagram ads: Take the time to learn the Google AdWords and keywords you need to help your business. Remember, all things Google are LOCATION based. Make sure your site SEO is reaching the right customers. Need professional help with AdWords, we can help with a referral. Keep in mind, Google needs time to find you, so start early!

Set up Facebook and Instagram shop: THIS IS NEW! What used to be Marketplace, is now being moved over to SHOP. Also, this is new! You can link your Shopify, Big Commerce, or many e-commerce websites DIRECTLY to Shop. This takes some time to set-up so plan ahead.

Email your customers: I always say email is still the most effective way to reach your CURRENT CUSTOMERS AND CLIENTS. Keep them up to date on what’s new. New arrivals, special offers, sales, and coupons, all appeal to your client base and they want to hear from you. Not every day, so limit your emails to once a week maximum, unless there is news to share. A nice monthly newsletter works well for SEO. Add links to your website. Link to different pages, and link to your social networks.

Engage with social: Keep your social media ACTIVE! Post great pictures and utilize the offers and COVID notifications for added punch because Facebook is promoting this right now. Engage with video! People LOVE VIDEO on social media, and this will increase engagement. Instagram! Follow, like, comment, interact! The highest engagement is on Instagram right now.

Invest in high-quality design: Your logo, your website, your social design, all brand your business. This is how your customers and potential customers will remember you.

Other options to help your brand stick out:

Jingles: Depending on the size of your business, create a social media jingle. Jingles are a great way to solidify your brand in consumer’s minds. Jingles stick in our heads and are one of the best tools for branding and standing out in the crowd. Unique and fun, these jingles will expand your brand.

Affiliate Marketing Program: Do you sell your own products? Consider a virtual sales team with a professionally managed Affiliate Marketing Program. These are the mom bloggers and the micro influencers that earn a commission on sales they make for your company. Learn more here.

Share and join local FB groups to share your posts. Be sure to check the rules in each group as they may differ and have restrictions on business postings.

Need help managing it all? We understand. Be ready for the fall and holiday seasons with the professional team at Local Social Media. It is our goal to provide you with the best service, bring creative ideas and keeping your business top-of-mind to your ideal consumer.

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Local Social Media is an online digital content and marketing company designed to create consistent local and national branding for clients. Established in 2011, LSM was one of the first to use the influence of social media to give clients the edge over their competition.