It’s almost holiday time and small business owners should already be preparing their marketing plans.  Thanksgiving is a time for family and showing appreciation.  It also represents a time for companies to get back into the black.  Thanksgiving provides a variety of different opportunities to ramp up your marketing efforts.  This is a time when people start to spend their holiday budgets and aren’t afraid to spend more than they expected on a good deal.  With cash flowing more freely than any other time of year it’s important to be bold in order to rake in your share.  Here are some tips, tactics and just plain nice things to do to increase your Thanksgiving revenue.

Gift Exchange

One great way to increase revenue and give back to your customers is a gift exchange.  Offering a reward of some kind for certain purchase amounts will encourage customers to spend more and also feel appreciated.  If your giveaways include company branded items this will provide the added benefit of expanding your reach.

Charity

Charitable organizations tend to take center stage during the holidays.  While giving to these charities should be seen as a way to help others, there are also revenue opportunities.  Offering promotions where you match a portion of sales during a certain time period can help to drive sales.  If you’re in the restaurant industry, holding a dinner where proceeds are donated to charity can improve your reputation and endear you to your customer base.

Videos

Videos are a great way to bring attention to your brand online.  Creating a video that includes heartwarming holiday tales from your employees or even a funny narrative can increase website traffic and brand awareness.  These videos can have a far reaching and long lasting effect.  While quality is important, showing the human side of yourself and your business should be the priority.

Bundles

Depending on your line of business, bundling compatible products together can be a great way to boost sales for hard to sell items.  Offering these bundles at discounted rates will give your customers the feel of getting a good deal. 

Extended Black Friday

Black Friday has already spilled over to Thanksgiving Day and even through what is now known as Cyber Monday.  Starting your sales promotions early and extending them beyond the normal time period can provide you with an advantage over your competition.  If you’re able to get a portion of shoppers holiday savings prior to the larger stores discounts it can significantly increase your holiday haul.

Contests

Contests are always a great way to draw in customers.  Holding a Thanksgiving themed eating contest is one way to spread holiday cheer and increase revenue.  These types of contests get your customers involved and engaged.  Many of these contests can become tradition for families which will provide you with loyal customers year after year.

Thanksgiving Cards

A small token of appreciation can go a long way towards breeding customer loyalty. Say thanks to your best customers and even those prospects you’re trying to gain business from the personal touch can indeed influence business growth.  These Thanksgiving cards should not be sales oriented, but instead a way of thanking your customers for their loyalty.

Fun Emails

Emails are an inexpensive way to recognize your customers and show them appreciation.  Emails such as Thanksgiving fun facts or jokes can help to show the human side of your company.  These emails also keep your company name at the top of the mind of your customers and prospects.

Funding Your Marketing Campaign

With the holidays closing in quickly it’s time to get your marketing campaigns organized.  Since this time of year can represent a large portion of small businesses yearly earnings it’s important that these campaigns are optimized to increase revenue.  As a small business owner it can be tough to have the necessary cash on hand to pull off a full scale holiday marketing campaign.  Consider a merchant cash advance from Quikstone Capital Solutions where you can get your funds quickly enough to launch a successful holiday marketing campaign now.