‘Tis the Season of Hashtag Holidays

For local and small businesses up to 40% of annual revenue is earned in November and December. To not capitalize on the marketing power of the season, including the commercially created hashtag holidays, is truly a lost opportunity. However, which should you take advantage of and how?

#BlackFriday started as an in-store sales event, but is now a pervasive, expected seasonal discount spanning most of November. The noise and competition around #BlackFriday is so dramatic that it requires heavy promotion to stand out in the crowd. While full participation in a #BlackFriday event may not be appropriate for all small businesses, the strategy of an appealing loss-leader to drive store traffic can be very effective.

#SmallBusinessSaturday, founded by American Express, is a marketing approach with increasing resonance for consumers and communities. As we experience the explosion of online behemoths, big box multi-nationals, and even suburban malls, community and civically-minded consumers are drawn to patronizing and promoting their local stores and services. The online creative assets available at www.americanexpress.com  make it easy to convey a #SmallBusinessSaturday message and remind shoppers to come out in force on November 25th.

#CyberMonday has lost some of its impact with the digitization of #BlackFriday. However, consumers have been trained to watch their email inbox diligently on Monday, November 27th because they know that the very best offers will be shared on that date and via that channel. Email lists should be built, cleaned and nurtured over the course of the year with this one email blast in mind.

For non-profits and fundraisers, #GivingTuesday was created to capitalize on the holiday hashtag momentum. Marketing connected to this hashtag provides a boost to all usual development efforts and enjoys a halo of conscience and community responsibility. The sharing aspect of social media and email are perfect platforms for the #GivingTuesday message. This year, Facebook will waive its 5% commission on all money raised on November 28th, increasing the impact of contributions which is important to donors and non-profits alike.

Taking advantage of the holiday hashtag phenomenon requires advance planning and benefits from teaser campaigns that start the promotions much earlier than the appointed dates. Next year, Red Root Marketing will be happy to help you begin your planning and execution in September for maximum impact.

Tips To Manage Your Business Online

It's easy, free and can even be fun!

Here are some fun, easy and free tips on how to manage your business's online presence:

• Create a business account profile on all social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn), but choose one or two upon which you will create content on a regular basis. Carve out 10 minutes a day or 1 hour a week to sit down and post. Think of it as fun downtime (I'm serious)!

• Link some of these accounts (for example, Instagram to Facebook and Facebook to Twitter) so the content you create on one will go out everywhere

• Write content that is short and sweet; pertinent to your current and potential customers; interesting; and establishes you as an expert in your field.

• Get alerts from ContentGems that will send you an aggregate of information that is relevant to your field. You enter the keywords of articles in which you are interested and you will get daily alerts that you can post directly to your Twitter feed (or copy and paste URL and post on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)

• Google your businessand see what comes up! You should see these at the top, in any order: your website, your business Facebook page, your LinkedIn profile, business Yelp reviews, etc. If you don't see these, that means if potential customers Google you, they will not find you and you need better SEO (Search Engine Optimization)! Social media will help with this tremendously.

• Create a Google Alert for your business, so you know when you are being talked about online and can respond or post to your social media

• Newsletters are a great way to get your content and business expertise out to your contacts and clients and is a great way to stay on your potential clients's radar. Keep people in tune with what you are up to in your business!

• Use content that you have used in your newsletters and post this to your LinkedIn profile as posts. All of you contacts will see this content, there is no algorithm (like in Facebook) to keep your contacts from seeing this content (bonus!) See my LinkedIn posts here.

REMEMBER: Your ultimate goal with Social Media is to drive awareness, generate leads and stay on the radar. When people find you, discover your great service/product and added value, this will lead to loyal customers and more business - complete success on your end!

Warmly,
Jessica
#growwithredroot
www.redrootmarketing.com