What It Is

Planning sales and other business promotions around special annual events and holidays is a great way to boost success. You can promote your products in new, unique, attention getting ways and you will have a great excuse to contact customers with your special offers.

Start out by taking some time and thinking about the product or service you have to offer and how they can fit into holidays or special events. If you happen to sell cosmetics, you can offer special makeovers for prom, brides-to-be, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc. If you sell scrapbook supplies, hold a sale slightly before or after each holiday. Most people will take lots of pictures on the actual holiday and will want to start scrapbooking on their new photos.

If you sell kitchen products, you can create a special for someone having a bridal shower, and you can certainly hold a sale just before Thanksgiving. If you happen to sell books, toys, or other products centered around children, you can hold a sale right before school gets out as well as right before school starts.

Companies that make their money from the sale of informational products can use special events to their advantage as well. When kids go back to school in the early fall, offer specials on start your own business merchandise that stay at home parents will be especially interested in.

January can also be a great month to offer a promotion, as people are realizing how much money they spent on holiday gifts and are looking for a way to pay off their credit cards.

The best way to make a holiday or special event promotion successful is thinking out of the box and making it fun. If the services you offer include event planning, have some summer specials for graduation parties and family reunions. You can give parents who let you organize their child’s first birthday party a year long discount.

You can also join forces with other home business owners and offer combined deals. Going back to the example of selling informational products that teach people how to start a home business, you could take your “New Year’s new-business” promotion a step further and partner with a web designer. Your package could include information on starting an online business and a “starter” website.

If you use your imagination, you can find a way to build a promotion around your products and services that fits any holiday. If you need help thinking up ideas, just look at the commercials or circulars for your local stores, as they will be using these types of promotions to lure their own customers.