Make the Holidays Bright.

That's right, we are just around the corner from Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. The scary part is, the economy isn't looking too favorably on having a good financial holiday season though. So what is a business, whether it be online or off, to do to make things the best they can be?

Marketing Starts Now!
That's right, and some may argue the train should have already left the station for your marketing. Make sure you are in front of the people you want shopping from you as often as you can be. Go out and purchase banner ads, advertise on the radio, put an ad in a magazine or two, get an article in the paper, etc. Just remember to be smart, don't pay for ad space that you feel is too expensive, remember the company you are buying the ad from is probably not doing well either so you might have some room to bargain.

You can never market enough, especially when the economy is not in your favor. The more people know about you, and the more they see your name the better chance you stand of having them stop at your store. Don't give them any reason to look for another source, be in their face without being too annoying (yes it's a fine line, but you know when you've gone too far, just be smart about it.).

Smart Pricing
Smart pricing is pricing your products so you still make a profit, but you look like a better bargain then your competitor. Sometimes taking less profit can actually increase sales and increase your bottom line. If you are working on 50% mark-ups, why not cut that down to 40% or 35% if you can afford it? You don't want to undersell your items, but you also don't want to be the most expensive shop in town.

Good Customer Service = Referrals
This may seem like a given, but it's one of the most important things. Make sure that anyone and everyone who has contact with a customer from your company (whether it be phone, email, face-to-face) does it in a positive way. One bad experience from a customer can equate to many lost sales from people they know. On the other hand, a truly positive experience will most likely have that customer coming back and usually they'll tell or bring a friend.

Remember: Just because the economy is slow, doesn't mean you should be.

--------------
Ignite MediaLLC, Ignite Your Site™
http://www.ignite-media.com/
Website Design & Development eCommerce Development