Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

The best part of a new year, to me, is that fresh, crisp, BLANK calendar. I can’t wait to fill it with family birthdays, anniversaries, outings… and, in the case of my business calendar, the wonderful promotional events I will present to my customers. And those folks who are just dying to BE my customers.

A promotional event is any special happening that is not a normal part of daily business. It could be as simple as an anniversary celebration with refreshments and decorations, or as elaborate as an invitation-only after-hours seminar with speakers, special offerings, and discounts.  — Resale’s Best Promotions, page 5

So grab your calendar and come along with me….

First, mark the “real” holidays, those events that will already be on your target market’s minds. Here’s a nice list to use. Pay close attention to the all-important Monday holidays since you might ant a little something extra on those days.

PS That same link, has “national food holidays”, which would be great, you think, if you ran a restaurant. True, but hey! Who says you can’t promote “Free Gum Drops with every purchase” on February 15, National Gum Drop Day, or offer, “Free, just stop in” peanut butter recipes in a shop-branded brochure during the whole month of November, AKA National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month?

Next, skim through some odd holidays and pencil in on your calendar the ones that might tickle your town’s fancy. Take a look at:

• Bizarre Holidays
• Calendar at a Glance
• Days of the Year
• Today’s Holidays

Now mull over which holidays will make the final cut in your shop. Things to consider? Whether it’s a theme that appeals to you, will be fun for your target customer, and whether it falls at a time of year when you NEED a gimmick. Remember, you can just use that odd day to take a quick shot of some relevant merchandise in your shop (green home decor items for National Pistachio Day or serape striped shirts for Cinco de Maio) to post on social media, without planning anything special in the shop. For other ideas, you might want to go all out.

If you can create a newsworthy happening and get the media there, the publicity will increase public awareness of your event. Be imaginative: for your Evening at the Symphony fundraiser, send out a strolling violinist to serenade the shopping center’s crowds the day
before your event, with a staffer dressed in evening clothes handing out fliers. — Page 25

Next, count backwards to get your time line for decorating, promoting and so on. Check the worksheets in Resale’s BEST Promotions to stay organized.

And don’t forget the after-event promotions that will create wide-spread attention to your shop and drive social media year-round. Find ideas for this in our PDQ.

Happy Whatever Today Is to you!

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