Will Your Business Be Profitable on Black Friday?

Close to 230 million shoppers made purchases over the Black Friday weekend in 2012 . That amasses to a shopping power of $59.1 billion. With 2013 Black Friday lurking just around the corner, what are you doing to to capitalize on this Thanksgiving retail phenomenon? 

Here are 6 ways to ensure your small/medium sized business sees profit next weekend 

• Hit Locally- Your prospective clients will be inundated with advertisements in the weeks leading up to Black Friday. Many of these offers will be virtually the same—geotarget your ads to potential customers who live close to your business. 

• Invest in Online Coupons and Advertisements- 41% of 2012 individual spending on Black Friday came from online deals make sure you are reaching this extension of your audience. 

• Mobile-Optimize  Your Site- The way people look up information, shop, and make decisions is turning mobile. Aside from promoting your coupons and ads digitally, make sure someone looking for your business or products from their mobile device can easily navigate your site and make purchases. 

• Use Social Media- Don’t hesitate to promote your Black Friday deals on social media. A great way to rally excitement and increase viewer engagement is by making a count-down clock until the Black Friday promotions launch.  

• Use Data- Look at your records from last year and ask yourself what sold well, what didn’t? What made the highest margins? Plan your advertising and coupons accordingly. 

• Plan Ahead- Take into consideration the extra traffic you will have to your business and plan accordingly. Schedule the appropriate amount of employees to work, plan out how you will run your check out lines, make a customer service strategy, and review the “emergency” plans for various situations with all employees.

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Data from CNN News and The National Retail Federation

How To Cash In On Marketing Gold: Sports Edition

With the World Series having just come to a close here in Boston (Go Sox!) sports fever is at a high in the city. While Boston is known for having particularly spirited fans, it seems to be a trend worldwide that game days are marketing gold – Superbowl anyone? While we touched upon this briefly a few weeks ago, we wanted to share some more examples of how you can take advantage of sports for branding on social media.

Following with the Red Sox shaving superstition, brands including the Red Sox started getting the hashtag #getbeard trending on Twitter. Nike goes so far as to feature it on some of the T-shirt merchandise they’re selling in relation to the team. One week later, and the hashtag is still going strong. Gillette, the razor brand, has also gotten in the action by having players David Ortiz and Shane Victorino come in to their offices to get their beards shaved for the One Fund. This move was well documented on Twitter, as they were the first players to shave following the World Series, getting Gillette a bit of attention through social media. In the weeks working up to the World Series, brands and fellow local teams also wished the Red Sox luck using this particular hashtag. It’s a fun way to show support and get involved with

In general however, some studies have found that users check social media twice as much on the day of a big game. Many will also use social media as a means to get updates on the game if they’re unable to watch. It is easy for companies to show their spirit and get involved with other fans by showing their support for teams! In return, it helps your company brand itself as a fun and engaged business that can connect with customers through sports. Luckily for our Boston area residents, the Bruins, Pats and Celtics are now all in their season, so as a business get some attention by showing your team pride!