Yes, it’s almost 2024. Doesn’t it feel like just yesterday when you were celebrating NYE and jotting down your resolutions? Well, there’s no time like today to get ahead when it comes to your business, especially in these tricky economic conditions.
Welcoming a new year can be leveraged to draw in new faces, and encourage existing customers to keep spending with your business. Some of these tips will be relatively obvious but reminders never hurt, others will require a little bit of elbow grease, and we’ve also included a couple of ‘out of the box’ options.
Write a Thank You Card
Instead of birthday cards, we get Facebook messages. For Christmas, it’s a general post on Instagram or an email. If you ever get an actual postcard, you have to do a double-take.
That’s why in 2024, a real thank-you card is ideal. For a business, it’s a personal touch that’s lacking in today’s world. It shows gratitude and appreciation for existing customers, with no strings attached. Don’t promote or sell, just say thank you. You’ll find that this will generate more business than you’d think.
Interactive Social Media Posts
We all know social media is important, yet it’s abundantly clear that even most ‘experts’ don’t really know how to use it. For the holidays, most companies will simply post a generic ‘Happy New Year’ message, without context or a truly unique selling point. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.
We recommend a simple quiz or poll, for example. People love to play games and give their opinions on all sorts of things. It doesn’t have to be complex or something that will match a big agency ad campaign, just something that gets people talking. As long as you don’t just post a generic message you will be ahead of 99.9% of other small businesses.
Know Your New Year’s Resolutions
We are all aware that knowing your audience is key to making sales. However, not many marketers realize that your customer is different in January. This is all because of the many resolutions people try to commit to when a new year starts.
In the United States and many other countries, exercise is the number 1 resolution, alongside losing weight and eating healthier. In addition, consumers want to focus more on family, spend less time on social media, save money, and reduce their stressful jobs.
Try and sell your product in a way that ties in with these resolutions. For example, if your company sells paper in bulk (Michael Scott style), emphasize how buying more can save money in the long run. Or if you sell a time-saving SAAS product, show how it makes customers more efficient, allowing for a less stressful work environment and more time with the kids.
Share Your Knowledge
When that clock strikes midnight, people get a renewed energy to learn and try new things. This truth can be leveraged by small businesses by sharing your industry expertise.
Let’s say you’re in charge of a local gym. Instead of just giving out free trial days or other promotions (of course, do these also!), why not give 100% no-commitment advice? Start a multi-day campaign that focuses on diet and exercise, for instance.
The key is showing a little of what’s behind the curtain, but not giving everything away. You want to show that you’re an expert, but you still want people hungry for more. Once they see that you know what you’re talking about, it will naturally lead to additional business.
Launch Your New Products
As we’ve already emphasized, the New Year is all about renewal, trying new things, and injecting a little bit of energy into the post-Christmas slump. Use this.
If you’re about to launch a new product or service, wait until the new year. Consumers are increasingly waiting to spend during January, with stats showing a 3% rise last year.
Focus on how your launch coincides with the ‘New Year, New You’ mantra. Highlight how your company can be part of a drive for improvement and change, and of course market what’s coming all through the holiday season.
Do You Have a Referral Program?
Our final tip is the secret sauce. Instead of doing all of the heavy lifting when it comes to marketing, why not get a free cohort of companies and individuals marketing your wares? We’re talking about referral programs, in which third parties get a percentage of the sale if they send customers your way.
Approach your marketing for your referral programs in the same way you would an actual sale. Send out a mailshot to existing members with a promotion (e.g. increased referral % for a limited time) or merely a simple reminder to do a little bit of marketing for the upcoming year.
Remember, the new year is a time-sensitive window where you can make a lot of sales if you approach it correctly. Don’t let this opportunity slide and start the year in the right way!
