Photo (CC) by LeeHansen.com, on Flickr

If you have followed this blog, my colleague, Becky McCray, has provided lots of ideas for building communities and the small businesses in those areas. Her blogs have suggested things such as

• Pop-ups – https://smallbizsurvival.com/2014/03/what-is-a-pop-up-business.html
• Shared spaces – https://smallbizsurvival.com/2017/04/small-town-retail-trend-shared-spaces.html
• Tiny businesses – https://smallbizsurvival.com/2017/03/tiny-businesses-in-storage-sheds-a-rural-economic-development-tool.html

I am adding another thought to this list by suggesting that a business or a community can start your own holiday.

Businesses and communities already celebrate events such as anniversaries, grand openings, founder’s day, etc. But maybe you have a quirky idea like bacon day or ball point pen day you would like to celebrate. Go ahead. Just look at Ground Hogs Day as a developed event. Several towns have made it a major event.

And just as certain events have already spread into other communities, there may be no reason you can’t bring an existing idea to your business and community as well (you may want to check on any intellectual property rights).

From Day 1, as you start making plans, think about the possibility of making it a yearly event. Where will you start this year and how might you expand in the future.

If you can’t think of an event, perhaps you just want to grab one of the special days, weeks or months already acknowledged. Some examples include:

• National Ice Cream Day (third Sunday in July).
• National Cheer Up the Lonely Day (July 11^th).
• National Sneak Some Zucchini Into Your Neighbor’s Porch Day (August 8^th). Think of the contests and fun you could have with that.

And if nothing else excites you – National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day (September 1^st). (Check out National Day Calendar (http://nationaldaycalendar.com/) for more ideas.)

Companies such as Amazon and Alibaba did this with their Amazon Prime Day (July 10^th) and National Singles Day. They didn’t even have an event but simply highlight a single day devoted to spending money in their system for some great deals. (http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-prime-day-vs-alibaba-singles-day-2017-7). You may say you don’t have the resources for such an event but start small. You aren’t looking to do an international event the first year.

So as you plan your marketing, don’t be limited to what exists. Feel free to create new opportunities.

Photo (CC) by Akuppa John Wigham, on Flickr

I recently did a post for another blog, Power of Business. In it I discussed the fact that marketing is much more than making a sale.

Marketing should happen early, be often and continuous. You must understand who your potential customer is, what motivates them, and be prepared to use all of the marketing tools available.  In addition, you must recognize what makes  them to be aware of your marketing efforts and, then, what motivates them to purchase.

What was not discussed was how marketing should continue after the sale.

The first reason to market after the sale is just practical. You want to encourage return purchases.

Another after-the-sale marketing tools is to help the customer understand and use the product or service to its full potential. How often have you come home only to be frustrated at maybe reading and understanding the directions? Imagine how helpful a short video might be. That’s marketing

And then there is the effort of supporting exchanges and returns, just another tool in your marketing basket. There are a variety of reasons why customers wish to return an item. What they want, when doing so, is a quick, painless experience. Your online presence can help create that which, in turn, makes the customer more likely to return.

In addition, don’t forget to ask for customer  feedback. Ensure they are happy with what they bought. Ask them if they want to be notified when similar items come in. Remind them of complimentary products. Ask for comments or to post a review.

Looking at a longer time frame, perhaps you want to form user groups who can share information. As one of the participants, you can be there to answer questions, pass along information, nurture the conversation, and, most important, learn from the dialogue. Once these sites are running smoothly, your role and participation can get smaller and smaller.

And finally, one of the biggest market efforts is the encouragement for them to be an advocate. Ask them to post pictures. Encourage them to share with friends and others. In today’s world, consumers are found to strongly trust the information posted by others. Make sure you get their permission to share comments, photos, etc. It’s worth your time. What can be more powerful than having someone else tell your story.

Marketing after the sale builds your reputation and brand. More importantly, it builds your business.