Supporting Small Businesses During The Holiday Season

The success of Small Business Saturday proves that we’re (finally) showing the love to all the great indie retailers/makers in our communities and supporting their endeavors with our hard-earned cash.  You’ve got people interested--it’s the holiday season and we’re ready to buy!  Great selling opportunities abound, new customers are popping up left & right, and time is running a bit short.Are you making the most out of every selling opportunity?  Let's make indies the clear choice this holiday season with these three tips:Tip #1: Make it a group effort. Get a group of indies in your region together and host a shopping event!  Have food, drinks, a little entertainment, and create a festive party that lets attendees get all their holiday shopping done while sipping a cocktail. Sure beats waiting in line at the mall, no?Plus, there's a bonus: Organizing these types of events is a great way to meet like-minded entrepreneurs in your area & create solid collaborative partnerships.  Another bonus: If you’ve got 20 indies participating in the event, you’ve got 20 different outlets to market to, and there’s a huge opportunity to cross-pollinate and get your work in front of new audiences.Which leads me to my next tip...Tip #2: Look for cross-selling opportunities or complementary products.  In the giving season, it’s really important that you’re selling items that are instantly giftable...meaning: I could buy it, throw it in a gift bag, and take it wherever I’m going.  What does that mean?  Really, just look at what you have & figure out what would make it BETTER.  Do you make ceramics (bowls, mugs, etc.)?  Think about partnering with someone who sells artisan coffees & create the perfect gift.  If you make a great line of lip balms, find someone who makes soaps & bath products to create gift sets that are way better than anything you can buy at the mall.  Be creative--find new ways to get potential customers interested in your products.And finally...Tip #3: There’s more than one type of shopper.  Lots of people shop during their lunch break--could you run a 11-2pm promo geared towards those shoppers?  Do you live near a business district?  These busy people need to get their holiday shopping done, too. How about a 5 o’clock shopping event that lets them de-stress from the workday and enjoy a little shopping on their way home?Also--think about your fellow retailers.  This is the busiest, most stressful time of year, and the last thing anyone wants to do is go shopping.  How can you gear a promotion towards them?  You certainly don’t have to run a ton of different promos during the season, but my point here is to get you thinking a little outside the box.And that’s a good thing! Here’s to your success and a stellar holiday season!Megan Gallagher is a small-business strategist working with creative indiepreneurs at Method & Madness.  She talks business development, creative vision, and indie lifestyle through one-on-one strategy sessions, e-guides, and the Method & Madness blog.

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