Think about the benefits you offer to customers

Two weeks ago we were all whining about the heat and the lack of rain - now I'm whining about the cold and the rainstorm that did me out of a horseback ride on Monday. We've had frost a couple times in the past few days, and the air has a definite "fall chill."

What ever happened to gentle transitions between seasons?

Well, if nothing else, some retailers should be glad. The change in weather should get people started thinking about winter clothing, heating stoves, snow blowers, and even Christmas shopping.

Do you have a business that will benefit from the arrival of winter? If so, have you got your new promotions written? It seems soon to be thinking of holiday promotions, but if you start now, you'll produce good ads, and if you wait until November... Well, they might be the kind of thing that results from working in a hurry.

So stop now and think about how your product or service really benefits people during the holidays. Do you sell something that would make a unique gift? Do you offer a product or service that would ease holiday stress? Have you made a special purchase so you can offer a huge discount on some popular item? Can you offer extra service that your competitors don't?

Take out a paper and pen and write down 10 or 20 reasons why someone should do business with you this fall and winter. Why should they choose you instead of a competitor? If you get stuck, write down wild ideas, because they'll lead to good ideas if you keep going.

When you finish, pick out the 4 or 5 best reasons (benefits to the customer, remember) and base your fall and winter ad campaign on those reasons.

Now decide how you intend to reach out to your customers. Will you place ads in a newspaper? Will you send out flyers? Will you do an email campaign? Get out the calendar and schedule your marketing events, then write the ads.

Do it now. Because if you wait, all those good ideas will have flown from your head and you'll be facing the last minute deadline without good copy.

Yours for prosperity,
Marte
writer@marte-cliff.com

P.S. Remember, if you get stuck, I'm as close as your email, and I love writing promotions that create sales!