Marketing for local businesses no-nonsense advice, personal experiences and lessons learnt

Extend the Christmas rush into January

Many businesses, such as bars and restaurants, become extremely busy at Christmas time.  They make far more money over Christmas and New Year than at any other time of year.  They and their staff are completely flat out, their venues bursting at the seams.  Then, very suddenly, it’s the 2^nd of January and one of the year’s quietest periods commences. 

What can be done to extend some of the seasonal rush past December into January and beyond?

For these types of businesses, the premises or venue is perhaps the most significant and costly business investment, as well as the most valuable.  The value of a place of business is that it gives direct access to passing trade – prospects that can be converted to customers.  A venue makes it possible to build sales from a standing start.  Then, once the business is up and running, it provides the opportunity to build relationships with customers in person – something that many web-based businesses can only dream about.

Like any investment, it’s important to extract every bit of value from a place of business.  If 8 out of every 10 people who walk into a shop are converted into regular customers, how long do you think it would be before that business would have to start turning people away or extending the shop to cope with the demand?  A great problem to have!

This ideal scenario is altogether possible but it is not enough merely to engage with customers who walk in, although that is a great start.  You also need to capture their details and preferences so that it is possible to reach out to them and entice them back in future.  When you reach out to customers with a relevant and compelling reason to visit your business, some will respond.  The more people you reach out to (always assuming a relevant and compelling offer), the more who will respond.

To start with, you need to seize every opportunity to collect your customers’ contact details and learn a little about them.  There is no better opportunity than when they have chosen to walk into your premises.  And, for the businesses in question, there in no other time of year when more people walk into their premises than at Christmas time.