How To Improve Your Business: From Sales to Street Banners

Owning a business can be tough, especially in this economy. If you own a store, you may have noticed that the flow of customers has all but stopped, if not taken a significant dive. It's time to drum up some business! Here are some tips on how to rejuvenate your store.

1. Hold a sale. You might be hesitant to dock the price of your wares, but selling something at 25% off is better than not selling it at all. It's nearly Christmas, so people will appreciate all the money they can save. Single out a few select items that have sold well in the past, or that people have seemed interested in but perhaps didn't have the right price, and take a few extra bucks off.

2. Advertise, advertise, advertise. This may be the most crucial thing you can do, especially if you decide to go with the sale strategy. How will people know about your amazing deals if you don't tell them? First, set up an online campaign. If you don't have a Facebook or Twitter set up for the shop, you're way behind, so get a move on. If you do, and you've decided to go with holding a sale, create a new public event on Facebook outlining some but not all of the details on the sale (leave a little mystery!) and invite everyone you're friends with. Then tell them to invite their friends and to tell those friends to invite their friends, and so on and so forth. Post the link to the shop's Twitter account.

Now, take out an ad in the local paper about the sale, and write up a press release to send out to news web sites and blogs.

Put up signs! You don't need to bombard the public's eyesight or turn your shop window into a carnival, but some well-placed street banners, custom flags and window graphics will do the trick.

Send out coupon mailers. People, as a rule, hate getting spam. However, they love coupons, and will make a point to stop by the shop to use them. You could even hire a few kids to ride around and stick them in people's mailboxes.

3. Redecorate (or just decorate) the store. This may seem frivolous, but if your shop is looking a bit woebegone, people aren't going to want to come in. Make it seem inviting for people on the street, and make sure you deliver on the promise. Commission a local artist or art student to paint your store window for the holidays, and put a festive wreath on the front door. Put up decorations inside as well; if you don't want to go all out with a tree, a few stockings and bowls of Christmas candy will do just fine.

Now that you have some ideas on how to pull your business out of its slump, get to it!