Effective Online Marketing: Cyber Monday Tips for Small Businesses

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Key Takeaways

Cyber Monday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year and your service-oriented business can benefit from it too.
From promoting new service offerings to providing discounts for scheduling an appointment, there are many ways to participate.
Web.com will help you attract customers on this standout sales day and beyond with effective online marketing.

Cyber Monday brings a major boost to online sales each year and with more people now staying home than ever before, this year’s version looks to be huge. While this is great for retailers who have products that are easy to sell online, what if you own a service-oriented business that doesn’t offer anything quite so tangible?

Whether you run a cleaning service, an auto repair shop, a financial investment firm or another kind of service business, there are smart ways to make the most of the special sales holiday. Here are a few bright ideas.

Offer Online Experiences

With coronavirus concerns still a major factor in many parts of the country, some of your customers may not feel comfortable interacting with you and your team in person. For example, you may own a small health club or offer music lessons. When you can’t meet face-to-face, offer online experiences such as live online workout classes or guitar lessons. Promote special discounts on Cyber Monday for sessions that are good throughout the rest of the year. This will help you stay connected to your existing customers and find new ones as well.

Consider the Power of Influencers

Depending on your target market segment, your customers are likely active on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Each of these platforms has its own merits as a non-traditional advertising channel, and using an influencer on your market’s preferred platform is a great way to take advantage of Cyber Monday. If your services are fashion or beauty related, look to Instagram and find a fashion influencer with a significant number of followers who would be willing to promote your business. If you cater to more business-minded customers, you can apply the same logic and find a LinkedIn source with a significant number of followers to set up an endorsement. You will gain the exposure of that individual’s followers along with the credibility of a testimonial from a source your potential customers already know and trust.

Promote Cyber Monday Incentives

Although you won’t be providing a service for all of your customers on Cyber Monday, why not offer an incentive to those who join, book a session or take whatever initial step to guarantee you increase business on this day? Also, just because Cyber Monday is a time when customers are accustomed to snagging a deal doesn’t mean you need to offer your service at a discount. Adding a free complementary product to accompany your service (think a hair care product for a client who purchases a series of five haircuts) or an add-on to enhance the customer’s experience (a free fertilizer treatment added to a lawn care service) can trigger that same psychological push to get your customer to make a purchase. Be sure to use your social media channels and your website to promote whatever incentive you choose, or create a contest that offers followers a chance to win a prize for commenting on or sharing your post to increase its visibility and engagement.

Launch a New Offering

Use the suspense of the impending Cyber Monday (which inevitably goes longer than the one day) to launch a new or rebranded service. Maybe you’re a microblading eyebrow artist who has decided to branch out and offer training for others who are attracted to the trending field, or perhaps you are a nail technician or a pet groomer who has added mobile visits to alleviate concerns of being in a crowded public setting. Whether it’s brand new or not, you can capitalize on the hype of shoppers’ expectations for Cyber Monday by unveiling your latest offering on your website to coincide with the big day. A promotional video to highlight the new service is an ideal way to make this happen since videos typically add to the length of time a visitor stays on your site which helps to generate brand engagement and revenue.

Look to Web.com for Online Resources

When you are looking to make the most of business opportunities during the holiday season and beyond, Web.com has the online resources you need. From building a website and website hosting packages to professional email accounts and eCommerce tools, look to us to help take your business to new levels of success. We’ve helped over 3 million small businesses enhance their online images and we’re ready to do the same for you.

Plan for Cyber Monday Success

Think of Cyber Monday as an opportunity to engage with your customer base online while engaging new potential customers. It may seem as though the day is geared towards retail-oriented companies, but there is certainly a place for service providers too. Use these tips to help make the most of this opportunity and create lasting customer engagement.