What's your fall plan?

Okay, in case you didn't notice, it's the end of August. Maybe you are on the beach or enjoying some downtime and staying away from the computer for a change. That's great, everyone needs to take some time away and remember why we all work so hard in the first place. But fall is around the corner and it's time to determine what you need to do to make the final third of 2010 successful.

Consider the following: 

1) Is your business tied to the holidays in anyway? Now is the time to organize, plan and get into motion any plan you have for increasing holiday sales and mrketing to your target audience. November and December issues of magazines are already in the works and looking for great new products to highlight.

2) If your business dies off during the holidays then you really need to get moving to take advantage of September and October!

3) Have you taken full advantage of social media this year? Have you created a Twitter account? Have you enhanced your LinkedIn profile? How is your Facebook page? Have you updated your blog? While none of these will dramatically increase sales by itself, they are all necessary in today's environment and should all be part of a marketing plan.

4) How about on-line advertising? There are great deals out there now on online ads, banners, etc. That entire marketing channel has changed dramatically over the years and the good news is you can have complete control over what you implement and understanding what works thanks to Google analytics. But you have to take advantage of it and have it installed. Then you will know what's working and what isn't and where your money is best spent.

5) What about your traditional PR? Are you writing articles? Are you pursuing speaking engagements? Are your products worthy of a write-up in the local daily or weekly? How about national coverage? While daily papers are suffering, the magazine industry is alive and kicking. They are always looking for things to publish.

Now is the time to get started, don't miss out on a great fall. And of course if you need help with any of this, we're here. I might even cut you a great deal if you mention my blog! Get moving!