10 Ways to Promote Your Business

Marketing Strategy Ideas for CordovaCash: 10 Ways to Promote Your Business

In response to the COVID-19 disaster, the City of Cordova has released $1 Million in economic stimulus into the community in the form of local-only gift cards, called Cordova Cash cards. In order to accept the Cordova Cash, your business must follow a couple of easy enrollment steps and needs credit card processing capability that accepts VISA. If your business does not have credit card processing capability, consider signing up for any system that allows use of VISA cards.

1. Advertise that you are a participating business in CordovaCash. Use radio, newspaper, social media platforms (like Cordova Alaska Online Bulletin Board on Facebook or your own business Facebook page), fliers in windows, etc.  The more advertisement, the better!  Advertise WHY they should spend their CordovaCash at your business.  What do you have to offer?
2. Be clear to your customers how they can shop from your business.  Can they shop online only?  Can they shop in-store only?  Can they shop both online and in-store?
3. Advertise your current business hours.  Most people do not know what the current business hours are during COVID times.  Make sure to post current business hours on your website, social media platforms, on your Google business listing, with the Cordova Chamber of Commerce, in any of your advertisement platforms, and at your business entrance.
4. If you do not offer online shopping, consider it! A few of the best website builders of 2020 include Wix, Network Solutions, Squarespace, and Site123.
5. Already have an online shop?  If you already have an online shop, consider improving your online presence with up-to-date pictures of current inventory along with sales and promotions.  Make sure you have an easy checkout process for your customers.
6. Consider opening for in-store shopping?  If open for in-store business, make sure that you market that and have COVID-smart cleanliness and safety procedures in place that make sense for you and your customers and current business hours on your website and in your business windows.
7. Improve your social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and include information about online shopping and about in-store business hours.  If you do not advertise on social media platforms, consider doing it for CordovaCash.  Social media circulates information instantly and can be shared, which allows you to reach a much broader audience.  This is also a place to show pictures of current inventory and to promote current sales and promotions.
8. Offer a sale or package for customers to encourage them to use their CordovaCash at your business.  For example, buy 1 get 1 half-off or % discounts on certain types of items when using CordovaCash for the purchase.  This helps to move older inventory, in order to bring in newer inventory.  These are great promotional ideas that attract a lot of attention from customers!
9. Offer contests for your customers to enter!  For example, the 10^th person to shop in-store or online wins a prize.  In another example, everyone who uses their CordovaCash in-store is entered into a contest to win a prize.  This could be repeated for customers who use CordovaCash online.  That offers two ways to win a prize!
10. Offer free snacks or beverages during certain in-store hours to attract customers.

If you need any other assistance in coming up with ideas, please reach out to Cordova Chamber’s Business Support Specialist at support@cordovachamber.com!