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Shopping on Black Friday has become as big a tradition as the feast the day before. As the top deal day of the year, your company can get in on the action with a handful of Black Friday marketing strategies. These ideas are geared toward spreading your Black Friday marketing word far and wide, both online and in person.

Social Media Campaigns

Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram can be total hotspots for Black Friday deals with the right kind of campaigns. You want campaigns that pique interest, generate excitement, and get people coming to your shop. Ideas include:

• Sweepstakes, where people enter their name and email for chance to win a big Black Friday discount
• Mystery surprises, where shoppers get a free gift based on the amount of Black Friday money they spend
• Sneak peeks at upcoming specials, with postings of fabulous photos showcasing the sensational stuff that’ll be on sale

Hashtags can also be super helpful for drawing in folks looking for deals. Try tags like #blackfridaysale, #blackfridaydeals, and #blackfriday2017.

In-Store Promos

Make sure anyone who comes into your physical shop between now and Thanksgiving knows you have phenomenal Black Friday events in store. Create several eye-catching banners to hang in strategic areas, like near the checkout, in display windows, and over the main entrance and exit.

Print up a batch of fliers you can leave on the front counter and hand to customers with every purchase. Signs on display racks also work for grabbing attention, as does a display of some of the most sizzling items you’ll have on sale.

Direct Mail Discounts

Sending out Thanksgiving cards to your previous customers is a sweet gesture, and including a Black Friday coupon code inside is a great way to get them coming back. Include a personal note in the card thanking them for their purchase earlier that year, and create a customized coupon code using the person’s name.

Writing the enclosed note by hand makes it all the more special. If you took the time to handwrite a note and create a personalized coupon code, that person may be more inclined to take the time to head to your shop and use it.

Email Deals

Email is another way to reach the masses with your Black Friday marketing, either with an existing subscriber list or one you compile from past customer information. Emails are a great way to promote specific products you’ll have on sale, complete with a link to the product on your website so they can simply click and buy when the time is right.

Encourage people to open and read the email with a catchy subject line they can’t resist. Create urgency by mentioning the limited timeframe of your deals, such as “Today only” or “Black Friday until noon.”

Run with these Black Friday marketing ideas and you’ll have all your bases covered. You’ll reach shoppers online, in your store, at their homes, and in their email inboxes. Once the masses are fully aware of all the tantalizing deals you have lined up, the sales are likely to start rolling in. Start getting the word out now with printed marketing materials from PaperDirect.

You’ve received some training, you’ve sent out your resume, and now — at long last — you’re finally headed toward your first job interview. If your palms are starting to sweat and your shoulders tense up at the thought, don’t worry. You are not alone! Interviewing for any job, let alone your first one, is a nerve-wracking experience.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make sure the interview goes smoothly. Follow these first job interview tips to get an edge over the competition.

Prep Physically

Remember that when you step into the room with your potential employer, it’s not just your mind that needs to be working well. Make sure that you’re prepping your body correctly. Get a good night’s sleep the night before and eat a filling breakfast the morning of your interview. If you have time, do some yoga or hit the gym before your interview to boost confidence and get those endorphins going. There’s no sense being tired and hungry when you’re trying to impress your potential employers.

Dress for the Occasion

Think about the job you’re applying for and how you might dress for it on a day-to-day basis, then outfit yourself a step above that. If you’re trying for a manual labor job, go with business casual, like a formal button down shirt paired with slacks or a skirt. If you’re interviewing for an office position where the dress is business casual, consider wearing a suit or a professional dress.

Whatever you wear, make sure that your clothes are clean and as wrinkle-free as possible. Avoid flashy colors or bold fashion statements – there’ll be plenty of time to express your true fashion-forward self once you get the job.

Do Your Homework

Spend at least an hour researching the company at which you’re going to interview. Read articles about them, review who the decision makers are at the company, and try to find out what former employees are saying. A simple Google search of the company’s name should yield several results to peruse before you walk in the door. Glassdoor is also a useful resource for employee opinions and interview experiences.

When you’re informed, you can speak easily and handle any topic that comes your way, and your interviewers will be impressed with the effort you put in to learn about their company.

Project Confidence and Good Humor

This one is straightforward, but it can be an easy one to overlook when you’re walking into your first job interview. You might be nervous, but if you hold your shoulders back, look your interviewer in the eyes, give them a firm handshake, and keep a smile on your face, you’ll go a long way toward masking your anxiety.

You never know – a little feigned physical confidence may even inspire some inner confidence, too!

Send a Note Afterward

No matter how you think the interview went, you can only help yourself by taking the time to pick up a pen and write a short thank you note to your interviewer. A friendly note thanking them for their time might make all the difference between landing the job and being beat by the competition.

Follow these tips, and your first job interview is going to be a breeze. Don’t forget to prep in advance by doing some research, finding a professional outfit, eating a filling meal, and ordering thank you notes from PaperDirect to send after your interview. Now, go get ‘em!

So you’ve created an awesome online course that can help dozens, hundreds or even thousands of people–if only they’d sign up for it. And the only way they’re likely to sign up for it is if they know the course exists and are intrigued enough to explore it. How do you market an online course to achieve just that? By tackling three distinct strategies, each of which are packed with various methods designed to spread the word and arouse curiosity.

Stir up Intrigue

Giving folks a taste of what’s in store with your course is easy: give them a sneak peek of what to expect. Here you can offer a portion of the course at no cost, a free test drive of the course for a certain number of days, or a few interesting course graphics or takeaways. Podcasts and webinars featuring some of your core course content can also work.

If people have a real feel of what they’ll be learning, and the subject excites them, your sneak peek may be just enough to get them hooked.

Provide Credibility

Bolstering the credibility of the course – and yourself – is another handy strategy that goes on the list of how to market an online course. Strengthening credibility in both departments can be done by:

• Getting endorsements for your course from satisfied customers.
• Contacting bloggers and podcasters in your field who can help you spread the word. Pitch your course by sharing some of most useful tips the course offers.
• Strengthening your brand image. People aren’t likely to enroll in an online course unless they trust the source or your brand. The most trustworthy brands will typically have a quality website, informative blog, strong social media presence, business cards, professional stationery, and consistent message and look across the board.
• Proving your expertise in the field. Consistently post and share articles that showcase your knowledge, experience, and overall expertise in your field and industry. Become active on LinkedIn and other social channels. Consider joining industry groups to further share your knowledge and expand your audience.

Solve a Problem

While some folks may sign up for an online course to learn for learning’s sake, even more people are likely to enroll if your course offers a specific solution to their problem. You may have various target groups with various problems, all of which can be solved by your online course. Reach out to each group individually, showcasing how your course solves their problem. If your course is about building confidence, for instance, you could market to:

• People new to the job market or changing careers
• Mid-career employees seeking promotions
• People returning to school after a hiatus
• Would-be public speakers and performers
• Women or men in the dating scene

Let each group know exactly what they’ll get with your course, both the overall lessons they’ll learn and the benefits they’ll receive.

A detailed overview of your course, which you can post on your website, is another must when developing a plan on how to market an online course. Provide the class title, description, and syllabus so people can clearly see what’s in store. Make sure you offer enough info to pique people’s interest, provide credibility, and make it clear how the course could solve a problem they’re facing in their professional or personal lives.

Everyone knows that St. Patrick’s Day can be loads of fun with friends and family getting together for parades, corned beef, green beer, and traditional Celtic singalongs. So why not take the opportunity to inspire your customers to get into the Irish spirit on Friday, March 17, 2017.

Help your shoppers finding the pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow with these seven St. Patrick’s Day marketing ideas.

Prepare for the Green Surge

Prepare ahead of time for St. Patrick’s Day by stocking up on anything and everything green and/or related to Irish culture. Rename any services offered with St. Patrick Day’s monikers. When March rolls around, you’ll be ready to share pictures and descriptions of everything St. Patrick’s Day related that your business has available. Displays of green products or merchandise exclusively from Ireland will play extremely well.  

A Trip to Ireland

Of course, you probably can’t afford to send your clients to Ireland, but that doesn’t mean they can’t feel like they’re already there while they are visiting your business. Decorate for St. Patrick’s Day, play Celtic music, and offer seasonal treats to anyone who comes in.  Mail invitations to past customers and potential leads to join you and your staff on a journey to Ireland that doesn’t require a passport.

Save a Pot o’ Gold Promotion

An easy way to promote a sale during the month of March, tie in promotions with St. Patrick’s Day themes. From lucky savings on items marked with four-leaf clovers to major savings at the end of the rainbow – get creative with how you incorporate St. Patrick’s Day into your marketing efforts.

Host a St. Patrick’s Day Happy Hour

It’s always a good time to enjoy a cocktail and some appetizers, especially when it’s St. Patrick’s Day. Invite clients to a St. Patrick’s Day happy hour complete with Irish whiskey, Guinness, green beer and a sampling of Irish delicacies. This event is the perfect opportunity to re-engage former clients and connect with potential new ones.

Wear Green, Save Green

No coupon necessary! Use social channels and email marketing to let shoppers know that they can save a certain percent on their purchases if they come in wearing green for St. Patrick’s Day. Snap pictures of your customers in green to use on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other digital marketing platforms to encourage more people to come in.  You can also promote the discount by sending on St. Patrick’s Day themed mailers.

Create a Social Media Experience

Use Facebook or Instagram as a platform for a contest where users submit photos of their favorite leprechauns (kids and/or pets decked out in their finest green attire). Anyone who submits a photo can receive a small discount on their next purchase. The photo that gets the most likes can win a gift certificate to your business.

Share St. Patrick’s Day Info

In the days leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, use social media to share Irish recipes, trivia, historical facts, funny pictures, and anything else interesting that relates to this holiday. While you might be skeptical because these social media posts don’t directly promote your business, don’t be. This content will engage users and raise awareness for your brand, thus encouraging clickthroughs and purchases.

Seriously, where did 2016 go? 

It seems like the year just began but actually, 2017 is rapidly approaching and the fourth quarter is in full swing. This period is a crucial time of year for small businesses, ripe with opportunities to set goals, improve sales, and communicate with your clients.

During the fourth quarter, a small business should focus their efforts, time, and budget in the following areas.

Complete Projects

It’s been a busy year, so some projects were moved to the back burner. Now is the time to make these projects a priority. Look back to the end of 2015 to determine what initiatives you wanted to complete this year, and get them done now.

Start 2017 with a clean slate, without old projects looming over your head. You don’t want to begin a new year, trying to catch up with projects you thought of over 12 months ago.

Try New Sales Strategies

The fourth quarter is also an excellent time to review your sales team’s work and empower these employees to try new strategies to increase profit for your small business. Pull your sales staff into a brainstorming session to consider different methods for securing new business from existing clients as well as reaching out to potential leads.

Think Snapchat, Facebook advertising, new email subject lines–anything that you can test during the busy season ahead.

Also, consider ways to bundle products and/or services to make it easier for your sales team to sell more at once.

Build Marketing Momentum

The holiday season is right around the corner, which is the perfect time to enact new marketing initiatives, from social media outreach to paid search campaigns. A

Allocate some of your fourth quarter budget to engaging new customers and loyal clients with creative marketing techniques, both traditional and digital. Consider everything from new banners and signage to an Instagram photo contest to reach your audience during the end of the year.

Set Goals

Work with department heads, each team, and individual employees to determine the best direction for your small business in 2017. End the year with a clear plan for the goals you want to accomplish so you are ready to go come January 1.

While you are setting end of year goals, reflect on areas where your business could improve by learning from missed opportunities and unfortunate mistakes made throughout 2016. Set goals that require your small business staff to strive for the best while still being realistic and attainable. You don’t want the goals you set to discourage your employees.  

Have a great Q4 by planning and executing properly. See you in 2017 when the dust has settled!