Walk into any of millions of stores around this country and you will find a large rack or even an entire wall of gift cards available for purchase.  The gift card market is massive in this nation, and while much of that is for the typical birthdays, anniversaries and holidays, there is a growing niche in the gift card market.  That niche is small business.  Gift cards have proven very effective ways of saying thank you to new customers, clients, vendors, and lenders.  They can, in fact, be very powerful tools when fundraising as well.

Offer Gift Cards as Donation Rewards Crowdfunding has become a massive industry in its own right.  For small businesses, this provides an avenue to reach angel investors, who will put their funds into something they believe in.  In return for the donations, most crowdfunding campaigns will offer small gifts of gratitude.  These may be something as simple as a t-shirt with the company logo, but can also be much more involved.  Authors have gone so far as to name characters after financial donors as part of their crowdfunding efforts.  Gift cards can be another option.  If you have an established business in place, a gift card to your own store or for access to the services that you offer can be a great option.  If you are just forming a start-up, you might consider gift cards to companies in a related field.  So if you are starting a business in the pet health sector, for instance, then perhaps you offer a gift card to a national pet supply chain.  If you are launching a new smart device, then perhaps you offer an imusic gift card, so the tunes can be loaded on your product.

Gift Cards after Meetings It is not just the crowdfunding campaign that can benefit from the inclusion of gift cards.  You can also use them as a memorable way of saying thank you.  Perhaps you send a gift card to a local coffee shop to those who attended your small innovation seminar, or you could send one to the owner of an organization that agreed to be a new isponsor for your start-up.

It is such a simple concept, but spending a few dollars to send a gift card with the thank you note can really make the effort far more notable and may just entice future investments as well.

Bringing Your Small Business before a World Audience

That may sound like a very intimidating title, but if you are operating online already, then you have already started this process.  In truth, this article is for the small company that hasn’t yet embraced the potential of internet marketing.  With the right approach to technology, nearly any business in nearly any sector can enjoy a much larger customer base.  That may even extend to the global marketplace.

Get Past the Old Mindset The first step to taking your business online is to lose the “I can’t” attitude.  Yes, it is very likely that the transition will not be entirely smooth, that it will feature obstacles, and that it will require you to step entirely outside your comfort zone.  That said, though, you will likely find that a lot more doors open for you when you make the jump.

Meet, Greet, and Ask Questions Initially, ask questions of those around you who have experience operating small business online.  Inquire about the tools, the software, and the services that they use to make things easier.  Asking these questions can greatly reduce the learning curve.  Once you have tapped your immediate network, move on to bigger knowledge bases.  Attend innovation conferences aimed at small business.  Sign up for an online-based iseminar about growing your small business online.  Take the time to watch the idemonstrations about apps, programs and services that you are considering for your small company.  In short, take the time to learn as much as you can before delving in too far.  It can make the move to the virtual world much easier on you.

Hire an Expert If you don’t have the know-how to get your business online, hire someone who does.  This may mean fundraising or seeking an angel investor to swing the added salary in the first year or two, but in the end, it could mean a huge improvement to the bottom line that will more than make up for the added cost today.

There are so many tools and services available today that can make it easier for you to reach your intended audience online, and to address them in a personalized manner.  You just have to know where to find them and how to use them, or you need to hire someone who does.