Marketing Channels, Marketing Planning & Reporting

Anniversary Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business

anniversary-marketing-ideas

A company anniversary is always a great reason to celebrate! Running a small business can be very tough. So whether you’re celebrating 1 year or 60 years, it’s definitely something to be proud of. And there are so many anniversary marketing ideas that can help you spread the word about this special occasion!

It’s an opportunity not to be missed: Not only is it a great chance to celebrate your achievements, but it’s also a brilliant chance to get your business out there! Check out my favourite anniversary marketing ideas for your small business below:

Build trust and credibility

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Perhaps one of the most obvious and easiest anniversary marketing ideas is simply to tell people about it! The fact that your business has been running for X number of years will give people confidence that you’re reliable, trustworthy and you know what you’re doing.

To help build this sense of credibility, start including your small business anniversary on all your marketing materials. For example:

  • Add a timeline to the About page on your website
  • Use a tagline in your email signature
  • Post throwback business photos on social media
  • Create an updated anniversary logo

As people continue to see these reminders of how long your company has been running, they’ll subconsciously associate this with success and credibility. This can help to attract new clients or customers who are looking for an established business they can trust.

Anniversary gifts

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It wouldn’t be an anniversary without some gifts, and business anniversaries are no different! Another one of my favourite anniversary marketing ideas is to create a special gift for your best clients and customers.

Say thank you to the people who have supported your business throughout the years. This will help you build loyalty, so they’ll continue to purchase from you again and again.

The gift you give will depend on your small business and how big your anniversary is. You can opt for a personalised version of one of your existing products. Or you can create a limited-edition product, especially for your most loyal customers.

If you’re a service-based small business, you might want to choose something like a gift voucher or a bottle of fizz personalised with your brand’s anniversary logo.

Referral & loyalty schemes

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Great anniversary marketing ideas should reward existing customers at the same time as attracting new ones. And this is exactly what referral schemes and loyalty schemes do.

Celebrate your small business anniversary by creating a great referral offer for customers. The referral bonus could be a cash sum, a discount to redeem against your products/services or some other kind of free gift. This will make existing customers feel valued, and they’ll be incentivised to attract new customers to your small business.

Loyalty schemes work in a similar way. For example, for your business anniversary, you could create a card that gets stamped every time the customer purchases something from you.

After five stamps they’ll receive a 50% discount on their purchase. And after 10 stamps they’ll receive their purchase for free. This will encourage existing customers to keep shopping with you, and will attract new customers who are likely to shop with you at least 10 times!

Throw a party

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Not only is throwing a party great fun, but it’s also one of my favourite small business anniversary marketing ideas!

It’s a fantastic way to say thank you to everyone who has helped make your business a success – from staff members and investors to loyal customers and friends. It’s also a great chance to give yourself a pat on the back, celebrate what you’ve achieved and enjoy yourself.

But more than that, it’s also a marketing opportunity. Firstly, a party will act as a great word-of-mouth marketing tool. Throw a fantastic party and you’ll get people talking about your business.

A party can also create a buzz on social media, and provide valuable content to use in your marketing materials for months and years to come.

Find out how to make your business event a success.

Launch something new

launching a new product
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Your small business anniversary is the perfect time to launch something new. As well as looking back at how far you’ve come, it’s also worthwhile looking towards the future. Remind customers that you’re innovative and will be around for many more years.

Whether it’s a new product or a service you’ve been meaning to launch for ages, your anniversary is the perfect time to do it. You could even do a special competition or discount to tie it into your anniversary marketing ideas.

I have a whole post dedicated to planning your next product launch – you can check it out for inspiration here.


KEEP READING:

To read more about this topic, have a look at these:
How to Make Word of Mouth a Powerful Marketing Tool for your Business
What does Success mean to you and your Small Business
Ways to Add Personality to Your Social Media Marketing
5 Top Tips to Get Your Press Release Noticed


Denise Strohsahl brand and marketing consultant for small businesses

Hello, I’m Denise from sandstonecastles, a brand & marketing consultancy based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

I help small business owners like yourself to find the right marketing that’s in line with your brand and values.