The Idea Hub
45 ideas for small local businesses
Low-cost promotions you can run yourself, each with steps, a budget, a lead time and what to count. Free to read, print and share.
10 ideas match · clear the filters
A reason to come back, handed over on the first visit
First-time customers leave with a card good for something small on a second visit within 30 days.
Under $50 ~1 hour 1 wk ahead Open the idea → Bring customers backA stamp card that ends in something people want
A simple stamp card turns occasional visits into a habit, as long as the reward is worth finishing.
Under $50 ~2 hours 1 wk ahead Open the idea → Bring customers backA birthday-month treat for people who signed up
Customers who give you their birth month get a small treat offer in that month.
Under $50 ~3 hours 2 wk ahead Open the idea → Fill slow daysA text club people asked to join
A short list of customers who opted in to hear about same-day openings and quiet-day offers.
$50 to $250 ~4 hours 2 wk ahead Open the idea → Bring customers backA standing weekly hour for regulars
Give one weekday hour a name and a small perk, and it can become the hour your regulars plan around.
Under $50 ~2 hours 2 wk ahead Open the idea → Raise the average saleOne delivery day a week
A fixed weekly delivery run lets busy or less mobile customers keep buying from you.
$50 to $250 ~6 hours 2 wk ahead Open the idea → Bring customers backA limited seasonal item
Something available only for a few weeks gives regulars a reason to come back before it is gone.
$50 to $250 ~4 hours 3 wk ahead Open the idea → Bring customers backHandwritten thank-you notes
A two-line handwritten note after a first visit or a big job is remembered long after a coupon is lost.
Under $50 ~1 hour This week Open the idea → Bring customers backA we-miss-you note
Customers who drifted away often just forgot; a friendly note with a reason to return brings some back.
Under $50 ~2 hours 1 wk ahead Open the idea → Bring customers backPost holiday hours early, everywhere
Holiday hours posted two weeks ahead on the door, the listings and the website save customers wasted trips.
Under $50 ~1 hour 2 wk ahead Open the idea →