Create a Year-Round Customer Offer Around Grand Traverse Bay

Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels. Illustrative stock photo; not a photograph of a Grand Traverse Bay business or event.

A year-round customer offer should begin with a question a Grand Traverse Bay owner can answer from their own records: when would the business like more suitable customers?

The answer may involve a quieter weekday, an underused appointment period, or a service that existing customers do not know about.

This guide recommends building one focused test around that need instead of assuming that a broad discount is the right solution.

Use your own pattern of demand

Review recent sales, bookings, inquiries, and staffing before choosing the time you want to promote.

Separate a genuinely quiet period from a period when you have deliberately limited availability.

If you do not have reliable records yet, begin by recording the pattern rather than presenting a guess as an established seasonal trend.

Choose the customer group you want to reach and explain why the offer would be useful to them.

For a resident-focused campaign, describe the benefit clearly without claiming that every local household wants the same thing.

Decide what value you can provide

An offer can focus on convenience, a defined package, an introductory experience, or an available time slot.

As an illustrative example, a service provider might package a clearly specified maintenance visit for a quieter appointment period.

A retailer might prepare a small ready-to-give gift selection with prices shown.

These are planning examples and should be adapted to the products, services, and capacity your business actually has.

Do not promise extras that require resources you have not arranged.

Check the cost before choosing the price

List the materials, purchased items, packaging, payment costs, and additional staff time required for the offer.

Decide what you need to earn from each sale and how many redemptions your operation can handle.

If the offer depends on a discount, compare the reduced selling price with the costs you expect to incur.

Use your own figures or ask your bookkeeper for help rather than copying another business’s price.

Set a promotional spending limit separately so advertising expenses do not disappear from the review.

A busy period is only useful if the offer fits the business.

Write the terms before publishing

Explain what is included, who can use the offer, when it is available, and whether booking is required.

If there is a quantity limit, a location restriction, or an expiration date, make that information visible.

If you decide to use local-resident eligibility, explain the area covered and the reasonable verification process before customers arrive.

Do not describe a short test as a permanent benefit.

Check that your phone, website, and staff all provide the same answer.

Promote through a manageable set of channels

Choose the places you already maintain and direct customers to one clear destination.

Keep the core offer consistent across your website, customer messages, and any approved partner materials.

Michigan SBDC recommends defining an audience and marketing goals before selecting tactics, a useful sequence for this kind of campaign.

Choose one person to answer inquiries and update availability as the test progresses.

Review the outcome before repeating it.

Record redemptions, completed purchases or appointments, direct costs, and any customer feedback about the terms.

Compare the result with a comparable period while recognizing that weather, holidays, and other activity can also affect demand.

Decide whether to repeat, revise, or stop the offer based on what your records show.

Keep your free Cherry Buzz listing current, and explore Traverse Bay Business Network’s promotion services when you want to discuss making the next offer easier to discover.

Sources and practical resources

Michigan SBDC: marketing your small business

SBA: marketing plans and measurement

Downtown Traverse City: official event calendar

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