Sellers often find that plotting their marketing strategies with the calendar can boost sales. Crissy Herron Gipson aka indiebizchicks runs www.indiebizchicks.com, a site “for women who’d rather work for themselves, than work for the man.” If you're in Michigan on May 28th, you can meet her in person at the Indie Biz conference. Below she gives sellers some tips and tricks for Father's Day promotions.

As the owner and founder of IndieBizChicks.com, a site that specializes in providing business information for indie businesses, I get a lot of emails from people who claim they don't know how to market their businesses.  Are you looking for a way to market your business? Look no further than your calendar! Using the holidays in your marketing efforts allows you to put a fresh and unique spin on your advertising each month.

This can help you increase your sales in two ways. First of all, it can help you get repeat business. When you use the holidays as a way to market your business, you are giving your customers a reason to keep buying from you. You are also more likely to generate new sales, as making a few small tweaks to your current products to tailor them to a specific holiday can introduce them to a whole new audience.

Father’s Day is June 15 and there are many ways to incorporate this holiday into your marketing efforts. If you normally make feminine-looking products, simply adding a few masculine elements to your product design and packaging can make them “dad-friendly.”

Changing a color scheme from pinks and yellows to blues, grays, reds or blacks can put a masculine touch on a piece.  Using retro elements or natural wood finishes can also keep things from being “too girly.” You can also put a “manly” spin on your items by adding sports or gaming elements.

Another idea is to make a few “non-gender” items that appeal to everyone. Men with desk jobs or home offices can always use paper organizers, letter holders, and the like.

Creating items that appear masculine is only half the battle. The majority of people actually buying Father’s Day gifts are mothers. In order to make the most of your Father’s Day promotions, you need to be sure you are reaching the mom market. One way to do this is Etsy's Father's Day Showcase.

If you are a mom, you may have a built in customer base. Showing your items to a few friends could be all you need to do to start generating sales. If you don’t know any moms, don’t worry. You can start your marketing efforts from the ground up.

Placing some advertising in mom-frequented spots will put you in front of your target market. Some places to start are grocery stores, libraries, and shops specializing in maternity, baby, or children’s clothing.

An easy way to sell a lot of items at once is through partnering with daycares for “gift-crafting” days. To set this up, call some of your local daycares and ask if you could come in for a day and teach the children a craft project, which they can then take home and give to dad as a Father’s Day gift. You’ll be working with children of varying ages and skill levels, therefore, an easy project, such as a customized picture frame works well.

The daycare owner can prearrange this idea with mom, who will pre-pay for the cost of the item. Before the scheduled craft day, visit the daycare to collect your funds. You will then assemble ready-to-make kits to take with you on the craft day. When the big day comes, bring the kits to the daycare and teach the children how to put the project together. 

Like I said at the beginning of this article, I know a lot of people feel "stuck" when it comes to marketing. Call me crazy, but I think that creating a marketing campaign around Father's Day can be a fun and creative process! By putting a masculine spin on your items and making sure your advertising is reaching moms, you will be setting your business up for increased sales and profits. The best part? You can use these tips over and over again by tying them into each upcoming holiday. By doing this, you'll be setting your business up for increased sales and profits throughout the year.

Further Reading: Using the Holidays to Increase Your Sales

Father's Day Showcase | Gift Guide for Him | Father's Day Gift Guide | A Dude's Perspective