Capitalizing on the "last minute" crowd

If you waited to file your taxes till the deadline yesterday, you might have suffered through the long lines at the post office. I live near a major post office and the lines just to get to the parking lot were half a mile long.

The post office knows this happens every year and are fairly well prepared. They had employees near the curb reaching out to grab envelopes from drivers who had already stamped their tax return and just needed to drop it off before the deadline.

On the other side of town, there is a local gas station with a convenience mart. You can get your usual goods, like soda, milk and snacks, but they added an authorized post office outlet. Talk about convenience! They have virtually all of the post office’s services, but without the huge lines. You can even grab a donut while you wait in line.

Although they didn’t run any promotions for their postal service, a good headline could have been “Avoid the lines at the Post Office. Mail your returns here!” If they had an email list of customers, they could have sent out notices ahead of time to draw in more business.

I’ve seen creative marketers promote things like alternative activities for SuperBowl Sunday, a children’s new years eve party at a Karate school where kids sleep over in a safe environment and parents pick them the next morning, and a singles Valentine’s Day mixer.

As you look at your business, think about time sensitive opportunities that you can capitalize on.

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