The holidays are upon us once again, and these last few weeks of the year can significantly impact small businesses. This time of year is crucial to bring out your best marketing strategies. Sometimes it can be a challenge, but it is important not to procrastinate and instead really think about your business and what plan you want to present for marketing this holiday season. What will it take to finish the year strong for your small business? To get you started, here are ten-holiday marketing tips for your small business.
1. Offer Different Incentives
Customers are always looking for the best deals and incentives during the holiday season. Such deals that can be offered are free shipping, gift wrap options, and other discounts and incentives. The best thing to do as a small business is to provide incentives that draw people into your store. This is especially important when so many big-name stores offer competitive deals during the holidays. You want to stand out as much as possible. Something as small as offering 10% off can make a big difference and boost your business's sales.
2. Host a Holiday Giveaway on Social Media
Social media campaigns such as giveaways and contests are in full swing during the holiday season. It is a great way to spark your customers and followers' interest to engage with your business. Not only that, but this is a fantastic way to bring in more followers for your business' page. Offer a fun holiday giveaway, and be sure to communicate the rules and guidelines of your campaign. This will help to refrain from any questions or issues with customers when you announce the winner.
3. Design Your Website and Social Media Pages for the Holidays
You can bring some holiday joy to the presence of your website and social media pages by dressing it up a bit with some fun holiday details. This takes minimal effort, but customers love seeing the holiday spirit brought on by businesses. Use some holiday-specific colors when changing up your website and pages. You can also add a few little holiday accents throughout, such as a Santa hat, twinkling lights, or ornaments. This little holiday spirit can go along way for bringing in customers.
4. Holiday Email Campaigns
If your business is sending out emails regularly, use your next email campaign this season to be tailored to the holidays. If you are not doing email campaigns, now is the best time to start. Make sure your customer email list is up to date, and if you do not have your customers' email addresses, start getting them now. Using email marketing is a great way to keep your customers up to date and guide them to your holiday promotions.
5. Give Back During the Holidays
This is the season where many people are generous and seek opportunities to give back to the community. The holidays are a great time of year to give back to a local organization or donate to a cause you are passionate about. When you make it known to your customers that you will donate a portion of your sales to a charity or organization, they are more likely to make a purchase. You are doing a good thing for the community, and when you show how passionate you are to help, customers will do the same.
6. Send Out Holiday Cards
By sending out holiday cards, you are presenting a great way to share your products and promotions. This also allows you to stay on your customers' minds when offering something physical to them at their own home. Direct marketing should never be dismissed, even with the popularity of email marketing. Both are a sure-fire way to bring in your customers. The goal is to grab your customers' attention, and direct mail certainly has its benefits with that.
7. Promote Holiday Gift Cards
There are many people out there who have a tough time when choosing gifts for their loved ones. A lot of the time, people will opt to purchase a gift card. This is why the holidays are the perfect time of year to offer and promote holiday-themed gift cards for your business. Many businesses offer gift cards year-round, but it is best to give them extra attention during the holidays. Design your gift cards with holiday themes that are not just for Christmas but other holidays as well, such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
8. Offer an Early Bird Promotion
Hosting an early holiday promotion and offering giveaway freebies is exciting for customers. It provides an incentive to shop as they feel they are getting the best deals before many others. Early bird promotions are very motivating for customers, especially when you combine them with freebies and giveaways. An example of this would be to offer a free small item with the purchase of something else or an exclusion coupon that is only active for a specific period.
9. Create a Holiday Gift Guide
Using the products you sell, design a holiday gift guide you can offer to your customers. Make it a fun, affordable guide they can turn to for options on purchasing gifts for various people. Give them options of gift ideas for different groups of people such as kids, men, ladies, teens, friends, and families. This is a great way to bring customers who do not always know what to buy as gifts.
10. Offer Pre-Wrapped Gifts
Customers that need to send gifts to an address other than their own would love the option of having them already wrapped in holiday festive packaging. Let your customers know on your website that you are offering this service and display some photos of pre-wrapped gifts with the supplies you will be using. Customers love when they can save time on wrapping presents, especially when they have many purchases.
People are out shopping and spending a lot of money during the holiday season. This is the best time to take advantage of this opportunity and bring in those paying customers. The holidays are a very competitive time of year for businesses, and you want to make sure you stay on top of your marketing plan to allow your business to be successful during such a time full of potential. If you are stuck on what holiday marketing strategies to use, take these ten tips and adapt them to your small business.