The holidays are a critical time for small businesses. It’s estimated that 20-40% of annual retail sales occur between October and December, so if you want your business to stay afloat, you need to make sure you’re doing everything you can to bring in customers during this crucial period.
Creating a marketing strategy tailored specifically for the holidays can seem like a daunting task, but never fear! The Thomson-McDuffie Chamber of Commerce has put together a list of creative and effective holiday marketing ideas that will help your small business thrive this season.
Write and Share a Gift Guide
One of the best ways to market your business during the holidays is to create and share a gift guide. This is a great way to showcase your products or services in a festive and engaging way. You can share your gift guide via email, on social media, or even as a PDF on your website. Once you write a gift guide in your word processor, an online converter is free use to create a PDF from your existing file. Having your guide in a PDF makes it easier to distribute online.
Publish Useful and Interactive Content
Another great way to engage potential customers during the holidays is to post useful and interactive content on your website and social media platforms. This could include things like holiday recipes, gift guides, how-to videos, or even just festive blog posts. Whatever you choose to post, make sure it’s high quality and something that will appeal to your target audience.
Offer Giveaways or Contests
Who doesn’t love a good giveaway? Hosting a holiday giveaway or contest is a great way to generate excitement about your business. Make sure you promote your giveaway or contest across all of your channels (social media, email, website, etc.), and be clear about what the prize is and how customers can enter.
Add Holiday Packaging
If you sell physical products, make sure your packaging is on point this holiday season. Good packaging can go a long way in making your products look more appealing—and therefore more likely to be purchased. Plus, it’s just plain fun to open up a beautifully wrapped present!
Interact via Social Media
Social media is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal during the holidays—so make sure you’re using it! Post festive content (as we mentioned above), run social media ads, host Twitter parties or Facebook live events…the possibilities are endless. Just make sure you’re being strategic about how you use social media so you can maximize its potential.
Celebrate Loyal Customers
Don’t forget about the customers who have been supporting your business all year long! Show them how much you appreciate their loyalty by offering them special deals or discounts during the holidays. You could also send them handwritten thank-you notes or holiday cards—a personal touch always goes a long way.
Work with Other Local Businesses
One of the best ways to support local businesses is to partner with other local businesses. This could involve co-sponsoring an event, teaming up for a joint promotion, or simply cross-promoting each other on social media or through email marketing campaigns. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that will benefit both businesses involved.
Host a Seasonal Event
Events are always popular around the holidays—so why not host one yourself? This could be anything from an ugly sweater party or holiday potluck to a charitable giving drive or toy drive. Whatever type of event you choose to host, make sure it aligns with your brand identity and will appeal to your target audience.
Support a Charity or Nonprofit
Supporting a local charity is not only good for PR—it’s also just plain good! There are many ways to support charities during the holidays, such as hosting fundraisers, donation drives, or volunteering your time and resources. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something that aligns with your values as a business so you can give back in a meaningful way.
The holidays are an essential time for small businesses to bring in customers and boost sales. By implementing some (or all!) of these holiday marketing ideas, you can help ensure that your business ends the year on a high note—and sets itself up for success in the New Year.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up