With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s time for small businesses to kick their marketing into high gear. The holidays are a fantastic opportunity to increase sales and create life-long customer relationships. Take advantage of these marketing tips to promote your business this season.
Deck the Halls of your store
Decorating your store for the season is a great way to get your customers in the holiday spirit. A festive storefront can entice shoppers to venture inside. Once inside, keep spreading the cheer with decorations throughout the store. Put your most giftable items on display and offer holiday-themed gift cards as well. You don’t have to spend a ton on decorations. Some twinkly lights, a few posters with seasonal messaging, and some fake snow on the windows can get the job done.
Decorate your website
Lots of consumers do all their holiday shopping online, so making some merry updates to your website can go a long way. Create a Holiday Shop section on your site and recommend gifts based on price, age, gender, and lifestyle. Making it easy to find great gifts on your site is essential. You can also add pop-ups to your website directing visitors to check out your holiday items, sign up for your email newsletter, or use a discount code. Just keep things festive and you’re sure to delight your online shoppers.
Take advantage of email marketing
Email marketing is a great way to reach your customers with holiday messaging. It’s effective and free. Small businesses can take advantage of platforms like MailChimp, which offers a free plan based on the number of contacts you have. If you exceed the contact limit, there are affordable monthly plans you can consider as well. You can send season’s greetings and promote your products or services. If you’re having holiday sales, want to offer discount codes, or need to share your extended holiday business hours, email is a great way to get your customers in the know.
Create a holiday-themed social media campaign
A stellar holiday social media campaign can add a great bump to your seasonal sales efforts. Use your social channels to keep your audience updated. If you guarantee holiday shipping, promote the deadline. Feature your most giftable items and encourage your audience to get started on their holiday shopping. Run a contest or do a giveaway to get new eyes on your brand (just make sure you include clear rules and follow US contest and sweepstakes laws). You can use the design tool Canva to create social media graphics for free. Design posts from scratch or choose from tons of templates.
Participate in Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday
Participating in shopping holidays is an absolute must for small businesses. They are some of the largest shopping days of the year, so you want to promote yourself. In the wake of the pandemic, more and more people are choosing to support their local businesses and shop small. Make sure they choose to support you by taking part in the season’s biggest shopping days. This year, Black Friday is November 26th, Small Business Saturday is November 27th, and Cyber Monday is November 29th. Take advantage of these days by offering special one-day discounts to encourage shoppers to visit your store or website. If you have the budget, you can run targeted ads on social media or in your local paper. You can also use the American Express Shop Small® Studio to create digital banners, social media posts, and printable posters for free.
Offer gift wrapping
Gift wrapping (either for free or for a small fee) is a nice perk you can offer your holiday shoppers. It takes a little extra effort but is a great way to create a memorable shopping experience. You can keep things simple with cellophane and curling ribbon or step it up a notch with quality wrapping paper, gift bags, and branded gift tags. You could also try your hand at more eco-friendly alternatives like recyclable kraft paper, twine, and decorative accents like pinecones.
Looking for some guidance on your small business holiday marketing strategy? Schedule a meeting with a Temple Small Business Development Center consultant for help!