10 TIPS TO MARKETING DURING THE HOLIDAYS
What are you thinking about right this very second? Is it the fact that Thanksgiving is just a little over a week away? Or that Christmas is just right around the corner? Is it your shopping list? What on Earth are you going to get Uncle Dave? Speaking of shopping lists - have you heard of any good sales going on?
It's the most wonderful time of the year, y'all. The time of year when the average American spends roughly $700 on holiday gifts and goodies. According to the National Retail Federation the total spent is near $465 billion. Now that is A LOT of money. What are you going to do to draw customers into your business this holiday season?
Here are 10 ways you can improve your marketing strategies this holiday season:
Create a calendar of events.
- When is Black Friday? Small Business Saturday? Cyber Monday? Don't freak out - you've still got time if you're looking to jump on the post-Thanksgiving sales! As you're reading this, begin to make a calendar of upcoming events that you could use to spearhead your holiday campaign strategies. Make it visual! The more often you look at it - the more likely it will stay fresh on your mind. Be sure to jump on this planning process early next year.
Offer a sale.
- This may sound like a "no-brainer" but go ahead and offer a sale! People are always looking for the best deal possible - whether it is a certain percentage off or a buy one/get one. Do some product research and then set the date! This is a great way to get increase your in-store traffic and website visits.
Throw in a gift.
- I mean it is Christmas after all… Throw in a gift when someone buys something from you! Even if it is just a hand-written "Thank You" card, I promise that it would be much-appreciated. Get creative - Heck, you could even send your clients custom Christmas ornaments with your boss's face on it if you wanted to.
Get in the holiday spirit and decorate!
- Half the fun of Christmas is enjoying all the lights and decorations. Is your town offering a "Christmas in the Park" experience? See if you can rent a spot and set up a display that best-represents your office. Are you part of a smaller office? Collaborate with your coworkers to foster a fun and festive holiday environment that'll have people thinking that Santa's workshop is in the back.
Throw an ugly sweater party!
- After decorating, get creative and throw a party or host an open house! Invite the community to come by to see all of your neat-o decorations and sales [just be sure to provide them with cookies and hot chocolate to make it worth their while].
Create some festive videos!
- Video is KING. Take advantage of this valuable little nugget of information by snapping some fun-yet relevant-clips as often as you can this holiday season. Make it an engaging project where you get the entire business involved! You can use it to highlight specific products that you are prepping to put on sale or even record the office reenact of The Nutcracker - just do something!
Engage on social media.
- People are constantly scrolling through their social media feeds during the holiday season; which means you should be, too. Craft content that is both engaging and sharable. This is your time to s h i n e ~ let your customers hear just what it is you have to say when you want to say it. This is also a great time to start toying with digital advertising through specific and targeted demographics to help connect your audience directly to your product. Don't forget! Video is king - be sure to add in relevant clips whenever you can.
Craft some creative content! [newsletters/e-cards/blogs]
- Have fun with this one! Get your coworkers in on the festivities by creating a unique company e-card. Write up some free industry-related tips and tricks for your clients through your company blog. Keep your clients informed by sending out your holiday hours along with other important information regarding sales and upcoming events through a business newsletter. There's no shortage of content that you can create during this magical time of year.
Spend some time optimizing your online presence.
- Step 1) Do you have a website?
- Step 2) Are you being found on the internet?
- It is CRUCIAL that you're being found online [and also kind of creepy]. This is done by improving your SEO and making friends with Google. Have you claimed your business and joined Google My Business? That's a great place to start.
Volunteer.
- This may not make you a boatload of money, BUT it will make you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Maybe you can't afford to spend a lot of money on an elaborate marketing campaign, but what you can do is give your time. Find a nonprofit to support or just get together with your coworkers to do something for your community. Community service is something that is extremely important to all three of us gals here at North of Eight. We hope that while you're out there trying to market your business that you'll also take some time to help those in need around you.
Holiday Hours
I hope that you can implement one, two or all ten of these strategies into your holiday marketing campaigns. Whatever you choose - be sure to have fun with it! The holidays aren't meant to be stressful... They're meant to be spent having fun and loving on those around you. That being said, we would love to see you! Drop by and visit us sometime this week as our office hours will be changing with the upcoming holiday season on the horizon.
Thanksgiving:
• CLOSED Nov. 25 - 29th*
Christmas/New Years:
• CLOSED Dec. 23rd - January 6th*
*We will be working remotely for a portion of this time. Please reach out to us if you would like to schedule a meeting, we would be more than happy to come in for a chat.