10 Ways to Promote Your Small Business During the Upcoming Holiday Season | Simplemachine

 In Digital Marketing

We’re approaching that time of the year again; the holiday season! A time to buy presents for everyone and for businesses to rake in the profits.

According to multiple studies, consumers spend 10% of their annual budget around this time which can amount to mind-blowing figures. Last year, for instance, the average American spent $900 during the holidays – a 12-year record and a 28% increase from 2016. In total, close to $420 billion was spent on retail alone!

These statistics are enough evidence that the holiday season can be a very profitable season for businesses. If you position your business correctly, you could see a record number of shoppers and earn an incredible profit during this period.

How to Promote Your Business During the 2018 Holidays

Given that the economy has been steadily growing, putting more money into consumers’ pockets, you can expect even more spending during the 2018 Holiday Season. The following are 10 promotion ideas to help your small business take maximum advantage of this increased spending;

  • Add Holiday Flair to Your Branding

Begin by incorporating elements associated with the holidays to the logos and other branding elements on your products. For instance, if it’s Black Friday, you can adjust your logo to reflect the shopping holiday. The same applies to other important dates such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. You want to make sure that one glance at your branding reminds shoppers of the big occasion.

Don’t stop with the products and packages though. A holiday theme also works wonders on social media profiles, online stores, in-store email marketing, mobile apps, graphic design, and holiday cards.

  • Share Holiday-Themed Updates  

In marketing, you’re advised to use 80% of content to educate and add value to the customer’s life and only use the remaining 20% of content to promote your business. The holiday season is one of the few times you can slightly bend this rule without negative consequences.

For instance, this is the time to share articles on holiday budgeting tips, holiday saving tips, and holiday travel tips. Such articles not only add value to consumers’ lives, but also reminds them about the holiday season.

  • Launch a Holiday-Specific Email Marketing Campaign

Email marketing has always served marketers well. So, why not take your campaign a notch up during the holiday season to woo even more customers and get them to spend more? Holiday specific email marketing campaigns, such as 12 Days of Christmas, are both thematically fitting and extremely suited to limited time offers. They also create a sense of urgency that has been proven time and again to increase conversions.

Use the emails to showcase your big sales and top products for the season. You can also announce your discounts, offers, and daily deals. All of these marketing strategies can only increase traffic to your store or website.

  • Host a Holiday Sale

Three promotional sales that come to mind are flash sales, fill your stocking sales and holiday BOGOs.

In flash sales, the quantity of products on offer is limited so buyers have to hurry while stocks last. In a fill-your-stocking sale, you select the winner of a sales contest and give that winner a voucher so they can pick additional items, free of charge, to fill their baskets. And in Buy One Get One (BOGO) promotions, shoppers who buy a particular item get a similar item for free. All of these promotions have been proven to increase in-store traffic and boost sales.

  • Stand Out with Real Postcards

The world has gone digital. Today, most communication is done via mobile phones and computers. So, it’s likely that most of your competitors will be sending their postcards via email. If you want to stand out, in addition to digital cards, go one step further and send real paper cards as well.

When customers pick their mail from the mailbox, the first thing they’ll notice is your brightly colored, holiday-themed postcards! This alone can motivate them to come by your store or visit your website.

  • Wrap Holiday Gifts for Free

Most shoppers like their holiday gifts wrapped. And, it shouldn’t just be normal wraps; a holiday gift needs to be specially wrapped to spread the love. You can stand out from the competition by offering to wrap their gifts – free of charge!

Keep the necessary materials, including gift wraps, bows, ribbons, and season-specific cards on hand. Then, as customers pay for their items, ask if they’d like selected items wrapped. Giving these special touches will keep customers coming back for more.

  • Provide Grab Bags and Gift Baskets

The holiday season is traditionally a busy season. Very few people will come to your store with shopping baskets. In addition to wrapping all gifts, consider stocking grab bags and gift baskets and give them out for free.

Don’t forget to brand these bags with your logo and other branding elements. This will help the shoppers remember your store for a long time. Additionally, in the spirit of spreading holiday joy, ensure that your grab bags and gift baskets are themed for the specific occasion.

  • Make Returns Super Easy

Returns have always been a thorn in the flesh, especially for online stores. This can be an even bigger issue during the holiday season when consumers tend to shop in bulk and in a hurry. It’s likely that a few people will pick the wrong item at different points and consider returning them.

Make the return process easy and public. Instead of asking many questions that may put off customers, let everyone know that they are free to return any item anytime and find a way to resolve each case swiftly and amicably. You’ll notice even more sales.

  • Make Your Store Kids-Friendly

Something most businesses forget about when planning for holiday sales is the fact that a number of shoppers will be coming to the store with their kids. These kids want to have fun too, and holding dad or mom’s hand throughout the store isn’t so much fun.

To take care of all kids while giving parents ample time to shop, host kids events, photo booths, cookie decorations, and all other activities that appeal to kids. Parent-shoppers will flock your store.

  • Team Up with Other Local Businesses

Nobody is saying that you should team up with your competitor. Instead, find small businesses in the area that sell products or services that complement your own. For instance, a hair salon can team up with a nearby nail salon and event organizers can team up with catering services providers.

Together, you can promote each other and refer customers to each other. If a customer is having their hair done, the salon owner can refer them to the nail salon and vice versa. Everyone benefits.

Get Special Digital Marketing Services for the Holiday Season

Feel like your digital presence could do with a touch up during the upcoming holiday season? Perhaps a website revamp, special email marketing campaign, or holiday-themed graphic design?

SimpleMachine is the provider of all these and many other digital marketing services in Bentonville, Dallas, and Tulsa. Contact us today to get started.

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