10 TIPS FOR MARKETING FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

The holiday season is a time of joyous moments, celebrations and of course the endless shopping. In between packed schedules, crowded stores, and amazing shopping deals - holidays are still the most enjoyable time of the year. However, for businesses, it’s the peak time to implement the new marketing techniques to increase their holiday sales. And, if you are still applying the outdated strategies it will be quite difficult to beat the competition.

If you have a small business, it's important to have in place a highly effective holiday marketing plan to make the most of the season.

Without wasting another minute, let's look at ten effective tips for marketing for the holiday season.

1.Take an early start

The customers plan their holidays differently. Some people prefer holiday shopping in November while others wait for Christmas eve. As a marketer or business owner, you will have to trigger your marketing efforts before three to four weeks. Basically, the point is, you actually need to get yourself prepared for the holiday season. Do all the homework by the end of summer. If you have a physical product, make sure you prepare your inventory in advance.

2.Have a promotional schedule

It's no wonder that a lot of businesses do not consider planning ahead. This means they take their business at risk. They do not adopt any strategies to promote their product. They do not believe in doing the research work. They give no time to planning and scheduling. Always have a holiday promotional schedule for your business. You should know what products should be promoted at a certain time to a specified audience.

3.Introduce a holiday customer loyalty program

This is a big one. As a business, your goal is to make more sales. How about bringing a holiday customer loyalty program? Add some extra cheer to the holiday shopping for your customers. Give your customers something extra if they purchase a certain amount of products. This will even encourage them to shop more and try any new product that you might have.

4.Create impressive ads

As soon as the holiday season arrives, we see a lot of active social media marketing campaigns. Businesses invest a whole lot of money into ads and social media marketing.

Whether it's email marketing, paid advertising or social media marketing, ads always work during holidays. Make sure you create different ad sets for multiple campaigns. Also, provide attractive images along with compelling descriptions.

5.Plan a themed holiday event

People love parties. It can be an open house event for current customers so they can enjoy and celebrate the holiday season. A similar kind of event can be planned to thank your customers for their loyalty and believing in your services. Make the event exclusive for the customers so they feel special. Now, think about different ways to promote your business. You can offer free samples of your newly launched products. If you have a real estate business, the open house event would be a perfect idea during the holiday season.

6.Give a festive spin to your brand

Another small marketing tip for the holiday season is to revisit your brand and refresh it. Make it according to the season. Maybe you can include a few photographs that attract people. Review your style guide. You can also talk about holidays and other occasions that are coming up on your social media.

7.Offer discounts and deals

This is probably the most common marketing tactic that always brings huge profits. When it comes to shopping during holidays, everyone is looking for reasonable discounts and awesome deals. Consider offering shopping deals for bulk products. Or, maybe you can offer a 10% discount on your services. Just win your customers and increase your sales by offering deals, discounts, and extra bonuses.

8.Holiday special - Pair up with another business

Pairing up your business with other small businesses is a great way to encourage people to shop. Look for another similar business and see if they are willing to collaborate. Maybe the combined package of two brands is more attractive to customers than a solo product offer. Packages often make good treats for consumers.

9.Make a video ad

The consumers always enjoy watching videos. The videos have a high engagement rate. They are also well-explained and have a story to tell. People look forward to creative videos and even share them with their family and friends. Before the holiday season comes, get a video ready. You may include a promotional offer, a story, a new product or something that relates to the holiday season. You can add a video teaser about a holiday offer and gauge the audience interests. In that way, they will be prepared that you are going to bring some amazing offers this holiday.

10.Appreciate your customers

Finally, always thank your customers for their loyalty. No matter what business you have, holidays are the perfect time of the year to show gratitude and warmth. By implementing few of the marketing tactics, you can make your holiday season more profitable for your business sales. Got a few more?

Discuss with us in the comments.