Marketing During the Holidays
Are you scrambling to come up with a holiday marketing plan?
Relax. We’ve got you covered!
Whether you’re looking to increase sales or spread some holiday cheer, marketing during the holidays is a great way to connect with your customers and promote your business. With a bit of planning and creativity, it can be easy and fun!
This blog post will share some tips and tricks for marketing your small business during the holidays.
Preparing Your Business for the Holidays
But before we go into the best holiday marketing tips and strategies, it’s vital to ensure your business is prepared for the influx of holiday shoppers.
Here are a few things to do before launching your holiday marketing campaign.
Plan Ahead
The key to a successful holiday season is planning.
That means getting your promotions and offers in order well before December rolls around. You don’t want to be that business scrambling at the last minute to get everything together.
Start brainstorming ideas and put together a plan of action. This will make execution much smoother down the road.
If you need some inspiration, our resources can help you get those creative juices flowing.
Make a List (and Check It Twice)
Before marketing your products or services, ensure you have all your ducks in a row.
That means having a solid inventory of items to sell, enough shipping supplies to get orders out the door quickly, and enough staff to handle the increased customer volume.
The last thing you want is to run out of inventory or fall behind on shipping — that would be a significant bah-humbug moment for your customers — and your bottom line.
Take some time to double-check your supplies and ensure you’re prepared for the rush.
Be Where Your Customers Are
We all know that the holiday season is hectic — those weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day are jam-packed with parties, shopping, travel, and everything in between.
As a marketer, it’s your job to ensure you’re where your customers are during this busy time.
If they spend more time on social media, boost your activity there.
If email open rates go up, send more emails! Be flexible and adjust your marketing mix as needed to ensure you’re reaching your target audience where they are.
Top Holiday Marketing Ideas for Your Business
Now that we’ve done some housekeeping, it’s time to explore our favorite holiday marketing tips for you.
Send Personalized Holiday Greetings
A tried-and-true marketing strategy during the holidays is sending holiday greetings to your customers. Not only does this show them that you’re thinking of them, but it’s easy and affordable!
Depending on your budget, you can go the traditional route with paper cards or e-cards. Or get creative and send a video greeting card.
Whatever you choose, make sure your holiday greeting is personal and sincere. Customers will be able to tell if you’re just going through the motions, so take the time to write a thoughtful message.
Promote Special Offers and Discounts
Let’s be honest — everyone loves a good deal, especially during the holidays. That’s why promoting special offers and discounts is an effective marketing strategy this time of year.
People are already spending a lot on gifts, travel, and other holiday expenses, so they’re always looking for ways to save. Discounts and promotions now only attract new customers but can also reinforce your relationship with existing customers and incentivize them to purchase more of your products.
Just be sure to promote your deals in a way that makes sense for your business. If you’re a brick-and-mortar store, put up signs in your windows or hand out flyers.
Send emails or post about your deals on social media if you’re an online business. If you’re looking to go above and beyond, create a dedicated landing page on your website where customers can learn more about your offers.
Offer Free Shipping
Another way to attract customers during the holidays is by offering free shipping.
Often, people are already spending a lot during the holidays and may be more inclined to shop with you if they don’t have to worry about additional shipping costs.
If you’re an online retailer, ensure your website prominently displays your free shipping offer.
Run a Holiday-themed Campaign
A holiday-themed marketing campaign is a great way to show your customers that you’re in the holiday spirit. There are endless possibilities when it comes to what you can do.
You could run a social media contest, create a holiday-themed landing page, or design special product packaging.
Whatever you decide to do, make sure your campaign is creative and aligned with your brand.
Write Holiday-themed Blogs and Social Media Posts
Speaking of holiday-themed campaigns, another great way to get into the festive spirit is to write holiday-themed blog posts and social media posts. This is an excellent opportunity to show your personality and have some fun with your content.
And remember to use hashtags! Relevant hashtags can get your content in front of new audiences and expand your overall reach. Just be sure to use them sparingly — too many hashtags can appear spammy.
Participate in Online Holiday Gift Guides
Many bloggers and websites put together holiday gift guides, which is an excellent opportunity for businesses to get involved.
If you have a product or service that would make a great gift, you can reach out to some of these individuals and see if they’re interested in working with you.
This is a great way to get exposure for your business during the holidays and reach an entirely new audience.
Who knows, you’ll even make some new fans in the process!
Launch a Contest or Giveaway
Everyone loves free stuff, so contests and giveaways are an excellent way to entice people to check out your business.
Just make sure that your contest or giveaway is relevant to your brand — no one wants to waste their time on something that doesn’t interest them.
For example, if you’re a beauty brand, you could host a holiday-themed makeup tutorial contest and give away a prize package for your products.
If you’re a restaurant, you could do a 12 Days of Christmas giveaway, where one lucky follower will win a gift card for a free meal each day. Get creative and have fun with it!
Distribute Gift Cards
By handing out gift cards, you’re showing your customers how much you appreciate their business and urging them to come back after all the holiday madness dies down.
You can sell physical gift cards that your customers can use in-store or digital ones that they can only redeem online. Either way, it works great!
Collaborate With Other Brands
Finally, another excellent marketing strategy for the holidays is to collaborate with other brands. This is a great way to reach new audiences and tap into already-established customer bases.
For example, if you’re a clothing brand, team up with a local jewelry store and offer a discount code to customers who purchase items from both brands.
If you’re a food company, partner with a delivery service so that customers can order your holiday-themed foods right to their doorsteps.
There are endless possibilities for collaborations — get creative and see what you can come up with!
Final Thoughts
The holidays are an essential time for businesses — it’s during this festive season that people are generally in a spending mood, making it the perfect opportunity for companies to boost their sales and revenue.
However, with so many businesses vying for attention, it can take time to stand out. Consider these holiday marketing tips if you want to stand out and get your hard-earned holiday sales this year.
Contact our team if you need more help, and we’ll be glad to chat with you. Happy holidays!
Who is epIQ?
epIQ Creative Group is a digital marketing agency that specializes in accelerating sales and scaling revenue for businesses. With over a decade of experience, epIQ's expert team ensures your investment yields a substantial return, eliminating guesswork and saving you thousands through data-driven strategies. Our services encompass brand messaging, paid media advertising, inbound marketing, and creative content creation.
epIQ's proprietary systems have a proven track record, with clients experiencing 2x to 5x growth within 90 days. We are transparent and agile, providing you with progress reports, and direct access to growth marketers.
What sets epIQ apart is our flexibility and cost-effectiveness. We offer month-to-month contracts, a-la-carte services, and our team's expertise comes at a fraction of the cost of hiring in-house.
epIQ Creative Group is not just another digital marketing agency; we are a partner committed to your success. Our innovative approach, dedication, and transparency guarantee not just growth, but unparalleled success for your business.