It’s the holiday season, and you have yet to begin your holiday marketing. But I’m not here to tell you that you should have begun planning holiday marketing for your small business months ago. No - I’m here to give you a few quick tips for marketing your small business during the holidays! Here are five small business marketing tips for the holiday season:
Use your entire small business marketing kit.
Emails, social media, radio ads, snail mail - if you can access it, you should be using it. Now, I’m not saying that you should use a new channel during the busiest shopping season of the year, but that you should leverage what you’ve used in the past. Platforms that you’ve historically received low engagement on in the past can be powerhouses during the holidays. Just make sure you lead with whatever sale, promotion, package, or new product you have in play.
Pro Tip: You can use the same message across all platforms, but make sure it’s tailored to each platform. Begin with the email and then tweak the copy and creative for each marketing medium.
Reward your top customers, and they’ll repay the favor.
The holiday season is a great time to reward your loyal customers. Take a look at your client database or your rewards program and send them a special offer or a free product. For example, if you have a membership program, send them a special offer for your product or service. Send them a branded gift if you work more closely with businesses than consumers. It makes them feel special and is free marketing for your business!
Pro Tip: This one is about showing some love for months of loyalty, and it’s essential! Customers like this repeatedly shop and spread the word about your business, too.
Be respectful of your diverse mix of customers.
While you’re jumping into holiday marketing, remember that everyone doesn’t always celebrate the same. Remember that being respectful doesn’t mean denying your own beliefs but respecting the beliefs of your diverse client base.
Pro Tip: Just say “Happy Holidays,” y’all.
Remember to take it slow and stick to what feels like you.
I know this blog is all about “quick” marketing tips, and your small business brain is running at a thousand, but that doesn’t mean you have to get down and dirty with your marketing. Spend some time on your graphics and marketing copy and make sure that it properly reflects your brand. Use your logo, color palate, and voice with every single piece of content that you create for the holidays.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have a graphic designer on the payroll, Canva can be a powerful tool. It allows you to easily create a design from a template and resize it for use on multiple marketing platforms.
Don’t forget about last-minute shoppers!
Let’s be honest - everyone procrastinates. But you can use that to your advantage when it comes to holiday shopping! While you’re planning your small business holiday marketing, make sure to work in a special promotion for those last-minute shoppers. Email and targeted paid social media is great for this! You can even choose a select lineup of products that are easy to ship and offer them at a special discount.
Pro Tip: If you don’t want the headache of last-minute shipping, promote gift cards! You can offer a special boxed gift card to those last-minute shoppers because, as I always say, a gift card is always the perfect fit.
What success have you had with marketing your small business during the holiday season? Let me know in the comments!