It’s no secret how important the holiday season is to the success of a retail business. In fact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, holiday sales represent nearly 27% of revenue for the entire year. As we head into the season this year, R team would like to gift you some holiday marketing ideas to help your business connect with consumers and stand apart from the competition.
- Speak to their wallet – This time of year, there’s perhaps nothing that speaks to consumers more than a good deal. Consider how you can capitalize on that with discounts, flash sales, and even gift card promotions. For small businesses that may not be able to offer deep discounts, consider gift bundles with complementary products/services that offer value to consumers.
- Team up with your influencers – Influencer marketing is now one of the most effective ways for businesses to generate positive word-of-mouth and sales. Why? Whether it’s celebrities, social media personalities, or industry experts; these influencers feel more like ‘friends’ at least when it comes to taking their word on product or service recommendations. And the holidays are an ideal to time make the most of those connections.
- Engage with consumers – Social media can help you do this on several different levels. To generate buzz that turns into new followers and then customers (you see where we R going with this), consider a fun contest – comment to win, most-liked photo wins, share to win, etc. Of course, the “prize” has to be worth busy shoppers taking the time during the hectic holiday season. Hashtags can also help you generate buzz and spread the word about your products/services and holiday promotions. The best ones are easy to remember, relevant to your offerings and the time of year in addition to taping into what your audience is interested in this holiday season. Another way to engage is to keep on top of comments on your social media, both positive and negative. This shows that you’re paying attention and want to support your customers and potential customers with their needs and/or questions.
- Dress your branding for the holidays – From your visual identity to your content, your branding should reflect the season. It should still feel like your brand, but seasonal messaging, seasonal content (like blogs, social media posts), and having a seasonal look for advertising, emails and other marketing not only keeps you relevant to consumers but done the right way can help you stand out from those running the same tired tactics throughout the year.
- Pay attention to your audience – Again, there are several levels to this. You should already know your audience in terms of their needs and wants, but then apply that to the holiday season from an emotional and practical perspective. What’s their mindset? What unique challenges might they be having now that your product or service could solve? Additionally, be mindful that not every customer celebrates the same holidays. For example, if you have a large international audience, segment them out of your Thanksgiving messaging. And always, personalize your messaging where possible.
- Don’t forget the logistics – While not necessarily as sexy as the out-front holiday marketing, a big key to success this time of year is the behind-the-scenes logistics. First, your website needs to be able to handle increased traffic (you’ve heard those horror stories) and it should also be optimized for mobile since increasingly more shopping is done that way. What’s more, it’s important to have seasonal landing pages for a cohesive customer experience (that pairs with your holiday branding) and to help you track your success more effectively. Lastly, and we recognize the difficulties with supply chains this year, it’s crucial to be as proactive as possible when it comes to inventory.
- Market your brand – Beyond the specific products or services you’re promoting this time of year, it’s also important to positively convey your brand as well. Through public relations, social media, emails, and/or advertising, you can share how you give back this time of year with causes your brand supports, how appreciative you are of your customers, and what makes you as a brand unique whether it’s that you’re an independent retailer, you produce eco-friendly products or some other advantage you may have over competitors.
Bonus Tip – Plan Your Holiday Marketing Ideas Carefully
This bonus tip is arguably the most important as no matter how great R holiday marketing ideas are, without the right plan in place your efforts might be as welcome to your audience as a fruit cake. With vast holiday marketing experience and retail clients in Nashville, San Antonio, New York, and all points in between, we can help by learning about your business, discussing your goals, and creating a custom scope of work. Then, we’ll work together to make it happen. Don’t need a full campaign? We can help with a la carte services too!
For R help with your holiday marketing ideas, click HERE to schedule your FREE discovery call today!
