Quick Guide to Holiday Marketing for small businesses

With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday season looming in the near future, it’s an important time of year for marketing your business to get the sales you’ve worked hard all year to get. 

Marketing your business during and before the holiday/spending season is all about connecting with your customers. Now is not the time to focus on acquiring new customers, but to reward and thank the audience that you have built up all year with deals they can’t resist (although gaining some new followers from your authentic and generous content along the way doesn’t hurt!)

Create an experience

Giving a little extra to your customers can go a long way in making a lasting impression. By taking the time to write a simple thank you note to send along in your package, you can create a personal bond with your customers. Especially if you have their name, writing a simple hello and thank you feels huge on the receiving end.

The unboxing experience has a lot of potentials to surprise and delight your customers. Whether your product comes in an n actual box or in an email, the opening process is half the fun, especially when you make it fun! Add a surprise or a personal touch that is on-brand and makes the customer experience special.

Build your own hype

You may have already noticed that holiday sales for big companies have already started. Some have Black Friday sales that last for weeks! Hyping up your sale can put your brand in the back of your customer’s minds, and then when it comes time to announce your deal they have already mulled it over. They are primed for a deal, and they may have even been looking forward to it.

Having a big sale is another way to turn your online followers into customers because you already have their trust and interest and lowering the price barrier allows new customers to experience your business.

Focus on community and connection

Tis the season to spread the love on social media for other small businesses! I encourage this all year round, but especially during the holiday season. Social media should be a more social medium, and the holiday spirit is a great gateway into social sharing on a more regular basis. Buying something local? Tag them in a story on social media and share the love. See something you would love to buy or gift? Share about it on your social channels! Tag them in it! Keep building the connections.

 You can also take this time to let your followers and customers get to know you/your business in a more personal way. Create content that talks about the story behind your business or the people who are the heart of the business. This creates connection and builds a stronger relationship with your customers. 

Reward your people

Discount codes can be used to entice new customers but are also a great way to reward your previous customers for being loyal. Plus, it still means a sale for you if they use it! If you have an email list you can send an exclusive code to them, or even just to your social media following as a reward for being there for your journey. 

You can also give back by hosting a giveaway on your social media channels. This direction is more about spreading awareness about your brand but it’s still beneficial and a fun way to be engaging with your audience.  KingSumo makes it simple to host a giveaway and gives you tons of options on how to share and promote it.

Customize your look

Get into the spirit of the season with a customized header image on your website and Facebook page. It can be as subtle as you like, but it adds a nice element of festivity and keeps your sites feeling fresh and maintained. Get creative with your content and get inspired by the season around you. 

Make intentional content

Create content that is useful or fun for your audience.  A gift guide for items that are in your industry or relevant to your brand is a great idea to get traffic to your blog or post. If your product is vegan for example, make a list of your 10 favourite vega stocking stuffers online.
Another fun idea is to come up with 12 days of posts for your business. Whatever it is that you specialize in, come up with 12 different informative or entertaining posts about that subject. Share your holiday tips and tricks and provide useful information that ideal is on-brand with what your business is all about. 

It can be overwhelming to up against a holiday season of competition and sales, but if you make the main intention of your sales campaign that you are looking to reward and entertain your customers - you can’t go wrong. It’s a great time of year to put yourself out there alongside your business and reach a wider audience based on shared values.