Time to put away your pumpkin lights, the holiday season is here. I know it seems a little early to be thinking about Thanksgiving turkeys and shopping for festive sweaters, but trust me, the holidays are already on your customer’s minds. Now is the time to kick your holiday marketing ideas into gear! If you’re not sure where to begin with your holiday marketing, leave it to us! We’ve got the perfect blog, full of holiday marketing tips for small businesses. 

 What Is Holiday Marketing

Before we dive into our holiday marketing tips for small businesses, we need to know exactly what holiday marketing entails. Holiday marketing isn't all that different from regular marketing, however, with holiday marketing, the focus on sales and the giving spirit gets amped up. This is the time for your company to show off its best products, services, and deals.  

Another important thing to keep in mind; the holidays are a really busy time of year. Your holiday marketing is going to be a commitment but it is a commitment to your business. It may seem like a lot, but it will be worth it. Trust us!

Before you start posting and sending out those emails, there are a few things you need to think about first!

 Why You Should Use Holiday Marketing 

Using holiday marketing for small businesses is a surefire way to make more money and grow your brand awareness. If you're thinking of just sticking to your regular marketing plan here are a few reasons not to. We mean it, start your holiday marketing, today!

 

Build a Better Connection with Customers

The holidays are a time for giving. Creating content that gives back to your audience is a great way to build up a better connection with them. You can write a blog about the best ways to give back to your community during the holidays, or even launch a campaign where you match donations with a certain organization. Your customers will see this and be drawn to you and your brand.

 

 

Launch New Products 

The holidays are a great time to launch a new product. People are always looking for the new and latest thing around the holidays, launching a new service or offering a new product is a great way to gain more attention!

Drive Sales 

The number one thing a great holiday marketing campaign can do for you is drive your sales UP! People will be looking for deals, gifts, ideas, ECT.. provide it to them and you're sure to see your revenue increase. It's what all the big companies do on Black Friday. The purpose of the day is to drive sales from the red and back to the black. 

If you put the time and effort into your holiday marketing campaign, you are sure to see an increase in sales and recognition in your small business. 

How To Use Holiday Marketing For Small Businesses

If you don't already have a holiday marketing plan, today is the day to start! Holiday marketing for small businesses won't work well without a plan. While making your plan, here are a few things you need to include in your marketing strategy, but the most important is, all the things you post or send or market: IT NEEDS TO ADD VALUE. Your posts should always have value, but anything extra you're posting for the holidays needs to have extra value. Sound good? Good. 

Social Media Blasts

Your social media channels should start adding a little holiday flair to their posts. Now, not every post needs to be holiday-themed, but you'll want to add a few extra posts each week to your calendar that focus on the holidays. Those posts can include any sales you might have, blogs and other content you've published about the holidays, and organizations you may be partnering with during the holidays. Advice and idea posts for gifts and other holiday goods are great things to post as well!

Email Marketing

It's time to sprinkle in a little holiday magic to your newsletters. If you're sending out a regular newsletter each week or month, it's okay to add one or two more to the mix. Remember, your newsletters have to add extra value or your subscribers may get annoyed. 

In your email marketing, you can write a personal "thank you" to your subscribers, offer them exclusive sales and discounts, or launch new products! 

Blogs

Blogs are a small business's secret weapon. They are a wonderful tool to help your audience and customers get to know who you are. People are more likely to buy products from you if they feel like they can trust or relate to you. 

Blog about your products and services and what makes them different, then repurpose your blog content for your social media and your newsletters. It will help you save a lot of time! 

Some other tips we thought would be really helpful:

• Colors- Don't dive headfirst into using red and green. So many companies will be using these colors. And hey, not everyone celebrates Christmas. Instead, use colors with a festive element, like silver and gold. They will make your graphics look eye-catching and engaging. 
• Don't re-package your same products with a holiday label. Remember, your products and content need to add more value during the holidays. Instead, launch a new product or introduce a product bundle.  
• Make sure your website is cleaned up and your eCommerce store is ready for any online sales. 
• Reports are saying that shipping delays may happen this year which could cause purchases to not reach your customers in time. This is something to keep in mind as you send out your emails and social media posts. Encourage people to order early! 

Final Thoughts

We know that there is a lot to do when it comes to holiday marketing. Don't be afraid if you can't manage all of it by yourself. Doing something is better than nothing. These are just some useful tips to help you make the most out of this holiday season for your small business. Keep in mind that people will most likely be shopping and ordering things early due to the expected delays. A lot of last-minute deals may not work out in your favor. 

If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed about your holiday marketing campaign we can help! HSM has an amazing team of social media managers, copywriters, and designers who can really help you with your holiday marketing. 

Head to our website to learn more!