5 Tips to Prepare your Marketing for the Christmas Season

Posted on Nov 4, 2019 in Blog | 0 comments

Believe it or not your customers started thinking about Christmas a month ago and although that may seem early to a lot of people – it isn’t. Small businesses have a lot of competition during the Christmas season; and it is often a boom or bust time of year for many, so maximizing your Christmas marketing campaign is your best chance to end the year on a high note.

First things first, review previous years’ Christmas marketing and review what you need to change. Ask yourself:

• What didn’t work?
• What can be improved?
• Was something missed or forgotten?

Answering these questions will enable you to work through the following five tips, each of which will prepare your marketing for the Christmas season:

• Determine your holiday audience – If you have a women’s apparel store, your target audience may change a bit during the Christmas season to include men shopping for their significant others or mothers. It is important to not only research who your target audience is during the Christmas season, but to determine the best methods to reach them.
• Optimise your mobile experience – Make sure your email marketing and online advertisements translate well onto mobile devices. More and more traffic is coming from smaller screens. You also want to make sure your website is mobile-friendly so if someone is out shopping they can easily find information regarding your business, such as hours and location, quickly and easily.
• Target key days – Target and maximize your marketing during the key days such as the American Black Friday and Cyber Monday by creating a marketing campaign that includes offering special promotions that are only valid on these days. Run Facebook ads or other advertising leading up to these days. Promote the benefits supporting local and remind people that by shopping locally they save on shipping and duty.
• Don’t always sell or promote yourself – When posting on social media or writing blog posts don’t always sell what it is you are trying to sell, be a resource! The Christmas season is stressful and overwhelming, so provide your customers with something they can actually use. For example, if you sell household products, share information on how to host a Christmas party successfully (and subtly promote some items you sell in-store) or if you are a restaurant share how hosting a party in a restaurant saves time during an already busy time of year.
• Remember what works – Not everything about marketing changes during the Christmas season. Hold to your best practices and be consistent in your email and social media marketing. Continue to engage with customers online and lastly – remember to thank them! Christmas is all about meaningful connections and good will. Take the time to thank your customers for their support with a personal Christmas card or small gift. You can even slip a special offer into every greeting you send or shopping bag after a purchase. Another great option is having an email promotion, to thank those on your email marketing list. Gestures like these take little effort but make a big impact.

The Christmas season can be a stressful and busy one for small businesses, so plan ahead and get started on your Christmas marketing as soon as possible. Remember – your customers are thinking about Christmas months before the actual date! Don’t lose your customers to box stores by waiting until December to get them into the holiday spirit – start now and beat the competition.