PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON
It is always important to make sure you are putting your business’s best foot forward when promoting it, especially during the holiday season! However, the holiday season can be overwhelming with all of the other factors business owners have to worry about. Ordering, shipping, inventory, sales, finishing Q4 strong, the list goes on. Sometimes it may feel like there isn’t enough time in the day to worry about marketing your business too. BUT, marketing is just as important! And honestly so much easier than you probably think. I have gathered together six tips for how to best promote yourself during the holiday season.
1. Use Social Media to your Advantage
Over 50% of people look at a brand’s social media pages before making a purchase from them. So, I think it is safe to say that your social media account will play a role in your sales. Use it to your advantage! Put effort into your pages. And, most importantly, be active. Make sure you are consistently posting, whether it be in feed posts or stories, and interacting with your followers. This way you will stay on your customer’s mind.
2. Partner with Other Businesses in your Community
Now more than ever, supporting local businesses is so important. People want to invest into their communities and support the people behind it. So, partner with other businesses in your community. Find another business whose audience is similar to yours and partner up! Host a holiday pop up shop. Or hold a giveaway on your social media pages. This way, you can help support other businesses in your community and build your audience!
3. Embrace Email Marketing
Maybe I am the only one, but I have definitely received a promotional email from a business, gone to their website, and made a purchase. Probably on something that I didn’t even need at the moment. But, that shows that what they did worked- simply putting a message in my inbox. Email is one of the fastest ways to reach your audience. 21% of people will open a promotional email within the first hour of it being received. By hour 3, that number increases to 40+%. Email marketing is also popular within so many different age groups.
4. Create Customized Digital Ads
Digital ads in itself could be a whole blog post, but we will keep it simple for now. So, just start off with creating them. A great place to run ads is on Facebook and Instagram. There are two types of ads you can run as well. When one of your posts is performing well and getting a lot of interaction, you can boost the post. Or you can create an ad to run on the platforms. Most importantly, you can create your targeted audience for both! Make sure to target your ads rather than just putting them out there to get the most out of them!
5. Decorate your Storefront or Office
I can confidently say that if this will do anything, it will definitely just make your days better. There is just something about Christmas decorations that puts me in the best mood. By being surrounded by the Christmas joy, it will put people in the giving spirit! If you don’t have a storefront people are shopping in, then decorate your office! Share photos of your decorated office on your social platforms. And, if you don’t have a set office, decorate your website / social channels! Use holiday colors in your graphics. Change your profile photo, maybe even your Instagram highlight covers to holiday themed!
6. Partner with Local Influencers
Influencer marketing works. The industry is expected to reach $13.8 billion by the end of the year. And, many cities have local influencers who are very well known within the community who not only want to support big businesses, but also want to support businesses in their neighborhood. So reach out to them! Each influencer has different guidelines, but it is always worth at least reaching out to see if it is possible!
Marketing your business can feel overwhelming. You may not know extremely where to start. So, start off small! Pick a specific thing, maybe one of the tips above, and start focusing on it. Then go on to the next tactic and try to tackle it. Making your business stand out this holiday season can be a lot easier than you may think. Hopefully these tips will help!
Happy Holidays!!
Kate