Start Your Holiday Marketing Now
The holidays have a tendency to sneak up on all of us, which is why savvy marketers and business owners know that it’s always better to start planning and promoting holiday sales as early as possible. If you wait until the week leading up to Thanksgiving, then you’re already behind. And with the fast pace of the holiday shopping frenzy — when you and your team are likely to be overwhelmed, and when your customers have so much else demanding their attention — it’s nearly impossible to catch up.
The reality is that most businesses bring in a disproportionate number of dollars during the holiday season compared with the rest of the year. And it’s not just about gift shopping — even non-retail businesses do better in November and December because people are busy and are spending more money. Of course, you already know this. And along the same lines, you know that every other business is competing for the attention of customers during this time of year. They’re competing, and they’re competing aggressively.
This is why the promotions or sales you offer need to be competitive. Because people are looking everywhere for a great deal. If you have nothing special to offer them, or if your special offer is bland and unexciting, then you won’t see the holiday income you potentially could.
Therefore, several weeks out from the real start of the holiday season, you need to determine:
What is the special offer you are making?
What different ad options will you test?
How can you continue to build momentum throughout the holiday season?
Figuring out your special offer
You want something that is going to stand out and catch people’s attention. You can also have several special offers you want to promote throughout the season. Maybe there’s one you want to push for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, one you want to push for the first full week of December (Hannukah starts on December 11 this year), and one for the last full week of December leading up to Christmas.
It doesn’t hurt to have backup plans and make your promotions more aggressive. In some cases, the problem isn’t your advertising — the problem is your offer. If you find that people aren’t responding favorably to your marketing, it doesn’t hurt to increase your discount of 20% off to a discount of 30% off.
Test different ad options in the weeks leading up to holiday season
One solid reason for determining your promotions and advertising them well ahead of time is that you’re able to build excitement before people are too overwhelmed by the frenzy of the holidays (and before they have already set their minds on what holiday spending they’re going to make). But there’s another important reason: You’re testing to see which marketing options are most successful.
Ideally, you launch several different campaigns in early November (which means you have to start planning those ad campaigns in October). You have email blasts, social media posts, and information on your website. But you want to have at least four or five email blasts go out before the week of Thanksgiving, and you should have at least 10 to 15 social media posts go live. Pay attention to what copy language and what graphics are most effective.
Do people want humor or sentimentality? Do they want emphasis on spending time with family or on buying gifts for children? Do people like seeing images of Santa Claus, or do they want to see pictures of festooned evergreens with presents under them?
Use the first couple of weeks in November to determine what marketing avenues, copy, and graphics get the best response so you know which ones you can focus your energy and ad dollars on as the holiday season picks up.
Continue that momentum through the holiday season:
After Black Friday, the holiday season is in full swing. Fortunately, you know what’s working best for you this year. And you have several special offers to put out there in case excitement starts to wane.
You can also try doing something interactive on Facebook or Instagram. Think about doing a photo contest, giveaways, rounds of trivia, etc. These are great options for bringing more engagement to your social media page and increasing your visibility.
Remember, however, that all of these promotions should be determined ahead of time and mapped out specifically. Know when your emails are going out and when your Facebook posts are going live. Know which ads you are testing and when you are going to shift your focus to the most successful ones. Know when you are going to offer special rates and when you are going to make them more aggressive if necessary.
This planning is important because from Black Friday through Christmas Eve, your focus should be on keeping your business running smoothly, seeing to the needs of your customers, and making minor adjustments to your media plan as needed. If you’re trying to brainstorm and implement any marketing strategies on the fly, you will find that you’re putting yourself behind. Proper planning is key to having a successful holiday season for your business.