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Time to Sleigh: Last Minute Holiday Marketing Ideas

Team Kuvio

The holiday season is in full swing and by now you have probably been flooded with special marketing campaigns whether online, through mail, in print, or on TV. There is no question, this season can be a great time to boost sales, but for small businesses it can be difficult to know how to get started. If your company has not launched a special marketing strategy for the season yet, no need to worry. We are here with several last minute tips to help you turn the holiday buzz into sales!

Offer deals

This is probably the most common tactic businesses can employ to boost holiday sales, but what deals you offer can be customized to your company. For example, if you sell a lot of gift cards you may want to offer a free $25 card with the purchase of a $100 card. Or it may be better to offer percentage off of all products. If you choose this option, just be careful with exclusions. As a customer, there is nothing worse than trying to take advantage of a sale and having everything you are interested in be disqualified in the small print. Another possibility is to offer a free stocking stuffer gift with a purchase. At a local business, I recently received a travel size beauty product with the purchase of a full size which now makes a great gift package for a friend. This can also entice customers to try a product that could become their new fave!

Present gift ideas

Everyone has at least one person on their list that seems impossible to shop for and this is where your business can offer a helping hand. Whether online or through in-store displays, show your customers some great options for gifts. We love when stores display a few items together that make a great package, it takes out some of the guesswork while shopping. To provide an even better customer experience, train staff to give custom gift giving advice that is helpful without being too pushy.  

Be nostalgic

The holidays are times of happy memories and people love to think back to the “good old days.” Tap into these feelings of nostalgia with a marketing campaign that uses black and white images, old style fonts, and lots of pathos in your messaging.

Remember your loyal customers

The holiday season is a great time to attract new buyers, but you don’t want to forget about the loyal customers that make up a large proportion of your sales. Send these customers a special offer via email so they feel valued and remember to shop with you again this December.

Go mobile

In 2018, mobile e-commerce sales are expected to surpass desktop sales for the first time ever. Make sure that your website is optimized for mobile so that you can capitalize on the $35 billion of sales that are made this way. Need help bringing your mobile site up to speed? Contact us.

Offer free shipping

There is no worse feeling than putting an item in your cart, getting all the way to the checkout, and realizing that the shipping is almost as much as the original cost of the item. This can cause customers to decide to take their purchase elsewhere. During the holidays, offer free shipping with a minimum sale so you can retain customers who love your products but are easily scared away by shipping costs.

Social media

Social media feeds are flooded with holiday shopping ads and deals. Don’t miss out on this valuable marketing opportunity! In addition to posts about your ongoing sales, catch your customers eye with holiday themed product imagery. You may also want to dress up your pages for the season with a themed profile picture of cover image. In addition to promotional posts, share other creative content, you could profile employees and their favorite holiday tradition or share holiday cookie recipes. Finally, take advantage of Facebook live, especially because when you go live it often sends a notification to those who have liked your page, increasing your reach beyond a traditional post. Perhaps Santa can pay your location a visit and you can capture it all via live video.

Offer an in-store experience

If you have a brick and mortar location, make your customers feel special by offering complimentary holiday cookies and cocoa. This small touch will make a big impact on customers, helping your brand to stand out and enticing them to stay in the store longer.

Hold a B2B holiday party after the busy season

Thank your B2B customers with a holiday party after the craziness of the season has died down, when everyone can actually enjoy it. Send invitations now to keep your brand on your customers’ minds and look forward to celebrating in the new year.

Engage kids

Let’s be honest, kids are the ones who have the most fun during the holiday season and watching these experiences brings their loved ones a lot of joy. Offering a children's activity like a coloring contest or craft can keep kids occupied while adults shop and create happy memories for the whole family.

Call upon your customers

User generated content is a great way to create a buzz on social media and increase your reach. Organize a contest that requires customers to post on Instagram, tag you, and include a branded hashtag. Offer a prize that is large enough to entice customers to go through this effort and watch the entries roll in. You may also consider offering everyone who enters a 10% off coupon code to garner even more submissions.

Start a charitable initiative

The holidays are a time of giving and a charitable initiative can help create a caring brand identity that your customers want to support. Maybe you decide to donate profits on sales of a certain product or you offer gift wrapping and take donations for a local nonprofit. Short on staff? Partner with a local organization, give them a space to gift wrap in your store, and let them keep all of the donations they receive. I remember doing this for my high school marching band and the opportunity meant a lot to us, while customers loved the service!

Don’t forget about the new year

Keep your holiday marketing efforts going all the way through the new year. Maybe you offer a special New Year’s Eve sale or send out an email blast in the afternoon to target those hanging on the couch and recovering from fun they had the night before. Since you may be getting a bit of a late start on holiday marketing, this is a great way to reap the maximum benefits.

We hope these ideas help you  have a fantastic holiday season full of sales and happy customers, new and old. Do you have your own holiday marketing strategies? Share them with us on Twitter, @KuvioCreative.

Kuvio Creative is an innovative web design and development agency with a remote team of workers collaborating from across the globe. Working on a new website or app? Contact us today, we can’t wait to help!

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