Small businesses can fall behind big-box stores and massive online sellers during the holiday season. Don’t let this discourage your small business, though—you just need to know how to keep up with the competition.
Try these holiday marketing strategies for small businesses to ensure a successful holiday season for your business.
Plan Your Holiday Sales
If you’re not already planning on taking part in Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and general holiday sales, consider planning out at least a few promotions. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other holiday promotions are a huge draw to potential customers, and offering special deals will help your business keep up with the competition. No doubt, almost every business will be taking part in holiday deals, so start planning and advertising for yours in advance.
Promote Gift Guides
Another marketing technique to try is targeting last-minute gift shoppers. If you run a brick-and-mortar store, this is where you have an advantage over online sellers. Shipping times usually grow longer during the holiday rush, so target last-minute gift-givers by promoting gift guides and no shipping times in your store. If you also have an online store, now’s the time to set up and promote a “buy online; pick up in store” policy.
Decorate Your Storefront
Get your employees and customers in the holiday spirit by decorating your storefront for the holidays. Adding some festive decorations will do more than spread holiday cheer–it will also attract potential customers to your store. Try promoting seasonal items and displaying signs featuring your holiday promotions to create an attractive window display.
Be Active on Social Media
Build your brand awareness by being active on social media during the holiday season. Social media is a great way to spread the word about your small business’s online or in-store shopping deals. You can also post holiday greetings to your loyal customers and wish them a happy holiday virtually.
Try an Email or Text Campaign
With an email or text campaign, you can target previous customers and encourage your holiday shoppers to keep coming back. It’s easy to collect online customer contact information, as you’ll need an email address and phone number to update them about their orders, but you can also request customer information in-store. During the check-out process, ask customers if they would like to sign up for promotional texts and emails. Once you have contact information, you can plug it into an email or text marketing program and create promotional texts and emails to keep your customers engaged.
If you run a small business, try these holiday marketing strategies for small businesses to keep up with the competition. Follow these tips, and your business could have its most successful holiday season yet.
