Fall Marketing Strategy: Small Business Tips For The Holidays

Tick Tock. The holiday countdown clock is ticking!


Hear that? It’s the sound of large and small businesses starting to buzz with holiday advertising. For many small businesses, the months leading up to the holidays can be the “make or break” season for their year-end business goals. Why should you start planning now? Your competitors probably are! With advance planning and a well-thought out Fall marketing strategy you can position your business to ring in the holiday season with a minimum of stress and sleigh full of success.

How should Marketers best sync their holiday marketing strategy with their customers? Reach out to your customers, market your social channels, start early and stand out with e-mail messaging.

Reach Out To Your Customers


Begin with a thorough review of your holiday campaign from last year to determine what should be repeated, tweaked or avoided.

“Christmas In July” launches the holiday season for many big brands, why not “Christmas in September” for your small business. Promote a special one-day event with a “buy now get later” offer. Is a new product or service on your product horizon? Consider offering a sneak preview with a special coupon or gift certificate promotion.

Have a monthly email newsletter? Start your holiday messaging in September, or even August. Reach out to subscribers with a short holiday tease. Ask customers to make a “wish list,” preview holiday products, or order your holiday catalog. Pre-holiday email promotions work well for any business. If you’re in a service industry, promote upcoming holiday specials like holiday room reservations and parties.

Market Your Social Media Channels


With built-in followers on social media, use your channels to promote upcoming holiday specials.

Facebook


86% of US retailers were expected to use Facebook to market their holiday promotions in 2012. When should you start and what are some tips for effectively using Facebook to market your business?

  • Start your Facebook campaign early. Brands start pitching holiday promotions as early as September, followed by a heavy spike in mid-October. Mid-November sees campaigns take a dip in participation, but activity spikes again from the end of November through December.

  • Space out and build your holiday campaign to align with your best post days and times.

  • Offer exclusive holiday discounts or insider sales for your followers.

  • Announce upcoming specials and offers; add eye-catching images along with your status.

  • Ask your customers to post a review and analyze their engagement and interaction to your product or service.

  • Walmart announced in August they would be accelerating their popular Facebook lay-away plan, early. I can only guess that this announcement will trigger other large brands to accelerate their holiday promotions on Facebook. Stay in tune with what large brands with local storefronts are doing on social media and make adjustments to your holiday schedule if appropriate.

  • Pay attention to Facebook’s new promotion guidelines released August 27, 2013!


Twitter



  • Host tweet chats for target market areas. Use a tag to invite your local followers to tweet parties and discuss gift ideas with your target audience.

  • Tweet using a unique hashtag like #holidaydeals, #holidaysavings, #blackfriday, #cybermonday. Use geographic tags popular to your area to target your local customers.

  • Tweet special incentives or one day offers leading up to the holidays.

  • Tweet with images like your store’s holiday decor, products, or customers and employees enjoying an in-store event; draw attention to your brand’s story. Post to Instagram.

  • Create a holiday greeting or product video on YouTube or Vine and upload to your business account.

  • Pay attention to Twitter’s promotion guidelines!


Pinterest



  • Set up trending holiday boards with featured products; don’t forget to add prices.

  • Pinterest has new contest guidelines. If you host a holiday contest, make sure that your contest rules are clearly posted on your board or profile and that you follow the updated Pinterest Brand Guidelines. Pinterest wants people to pin based on inspiration and creativity.


Start Early.  Stand Out With E-Mail!


According to Responsys, a market leader in email and cross-channel marketing analysis, the first mention of Christmas in holiday messages is July. Retailers send the majority of their Christmas-themed emails after Dec. 2.

  • Draft compelling content for your email newsletters; strategically create subject lines with captivating “calls to action” so your email stands out amidst the deluge of the competitions. Personalize the subject line with the subscriber’s name.

  • Start getting holiday graphics ready.

  • Create a mailing schedule. Get your holiday emails going early with a slow buildup.

  • Review your email list from last year and curate your contact lists for this season.

  • Begin sending holiday messages in September. Add banners and boxes to your non-holiday email messages.


Tick Tock! The holiday countdown clock is ticking. It’s time to wrap up your planning and start implementing your holiday marketing strategy. Have you started reaching out to your customers with soft holiday advertising? What are some of your holiday marketing tips?

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