There’s always a holiday just around the corner, which means that as a business, you always have to be alert and planning ahead in order to take advantage of holiday marketing. After all, holidays are when most customers look to make their purchases, and you can bet that they’re always looking for a deal.
Even if you don’t want to offer a big promotion come the week before Thanksgiving, you’ll want to at least acknowledge the holiday in some way, such as in the form of a store event or product launch, so as to remind your customers about your business. Not to mention, your competitors will most likely be advertising months prior and offering great deals, which means it’s likely they’ll be capturing some of your current and potential customers.
We know – just the thought of holiday marketing and what it entails for your business may make you break out in a cold sweat. There’s no doubt the competition to think about, then there’s timing – perfect timing of promotions is of the essence (sending a promotion after everyone’s already finished their holiday shopping and burned a hole in their wallets may not be ideal).
And never mind the fact that customers are becoming more and more savvy towards avoiding/preventing/ignoring any and all types of ads, direct marketing and sales pitches, forcing us to think of new promotional strategies and approaches.
But it doesn’t have to be so scary. In fact, holiday marketing is a great way to get your name out there, increase sales, and obtain and engage new and existing customers, thus growing your loyal following. It’s a good thing. Really.
Here are a few holiday marketing tips to keep in mind:
Timing
Timing is a huge component of a successful campaign. Capitalize on the major holidays (Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas) and start preparation early. It takes time to create and execute a promotion, so start brainstorming and prepping early to be sure you’re ready and give your customers ample notice of your upcoming promotion. You’ll also need to factor in enough time for the design and proofing stage, printing, mailing, and delivery.
Make it Clear
Be clear and offer them something they can’t refuse. A free gift? Buy one get one half off? A complimentary consultation? Make it crystal clear that what you are offering is a good deal and you’re likely to get customers running to your door.
Make it Urgent!
Give them enough time to take advantage of your deal, while still creating a sense of urgency. If your promo code expires in four months, it’s likely that your customers will get excited at first, figure they have enough time and put it off…only to forget altogether that you even have a promotion going on! Avoid this by aiming for a window of 3 weeks to one month. This way, they’ll have enough time to think about your promotion, but will still feel a sense of urgency to act on it.
Track Your Success
Use a promotion and track how many customers took advantage of your offer. This will allow you to measure your ROI and gauge what’s working, and what isn’t. Later on, it will enable you to make tweaks if necessary to increase effectiveness. Make sure to repeat mailings until customers convert (a good number to go by is 3 mailings). If you use a promo code on a mailer, make sure the code is specific to the campaign, so that you know how effective the campaign is in the grand scheme of all of your other marketing projects.
We’d love to hear about your own success, so be sure to leave us a note and tell us how you’re promoting this holiday season!
