Holiday Marketing Tips – Ready Set Go!

With holiday spending in the billions, it’s no wonder that businesses today who have products or services ripe for the holidays are jumping up and down in eager anticipation of the upcoming season.  For many, it’s the time of year to recoup all those slow months and for many carry them through the year. For others, it’s just a great way to talk about their products or services, where they might not as much throughout the year.

Let’s talk about ways to get to very most out of it. Here are some tips to master your holiday marketing:

• Do something familiar – It’s great to have something new to do this year, and we encourage that, but keep in mind many appreciate seeing the same holiday promotion from you year after year. You will find many will look forward to this and talk about their experience with it in the previous years. Plus, it’s easier to do for you as hopefully you have the copy and images from last year.
• Remember folks are busy so keep it short and sweet, but powerful. Bullet points are your friend this holiday season. But in keeping it short, don’t go too short where you don’t fully give what you are offering. You don’t want your customers to have to go searching on your site for their answers. (I know it’s here somewhere, but where! Not good!)
• Give Sales – Real Sales. People love saving money. Those save 5% don’t cut it during the holidays. Many also offer savings, but on their highest ticketed items, which makes it feel like it’s not a savings after all. You don’t want to lose money on a product, but see if you have something that you have a little more leeway with and can offer better discounts.
• Don’t only offer the best sales to new customers. Reward your loyal customers with great savings too. Making them feel special rocks! What’s even better if you happen to know what that customer routinely buys and offering savings on those items.
• Have more than one special to meet the needs of different customers. Remember someone who buys from you will often come back for more. However, if they have already purchased the item on sale, they will just ignore your message. That’s why it’s great to offer several different promotions.
• In your marketing, fully describe the feelings and emotions your customers will feel when they order your products. For example, Gifts that make you feel powerful this holiday. Gifts that make you feel beautiful. Gifts for the mom who gives all year-round. See how that works? They can see themselves in that offer and feel an immediate connection.
• Recommend products that are similar for more sales. One great way to make more sales this year and throughout the year is to know your buyer’s preferences and not only offer those easily, but also to be able to recommend similar products they might enjoy. One example of this is recently I fell in love with a new product from Bath and Body Works. Not only did I want mass amounts of it, but when I went shopping the sales clerk said, “Since you like that, you might also like this one.” And guess what. I really did. (And I did buy mass amounts of both products.)
• Keep in contact once they have ordered and continue to give great value. This might be the first time they have contacted you and ordered from you. So show them who you are and what you offer. Send out your newsletters more. Blog more often, etc. Invite them to your social media, etc.
• Be mindful when you send out your promotions. Sending out a promotion on a Friday afternoon just might not be in your best interest or before a major holiday. People might intend to come back and check it out when they have time, but often just

So get marketing and make 2016 the best year yet. And remember you don’t have to do it alone.  There are those out there who specialize in PR and marketing who can help.