It's that time of year again: the holidays are approaching, and that means it's time to start thinking about your holiday marketing strategy. If you're like most business owners, this can feel like an overwhelming time, but don't worry! With our simple tips in mind, you'll be able to put together an effective plan and make your holiday season marketing efforts shine brighter than tinsel.
Test for early season readiness
Use the holiday season to test for early season readiness. At Honey & Hive, we believe you can never run out of tests to run! Here are some examples:
Test your website, email, social media and other marketing channels to ensure they're ready to go in case you need to ramp up quickly.
Test the effectiveness of your messaging by trying new things on social media with different audiences or sending emails with different messages.
Test your new products or services by making sure all of their components are working together properly before taking them live.
Test your pricing structure and customer service procedures so you know they can scale if necessary.
Create new content
If you’re not already doing this, create new content that is relevant to your audience. For example, if you sell pet products and your holiday theme is “family pets”, then share stories about the holidays through the eyes of pets. If you sell home improvement products and your holiday theme is “winter wonderland”, post photos of snow-covered landscapes or cozy winter kitchens.
Create social media graphics with holiday themes and include them in posts during the season. Use these graphics on all your social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more! Add holiday content to your website - for example a special section called "Holiday Gift Ideas" or "Our Favorite Holiday Recipes". You can also add a blog post titled "10 Things To Consider When Looking For The Perfect Gift." Include links throughout each page so people can easily navigate back to each product within your store/website.
Add holiday graphics & imagery across all marketing channels such as email campaigns and newsletters - use seasonal images from previous years' newsletters rather than creating new ones every year (unless there was something really special that happened last time around).
Excite customers with holiday deals.
The best holiday deals are relevant to a customer’s needs, attractive to them, and easy for them to find and redeem. To make sure your deals are relevant:
Look at which products your customers are buying most often and what types of purchases they make in general.
Study your sales data for trends that could indicate what people will be looking for during the holidays. For example, if you see a spike in sales of formal wear during July or August, it might mean that people will be more likely than usual to purchase formalwear around Thanksgiving and Christmas (when many companies host big office parties).
In order to make sure your holiday offers are enticing:
Make sure they're unique—but also comparable with what other brands offer as part of their seasonal promotions. If you're offering customers two weeks' rent on all rentals between $40–50 per night, someone else might offer three weeks' rent on all rentals over $70 per night because he sees that price point as more expensive than his own offerings—and therefore thinks it'll appeal more strongly to customers who want the best deal possible!
Encourage your staff to spread the word
Your staff is your best marketing tool. Your team members are the ones who meet and greet your customers, so they have a unique opportunity to help you spread the word about your business. They can tell new and existing customers about what makes you special, build relationships with clients, and even create a positive customer experience that makes people want to come back for more.
Encourage them to spread the word by encouraging them to wear their favorite T-shirt from work or share photos on social media of themselves at work (with an appropriate hashtag or handle). You may want them to use these tools as part of their training process so that everyone is on board with how they should be using social media in their day-to-day jobs!
Use customer data to guide holiday promotions
To get the most out of your holiday marketing efforts, you need to know who your best customers are and what they want. For example, if you have a lot of customers who shop online on their phones, then it makes sense to promote your phone app with a special offer during the holidays. You can also use data to identify which products sell better around certain times of year and which ones aren’t suited for specific seasons at all (for example, selling heavy coats in the middle of summer).
Focus on quality over quantity
If you want your holiday marketing efforts to pay off, don't be afraid to go for quality over quantity. Focus on the few things that are important and will have the biggest impact on your business. The better quality of messages and channels you use, the more likely you are to see positive results from them. Focus on what gives you the most value—not how many people see it or how much time it takes up in your day-to-day activities.
The holiday season is a time of year that many people look forward to. You can use this excitement and anticipation to your advantage by preparing for it in advance. By keeping track of what you do throughout the year, you’ll be able to plan ahead for the holidays with confidence and know exactly what you need to do when they finally arrive.
It's officially our second holiday season as an agency! Book a free consultation with us to see how we can optimize your holiday marketing.