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20 Creative Ways to Market This Holiday Season

20 Creative Ways to Market This Holiday Season

Standing out is tough. If you want to get people to your business this holiday season you have to advertise. There are plenty of ways to make yourself known but not all will work for all businesses.

We assembled a long list of ideas that you might consider trying this year.

 

Your Website

Make navigation easy- Make a special section for holiday gifts. Make it sortable by price, age, gender, etc.

Deck it out holiday-style- The holidays are just as much about the nostalgia as they are the shopping. People like the feeling of the holiday season so join in. Dress up your website to have holiday flare.

Offer suggestions- Maybe somebody looks at shirts on your site. Offer suggestions like socks, pants, and hats on the same page. It works for Amazon and many other online retailers.

Include shipping deadlines- “Order by (date) to receive your order by December 25.

 

Digital Marketing

Use local awareness marketing- Facebook lets you target customers within a certain radius of your business’s address. This is a game-changer for local businesses.

Highlight a single product- It’s not just about Black Friday. Run a social ad highlighting a certain deal for the days leading up to Black Friday. This will generate buzz.

Holiday keywords- If you use Google ads, create some new campaigns around holiday keywords like Black Friday, holiday, Christmas, and variants of those. Or make the keywords into longer phrases for better reach and more cost-effective advertising, ie, “Toddler Toys Holiday Sale”

Learn about dynamic retargeting– What if somebody came to your website, looked at a certain product but didn’t buy? That’s the end of the prospect, right? Wrong! Dynamic retargeting allows you to put that same product in front of the customer as they go to other sites. It’s pretty techy so you might need help setting it up but there’s no doubt your conversion rates will rise.

 

General Marketing

Put your creativity to work- Can you design a campaign around Santa’s reindeer? The 12 days of Christmas? Hanukah or the mind-blowing stress of Black Friday?

Use urgency as a marketing tool- “Time is running out,” “It’s not too late,” or other time-sensitive calls to action.

Gift Cards! 60% of people say that a gift card is their idea of a perfect gift. Make sure you can meet that need.

Have a thank you dinner- The holidays aren’t all about retailers. Invite your B2B customers to an appreciation dinner or special event.

Get away from the normal party times- People lose some of their business objectives during the holidays so have your parties before Thanksgiving or after New Years.

Combine resources- Join with complimentary small businesses and cross promote. If you’re a plumber, you might partner with a local hardware store and promote each other’s deals.

Support a charity- Do it because you believe in giving back but there are business advantages too. For every $10 spent at your business, you’ll donate $1 to the charity, for example.

Rent a booth- Tis’ the season for craft shows and other winter-themed shows. Ask if they accept commercial vendors. Even if it’s just for brand awareness, it’s probably worth your time.

Get to the parents through the kids- How about an ornament making event or contest? Bring in Santa? If you can get kids to your location, parents come with them.

Find the local bloggers- Every city has a legion of local bloggers who highlight community deals. They’re always looking for new information (that they don’t have to write.) Send them sales, events, or other goings-on that the community should know about.

 

Store Environment

Offer a safe place- Speaking of Black Friday, stores are no place for the person who doesn’t like crowds. What if you store offered a more tranquil environment complete with coffee and maybe a TV with a game on?

Have plenty of chairs- Walk the mall and what do you see? Men sitting in the chairs waiting for their families. Have a place for companions to sit but don’t ruin the traffic flow to do it.

Free gift wrapping– If you’re shopping online, free shipping is the add-on that you’ll find valuable. At physical locations, gift-wrapping is the extra service that could potentially land the sale.

Candy as swag- Did you know that you can get your logo printed on popular candy like M&Ms? What a nice giveaway for people who purchase or for kids that visit.

 

Bottom Line

The holiday season might be the most wonderful time of the year but business owners are locked in a battle for the billions of holiday dollars up for grabs. To get your share, get creative. Find ways to stand out that others didn’t think of and start putting those plans into action right now.