16 Holiday Marketing Ideas to Easily Launch This Season

By Raubi Perilli

Nov 15, 2021 Solutions

When the holidays are quickly approaching, your to-do list fills up fast. But don't let your long list prevent you from launching holiday marketing campaigns that can drive in customers.

We're sharing holiday marketing ideas that are easy to launch so you have no excuses for not setting up promotions to increase revenue this holiday season.

16 Easy-to-Launch Holiday Marketing Ideas

Check out these holiday marketing ideas to drive sales this holiday season.

#1) Promote gift card sales.

Gift cards are the gift that keeps on giving for your business! They ensure that people will buy your products in the future and likely spend more. In fact, 65% of gift card recipients will spend 38% more than the gift card is worth when they redeem it. Highlight gift card options on your website, in your store, and through your social media channels. Drive more sales by creating gift card packages with small trinkets or add-ons to encourage gift-givers to spend more and promote it to your email marketing list.

#2) Host a simple holiday event.

Branded events are a great way to bring people to your location. You don't have to go big with your event. It could be something like Sur la Table's Christmas cookie class or something as easy as pet photos with Santa. Even a small themed event can encourage people to stop by, shop around, and remember your business. This creates positive memories while generating sales. Plus, a themed holiday event can create an "instagramable" moment that customers will photograph and then share on social media.

#3) Team up with other local businesses.

You don’t have to host events on your own. Consider teaming up with local businesses to host a shopping fair, parents night out, kids craft night, or other activity. Each business can provide part of the entertainment for one amazing event. You can also invite other businesses to your main location and host an event with their help.

#4) Stay open extra hours.

Holiday marketing ideas also apply to store operations. The holiday season is a stressful time, so many stores, restaurants, and other places try to stay open a few hours longer to help their customers. Make sure you advertise the extra hours on social media, Local Area Sites, Yelp, and Google so people know you’re still open. This is particularly important if you normally don’t have common hours or are closed on certain days of the week.

#5) Participate in Small Business Saturday.

There’s a growing movement to buy from local businesses through Small Business Saturday. If you manage a locally-owned operation, let your local customers know. Share your promotions and encourage them to spend that Saturday with you. See if you can add your brand to local buying guides and neighborhood promotions to get that added exposure.

#6) Run a contest for customers.

Contest marketing can help both gift-givers and recipients win. Host a contest online for a holiday treat for the family or run an in-store contest for customers who stop by. The giveaways can range from small trinkets to major gifts that your customers will remember forever. This adds a little competition to the holiday festivities and a few lucky customers will walk away with extra gifts.

#7) Create holiday-themed special offers.

Create a reason for people to stop by your business before the year ends. Get creative with holiday-themed promotions, products, services, and other store elements. This could range from new menu items to end-of-year check-ups. If you run a restaurant, create a limited-time offer menu item that customers can only get for the few weeks around the holiday.

#8) Give back to the community.

Look for opportunities to give back this holiday season. This could be through store promotions, sponsorship events, or food and coat drives. Try to tie in the charity efforts with non-profits that are closely related to your brand, like a local retailer collecting socks and coats. This shows that you care about the community that you live and work in. You may even get a little extra publicity for your marketing efforts.

#9) Create a countdown promotion.

People love advent calendars and other countdowns to Christmas, New Year’s and other events. Get in the holiday spirit with a promotional countdown of your own. You can advertise specific deals each day to bring people in and even the countdown with a big celebration or giveaway at the end. This makes your promotions unique and keeps them top-of-mind.

#10) Develop time-sensitive offers.

During the packed shopping days of Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, competitive companies offer deals, events, and opportunities throughout the day. Test these time-sensitive offers to see how your customers respond. You can set a time deadline for people to visit your business or set a limit where “the first X people,” receive the deal. If you have extremely active and loyal customers, tap into text marketing and send out “secret promotions” with time limits for people to claim them.

#11) Take photos of your events and activities.

Hire a photographer or find an employee who has strong photography skills to take photos of your seasonal events and promotions. These high-quality photos can build excitement around your business and show others how packed your store is. Plus, you can post these photo promotions online so people can tag themselves and share the pictures with their friends.

#12) Publish holiday content to help shoppers.

If you have a niche store or business and not everyone knows what you sell, create content to promote your wares. Businesses across the country create buying guides to help customers find out what’s new. Shoppers know that their family members and friends like wine, camping gear, or the latest gadget but might not know which items to get this year. Your content efforts can guide their decisions and drive sales.

#13) Start promoting your holiday offers early.

Businesses start promoting their holiday wares earlier each year. If you’re waiting until December to talk about your events and deals then you’re already behind. Use email marketing to spread the word about event updates and new items in mid-to-late November and create your events on social media early. This way, people recognize your brand early and start marking events on their calendar to stop by.

#14) Offer gifts to shoppers.

Online retailers offer free shipping when you hit certain spending limits (like spending more than $100.) You can do something similar by offering free gifts or discounts when people hit spending thresholds. These thresholds encourage shoppers to add more to their carts and pick up a few more items to get the discount. You sell more products or services and they think they got a good deal.

#15) Create breaks from the shopping chaos.

Turn your business into an opportunity to escape the crazy shopping season. This could be through comfort-food menu items or spa promotions if you run a salon. While you can certainly offer seasonal promotions and gifts, look for ways to let people escape and enjoy a few hours of peace. The holiday season is stressful for many people and you can give them an opportunity to calm down and relax before moving on to the next activity.

#16) Promote your offers through geofencing.

Your holiday offers and specials won't work unless you put them in front of customers. Don't launch campaigns and assume that customers will know about your offers. Work to promote your offers to get them in front of more customers -- and do it with geofencing. Geofencing marketing is a tactic that shares messaging with customers based on where they are. So if you are running a holiday limited-time offer at your restaurant near the mall, you can target customers in the mall to see your promotions.

Use Holiday Marketing Ideas to Tap Into the Busy Season

You want to make sure customers keep you in mind during the holiday season, and there are plenty of ways to get creative with promotions. Whether you want customers to pick up gifts from your store or create a family tradition by stopping by, these holiday marketing ideas can make sure more people than ever visit your business this holiday season.

Need help with promoting your local business this holiday season? We're here to help! Contact us to get a free consultation and talk about how we can help you promote your holiday sales, specials, and events to the thousands of customers around your business.

LET'S TALK MARKETING

Popular Posts