When the leaves change, so does your perspective on life. The crisp air and color-changing trees symbolize new beginnings. It’s that time of year again to dust off your favorite holiday tunes, buy some gifts for friends and family, get ready for the onslaught of Christmas cards and market your business. But marketing during the holidays can be tricky because you’re competing with other marketers to get their product in front of your customers. If shoppers can’t get their hands on what they want from your business this Christmas, your competitors will provide the products and services they are looking for.
Here, we’ve compiled some marketing ideas to prepare for the holiday season and help get your business off on the right foot this marketing season!
Make your website festive
Turn your website into a winter wonderland. Make it an enchanted portal for your customers.
Festive colors
Every color has a specific mood, and when you match the proper selection of holiday colors to your online store’s décor, it can really make for an enjoyable shopping experience.
High-quality images get your customers’ wallets out
What’s the first thing you do when you go shopping for a new item? You take it out of the box, turn it over in your hands, and then inspect every inch before deciding if this is what you really want. This is called “revealing marketing” because marketing works on two levels: surface (what people see) and deep (the underlying meaning). Product images are often used to create an experience or establish a connection with consumers through colors, textures, shapes, or symbols.
A product photo is a key to success in e-commerce, and it must have high-quality photos. This will help people make their buying choice based on how beautiful or
exciting they find them rather than anything else like price tags, which can sometimes be misleading because some items seem cheaper. Make sure your visual presentation is top notch by investing wisely in images.
Create a buzz with creative seasonal content
Some useful information, such as a gift guide, is sure to get your audience hyped for the colder months ahead. Make an editorial calendar tailored specifically around what’s best for this season. Post frequently with fun and interesting topics. Big titles and clear calls-to-action will ensure that people find their perfect present.
Optimize for mobile devices
As technology becomes increasingly advanced in this digital age, more individuals turn towards online shopping and browsing, giving consumers greater convenience than ever before when it comes down to making purchases online. Take advantage of the latest technology to draw in more shoppers by making your e-commerce platform mobile-friendly, keeping your customers from leaving, and ensuring they stay on the site longer.
Social commerce is a powerful sales force.
Social commerce is one of the most inexpensive ways to sell products and promote any business today. If done properly, utilizing social marketing channels will help you reach thousands of people each day because these marketing strategies are designed to be shareable, and spread like wildfire.
Blow away your customers with offers and deals
- Free shipping offer. During the holiday season, many people are frantically looking for a way to save money. Marketing companies try to keep customers from going somewhere else by providing free shipping or free delivery. It can be difficult to make this profitable unless you have a lot of orders coming in.
- Limited time offers
- Daily deals
Every customer will have some extra motivation when making purchases from now until next year comes around again.
Organize products in bundles to sell more
Every marketing expert knows that marketing is all about getting people to buy more. So why not offer them the opportunity to buy more of whatever they are buying in the first place? Bundle items together so customers can get everything they need from one company in one package deal. Once you’ve got them hooked on your product, then offer complimentary items that go along nicely – also known as cross-selling. This will give them another reason to come back.
Launch holiday ads
- Display festive banners on the homepage to advertise holiday sales
- Invest in PPC. Paid ads are a lucrative marketing strategy because it allows them to generate targeted marketing leads that are interested in their products or services
Craft a holiday email campaign to reach out to past customers and potential new customers.
You know how to get your customers excited about the holidays – why not do it with email marketing too? Reaching out with email marketing is a tried-and-true method for capturing new customers. You can make this season even more special by sending out a personalized message just for them. Target a specific audience and send only those emails that will pique their interest in order to create anticipation. Be sure to create specific messaging for each audience type:
- Loyal vs. Potential
- Higher Tier vs. Lower Tier
- Business vs. Leisure
- Daily vs. Weekly vs. Monthly vs. Annual Customer
Add QR codes to printed marketing materials.
QR codes are a great way to build engagement and create more opportunities for customers during the holiday season. Add QR codes on printed materials to increase business visibility and encourage mobile shopping.
Overnight Prints provides a free online QR code generator that can be easily created and seamlessly integrated into your design.
Create personal holiday greetings.
The holiday marketing season is in full swing. Boost holiday conversions by sending customers a greeting card or email to thank them for their business during the holidays. This is a great way to show your appreciation and keep up with marketing goals throughout the busy season. It’s also an inexpensive marketing tool that can easily be personalized with company logos, colors, and contact information. Whether it’s a promotional campaign or providing appropriate product recommendations, Overnight Prints will help you reach your customers and prospects with a personalized greeting card that is perfect for whatever occasion it’s being sent.
Prepare free gifts or free samples of your product
The holiday season is a time for good cheer, giving to others, and of course, marketing.
Why not give away some samples of your product during the holiday season? It’s a great way for new customers and people who you have yet to reach. This is a great way to provide new incentives and increase sales.
Final words
If you want to make the most of your marketing efforts this holiday season, it’s crucial that you start planning now. The holidays are fast approaching and your business needs to be prepared. As you think about how you’ll market yourself in the lead up to Christmas, don’t forget that it’s not all about what you do but also when! The holidays are a great time for brands and retailers alike because they give us all an excuse to spend money on gifts. It also means that there is a lot of competition out there vying for a customer’s attention, so being savvy about how we approach our marketing strategy will help ensure success in the coming weeks. Make sure your marketing is seasonal enough so people know who you are, without being too much like everyone else and getting lost.
What have been some of your favorite tips or advice from articles like these?
Have a happy and prosperous holiday!