The holidays can be a lot of things – magical, nostalgic, overwhelming, stressful. As a small business owner especially, it can be stressful navigating holiday marketing while competing against big brands and corporations.
As a small business, you may not have the million dollar marketing budgets, catchy TV ads running all day long, or big time sponsorships. Small businesses do have something powerful when it comes to holiday marketing – social media and email.
Are you trying to navigate holiday marketing but don’t know where to start? Here are some tips to help guide your holiday marketing strategy.
Get the word out earlier than later
Big box stores have been pushing their holiday deals for months now. Around the holidays, there is so much activity and marketing noise that it’s important to get the word out on what you’re offering as soon as you can.
Consider doing something special for customers
Whether it’s a virtual event, an exclusive product, or a special discount code, show your customers how thankful you are for their support and loyalty. Tie it into the holidays and promote it through your social media and email list.
Don’t forget to prep your website for increased traffic from holiday marketing
Make sure you aren’t neglecting your website and e-commerce storefront! Your marketing will be sending people to your website to learn more, make a purchase, or book a discovery call, it’s important that it’s up to date and easy to navigate. This is the time to make those updates you’ve been pushing off.
Pay attention to what your audience really want
To ensure you’re not just more holiday marketing noise, make sure you’re delivering content to your audience that they actually care about and want. Try using stories polls or sending surveys to your email list to get a better idea of what your audience really wants this holiday season.
Don’t make holiday marketing all about selling – be a resource
There is so much being thrown at consumers during the holidays, and many are stressed and overwhelmed by it all. Don’t add to the noise and stress with just another sales pitch. Instead, be a resource and provide something they can actually use. Whether its advice for preparing for the holidays, tips for how to navigate the stress, provide value to your audience.
Be authentic to your brand
The most important piece to your entire holiday marketing strategy is to stay true to you and your brand. One thing small businesses have over their corporate competitors is the personal relationship with their audience, something that is built through trusting your brand. Stay true to that and what your business stands for this holiday season.
Holiday marketing can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Use this holiday season to market your business and grow your audience organically. Still needing more guidance on your holiday marketing strategy? Check out Creative Gravity’s Instagram, or book a FREE discovery call today!
