Is your marketing ready for the upcoming holiday season?

The silly season is almost upon us and for most businesses it is one of the best times to showcase your products.  Unfortunately, planning for the festive season is sometimes forgotten and all the opportunities are missed.  For the best outcomes, you should identify your holiday marketing budget and begin planning well in advanced so that you don’t miss out on great opportunities.

Here are just some ideas to inspire your holiday marketing plan.

Social Promotions

Choose where you want to focus your promotions.  It could be in-store, online or even through social media, but you need to start developing these plans earlier on, you need to know what needs to be done for them to be successful.  Remember to include time for design, to secure ad placements as well as time for printing and setting up.

Email Marketing Lists

Databases are crucial when it comes to marketing.  Update your opt-in messages on your website, landing pages, social media channels and even in-store messages to include a message along the lines of “Sign up to our list now to grab our amazing holiday saving offers.”

Gift Incentives

Have a look at how you can repackage your existing products/services to make them look or feel like presents.  Gift cards are always a popular purchase during the holidays, but there are creative ways that you can give your customers products or services as gifts without it being the usual gift card idea.

Event ideas

If you plan to hold in-store specials or local events to promote your business, then you need to start planning and promoting them well in advance.  Remember it takes time to secure venues, décor, entertainment and staff.  Also have a look at the charities in your local community to find events your business could sponsor for a goodwill boost and some indirect promotion.

Partner with others

This is a perfect time to look in your network for another business you could pair your products/services with.  You could offer joint promotions or even co-host events in and around your local community.

The most important thing when it comes to promoting your business during the holiday season is to make sure everything you need for success is in place.  Whether it is printing, website changes, or event training staff to handle any situation that might come up.  The last thing that you want to happen is for your business to spend money unnecessarily because you were not prepared for a certain situation.

What marketing incentives will you be using this festive season?