During the holidays it seems everywhere you turn businesses are using a variety of techniques to draw in customers. When you develop a holiday marketing plan, you have to consider two things – your unique business and your customer demographic.
If you keep these things in mind while you are coming up with holiday marketing ideas, you are more likely to choose marketing tools that will yield success.
Small businesses face a unique challenge when they are developing a holiday marketing plan. Most small businesses operate on a tight budget and have limited funds appropriated for marketing.
Your budget need not get in your way when it comes time for holiday marketing. With a little creativity and know how there are plenty of holiday marketing ideas that you can implement successfully.
Let’s take a look at some simple, creative and affordable holiday marketing ideas.
Free Gift with Purchase
Give your customers a gift. Giving a free gift with a purchase is one of the oldest holiday marketing ideas on the planet.
However, you need to really consider your customer base when you choose what that gift will be. You may want to consider giving them something they can use as a gift for someone else.
This not only acts as free advertising for you when they give the gift to the recipient, but it saves your customer time and money looking for another gift.
Send Out Coupons
Coupons are another great way to generate holiday business.
Send coupons out to your customers that are good only during the holiday season. Make the amount on the coupon worth their time and make the coupon easily redeemable.
Don’t send your coupons out so early that your customers forget about them, but send them out so they have an adequate amount of time to redeem them.
Black Friday (the day after the holiday) is a good ear mark for sending out coupons. However, you may want to consider sending them out after Black Friday if you think they will get lost in the shuffle of all the other promotions.
Make the Price Right
Keep your customer’s budget in mind when you are coming up with holiday marketing ideas. Highlight gifts for every budget level from $20 to $200 dollars.
Create some type of flyer or another promotional tool that makes customers aware of the fact that you have gifts in multiple price points.
Even if you have to repackage your products to accommodate this promotion, it will be worthwhile.
Continue Promotions Through the Season
It is important to keep your customers returning for additional purchases during the holiday season. One way to do this is through a staggered holiday marketing promotion.
Offer a gift of the week or month that is unique, desirable and different. Make sure you inform your customers that a new gift is on the horizon. Many companies do this in the form of collectibles. They give one item away each week and customers return each week so they can get the next item to complete a set.
Marketing your small business during the holiday isn’t hard – it just takes a bit of creativity and some smart planning.
