8 Marketing Ideas to Prep Your Small Business for Holidays

With only 10 weeks to Christmas, savvy business owner are already working round the clock to prepare for the busy holiday season. In just a few weeks, Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be upon us. Is your business prepared to capitalize on the holiday marketing activities?

The National Retail Federation says that 20 to 40 percent sales of small and mid-sized businesses take place in November and December. This is expected considering the number of holidays in Q4 (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, etc.) With a great marketing strategy, you can hit your yearly sales goals in this last quarter.

Below are eight holiday marketing ideas for your small business that you can implement to improve sales this coming holiday season.

1. Use Local Advertising

You only have two months to get customers to buy before the year ends. Use pay per click advertising to increase walk-ins at your store and sales at your online site. Take advantage of local targeting offered by PPC platforms to reach your target customers at the right time and without burning your budget. Find proven high-converting keywords to target in your holiday marketing campaign.

2. Mobile Matters

Mobile has become a primary shopping platform for today’s consumers. From searching for products to comparing, reading reviews to buying, mobile shopping is quickly catching up to PC shopping. Make your website mobile ready. If you are using app, make sure it’s up to date. You can also provide special offers to mobile customers using your app.

3. Amp Your Social Media Marketing

Be visible on social media during the holiday season. Most people buy from recommendations of friends. You can share curated gifts or wish lists on your social media accounts to spark interest in your products and offers. Use all your profiles to engage with followers and inform them of ongoing sales or promotions.

4. Partner with Other Business

There is strength in numbers. Partner with other businesses that complement your offers to give customers something more this coming holiday season. For instance, a restaurant can partner with a movie theater to offer “dinner and movie tickets”. Identify creative ways you can partner with local businesses for mutual benefits.

5. Website Optimization

Optimize your website to provide a good user experience to shoppers and encourage sales. One thing to address is the speed of your website. According to Radware, websites with slow load times lose up to 57% of potential sales. Small businesses cannot afford to miss sales during the holiday season. Carry out a website audit to gauge your site’s readiness for the increased holiday traffic.

6. Keep Online Shoppers Safe

Hackers usually take advantage of weak IT systems during the holiday season¬ to compromise customer data. Make sure your IT system is robust and can handle the anticipated increase in transactions. Compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) is a must. You will never want your business to be known as the one that got hacked.

7. Tweak Your PPC Campaigns

Coordinate your PPC holiday marketing activities across all the channels you want to use to reach potential customers. Have a clear and compelling message about your products and measure the results of each campaign. Ramp up the campaigns performing well and tweak the average performers for better results.

Recommended Read: Why It’s Not Early to Start Your PPC Christmas Campaign

8. Offer Coupons and Deals

This holiday marketing tip is a sure shot to get more customers in line. Most customers shop during the holidays expecting bargains. Fulfill their expectations by offering coupons and deals. Check your sales records to know which products or services have been in high demand over the last few months and offer deals for those. Liked the post? Why not Pin it!