Quick & Effective Holiday Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

The holidays are officially here marking the busiest time of the year for retailers and businesses. The good news is, there’s still time to capitalize and maximize your sales this season. With a focused digital marketing strategy and well-planned execution, you can get more customers in front of your offers and drive conversions.

Once you’ve finalized the products and decided on the types of discounts you’re going to offer, here are some of the most effective tactics we believe you should consider for your holiday marketing. With limited time, these strategies are easy to implement but produce big results.

Ramp Up and Bolster Your Email Campaigns

Email is still one of the go-to tools for marketers to generate sales. In fact, HubSpot shares that 91% of shoppers want to hear from companies they do business with via email. It’s a time-tested asset that drives an impressive ROI, and can really be leveraged during the holidays.

So use the following email marketing tips to bolster your holiday strategy:

  • Segment your list for deeper personalization. Not only does this increase open rates, but recipients are also more likely to respond when the message is targeted especially for them.
  • Create a holiday gift guide or digital version of your catalog to send.
  • Add holiday-themed pizzazz to your email content by using festive design, including GIFS, or images. Don’t overdo it but do make it engaging.
  • Be consistent. Commit to sending 1-2 emails a week to stay top of mind. Also, create a sense of urgency by sending “Last Chance” emails as promotional dates come to a close.
  • Make your call-to-action clear. A/B test the button colors and placement to see what generates the most response. This will help you perfect your content over time.

Center Your Social Media Marketing

Social media can be a huge asset to your holiday marketing. Here’s the challenge, though: social media can get crazy competitive around this time. Small businesses just like you are fighting to gain the attention of their audiences to promote their best deals and holiday specials.

But here’s how you can strategically rise above the noise and stand out:

#1 Plan Your Content in Advance

Mapping out your social media posts ahead of time ensures your content is focused and aligns with the ultimate goal…driving sales. Your team is not thinking of “what to post next”, but instead, can better leverage that time engaging with followers and monitoring performance.

Once you’ve brainstormed and finalized your social media content for the season, use an automated tool to pre-schedule your posts. Social media marketing management tools like HootSuite, CoSchedule, and Buffer are perfect for small businesses. They also come with a trial period so you can explore and gauge which app is ideal for your company.

facebook live holiday marketing strategy

#2 Host Facebook Live Videos

Live videos are all the rave. You’ll find your followers will engage more with your live and post-live videos than they do with text and image-based posts. You see, videos have a unique way of drawing people into your message. They get to experience you, adding that human element to your business.

Another big benefit here is that Facebook tends to give live videos priority in the newsfeed. So if you’re struggling to generate organic engagement, hosting live video is a great way to get out of this slump.

With that said, leverage these ideas for your next–or first–live video:

  • Highlight your top 3 holiday specials. Share the benefits and why they’re a customer fave
  • Create a how-to video.
  • Answer a FAQ that relates to your holiday promo.
  • Take them behind-the-scenes to a company holiday event. Great way to showcase your brand’s culture and invite people in

During your video, make sure you give your viewers a call-to-action. Remember, the end goal is to get them to buy so direct them to a landing page or your ecommerce store.

#3 Actively Engage With Your Followers

Don’t just set it and forget it. Take the time to nurture conversations with your audience. In fact, algorithms favor posts that have a lot of engagement and will increase its visibility. Comments and shares reveal that people are enjoying the content, so the algorithms will put it in front of more users to join in.

Therefore, commit to responding to all comments, even if it’s to say “thank you.” Answer and ask questions to foster even more conversations. It’s a genuine way to show that you care.

Partner With an Influencer

“Effectively implemented and leveraged, influencer marketing can increase brand awareness, tap into new audiences, boost conversions and increase sales.” ~The Dingley Press

Influencer marketing is powerful. Collaborating with an influencer that has an audience of your ideal customers can be a home run in attracting qualified people to your website. Influencers have spent time cultivating their audience with value and by being transparent, so people trust their recommendations.

holiday marketing strategy

The holiday season is the perfect time to have an influencer on your side. So the best tactic here for fast results is through sponsored content, in which you’re providing a social media post, blog article, or video that highlights the product/special you want to promote.

When you approach the influencer to ask if they’re willing to promote your product, be sure to have the campaign details that outline the expectations and guidelines ready. This would include the compensation, perhaps a draft/outline of the content, marketing strategy, etc. The key is to ensure you’re both on the same page before launch.

When done right, influencer marketing is a win-win for all parties involved; the influencer, you, and their followers.

Conclusion

Although the clock is ticking, you still have time to execute a well-defined planned for the holiday season. Use this guideline as your checklist to developing your marketing strategy. Whether you have a small team or you’re a one-man (or gal) brand, you can easily leverage these tactics without a ton of time spend.

Good luck, and happy holidays!