As we are getting closer to the end of one of the most tumultuous years anyone can remember, there is one shiny thing we can all look forward to: the holidays! For most people in the US, this means time with family, time off work or school, delicious meals, and gift-giving. But for many businesses in the country and around the world, the holidays represent a massive opportunity to take advantage of holiday marketing and reap a significant percentage of the year’s profits in a short period of time.
With year-end holidays right around the corner, this is the perfect opportunity to try out new marketing ideas to attract new customers. Retailers will often alter their hours by opening early or closing late, and this allows people who have limited schedules or work odd hours to get out and do their holiday shopping.
For most retailers, the holidays are a time when businesses should ramp up marketing because this is typically when people expect to see deals and discounts. Shoppers know they will be giving gifts and spending money. Some shoppers don’t even consider buying certain items until there is a holiday loaded with deals.
This holiday season, three-quarters of shoppers will be doing at least some of their shopping online, while 43% will shop exclusively online. Since there will be so many holiday shoppers online, an online retailer should strongly consider marketing for the holidays.
Tailor your holiday marketing campaign around a group of holidays.
When it’s Thanksgiving, dress up your website with some Thanksgiving-themed photos, animated decorations, or specials named after Thanksgiving themes. An example of a themed special would be a ’10 % Turkey-Day Discount’. Do the same for the other holidays at the end of the year.
Send out e-holiday cards
If you have collected email addresses from your customers, create specials or coupons, and send them to your loyal customers. If you have their name, be sure to customize your email with their name.
Email holiday specials
Have a holiday promotion of deals, rewards, or discounts and put a time limit on them. People love deals, and they respond to “Limited Time Only” conditions.
Send out a free gift
Everyone loves receiving gifts! Think of an inexpensive token (keychain, coffee mug, etc.) with your brand on it that you can send to your customers. You could also include a limited-time discount code or coupon.
Social media marketing
Your business should be utilizing every platform on social media that you can, especially LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Those are some of the more business-friendly social media platforms. In addition to having coupons and specials, make some of your posts uplifting, family related, loving, and humorous. It helps to make up your own hashtag that includes your company’s name and put it in every social being posting you create.
Email marketing
Email is still one of the most inexpensive and effective ways of marketing in the digital age. If you have a list of your customer’s emails, send them personalized newsletters of your Holiday Calendar of events, specials, and season’s greetings.
Holiday-related blog content
You can write blogs filled with quality content relating to a particular holiday or a group of holidays. An idea would be to write about the history of a holiday with a little-known back story that would pique a customer’s interest. At the end, remind them of an upcoming special or event.
Charity collaboration
When your business partners with a local charity, the public notices and wants to be a part of it and your business. You can share some of the events and information related to the charity on your social media channels, and you’ll likely increase your number of followers and engagement you’re seeing.
Effects of the pandemic
Because of the current pandemic, many retailers will not allow shoppers to camp out or wait in long lines until the doors open. There will be precautionary measures taken to limit the number of customers in a brick-and-mortar store. A common holiday marketing tactic among retailers is to extend their hours by opening early and closing later.
Another precautionary idea to combat the pandemic during the holidays is to offer online discounts and deals. This year especially, retailers will be pushing e-commerce deals. Shopping from the comfort of one’s home is the most convenient method of shopping available, and it comes without the stress of getting ready, driving to the store, competing with mobs of other shoppers, and then visiting a different store and starting all over again. Many people now prefer to simply lay on their comfortable couches and shop from their computer.
Busiest Shopping Days
Black Friday
Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, and this year it will occur on November 27, 2020. Black Friday is recognized as the first day of the Christmas shopping season and has historically been associated with people waiting in long lines hours before a store opens followed by a mad dash to the Black Friday deals. Since so many people don’t have to work on the Friday after Thanksgiving, there are even more potential shoppers on that day.
The deals on Black Friday vary from in-store only, to online-only, and usually, they last throughout the entire day. Both brick-and-mortar and online stores are prone to opening doors early or offering early online deals to shoppers on Black Friday. It is the single biggest shopping day of the year in the United States. In 2019, shoppers spent $7.5 billion on Black Friday which is $1.3 billion more than the previous year.
Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday occurs two days after Thanksgiving and will be on Saturday, November 28 in 2020. The Shop Small movement is designed to encourage shoppers to patronize their local merchants because the ‘mom and pop’ businesses often get neglected when so many shoppers are focused on retail giants that offer rock-bottom prices. American Express offers the “Shop Small Studio” where small businesses can create and download complimentary and customizable marketing materials. Bizjournals.com is another good resource for free digital marketing tools for small businesses.
Cyber Monday
The largest online shopping day of the year occurs on the Monday following Thanksgiving, which will be on November 30, 2020 this year. Online retailers as well as brick-and-mortar stores typically offer deep discounts and promotions on Cyber Monday.
Cyber Week
Cyber Week is a spinoff of cyber Monday, and it appropriately lasts for one week. In 2020, Cyber Week is from Monday, November 30 until Sunday, December 6.
Free Shipping Day
This is another day where shoppers can save money by not having to pay shipping costs for their products. It can spur sales and increase brand awareness in addition to your bottom line. This year, Free Shipping Day Will Be on Monday, December 14.
Super Saturday
Super Saturday occurs on the last Saturday before Christmas Day and will fall on December 19, 2020, this year. It was designed for those shoppers who didn’t or couldn’t take advantage of earlier shopping deal days. Sometimes, employees receive their Christmas bonuses later than the other shopping days, and this is a good opportunity for them to cash in on the deals also.
All these holiday shopping days are excellent opportunities for small businesses to capitalize on for quick sales with large receipts. With a little time, imagination, and creativity, you can theme your marketing to increase your profits this holiday season.
If you need a small business loan to increase your marketing efforts this holiday season, contact Affinity Beyond Capital. ABC has a large selection of borrowing opportunities that would be perfect for your small business needs. Call (833) 234-6489 today, and speak to one of our loan professionals.