The holidays are one of the most important times of the year for small businesses everywhere, and marketing your small business successfully during the holidays can provide a big boost to the overall health of your business. It’s the time of the year to pull out all the stops and to provide the best services and products possible.
People are looking to shop, spend money, and have fun while doing so. That means it’s time to get creative with your marketing campaign. Figuring out how to market your small business during the holidays can be difficult, but the solutions for the holiday season aren’t too hard if you put your mind to it.
You really can’t be too festive this time of year—just be sure you’re covering all your bases, including social media, email, and your actual storefront (if you have one).
Launch an Email Campaign Offering a Special Deal
As wonderful as social media is, many experts believe email is still a fantastic way to catch the attention of potential shoppers and offer them deals. Hopefully, you’ve been sending out an e-newsletter and have a growing email list. If not, put that on your agenda.
Email campaigns aren’t just a holiday thing, either. If you have slow sales months later in the year, try an email campaign to kick-start it.
Offer a “12 Days of Christmas” Promotion
Any promotion that gets customers excited about what’s coming next is a good one. A “12 Days of Christmas” promotion is easy to communicate and gets your customers interested in the rest of the promotion.
For instance, let’s say you’re a clothing shop. Maybe one day you offer a special deal for “stocking stuffer” cozy socks. The next day you might offer a 10% discount on all dresses. Just be sure to keep it fun.
Give a Gift Card with Purchase
Gift cards are increasingly popular holiday presents. Sweeten the deal by offering a $5 or $10 gift card with every $100 purchase. Short and simple.
Offer a Daily Special
Similar to the 12 Days of Christmas idea, a daily special can be a great idea to keep customers interested. Use social media to create a holiday vibe that keeps people coming back to your page—and into your store. What you offer is up to you, of course, but remember to be creative and fun. Be sure to #EmbraceHashtags, too!
Partner with Other Local Businesses
Is your store surrounded by other businesses? Join forces with the fellow small businesses in your neighborhood and organize a sale or event. Attract more shoppers with special touches such as free hot chocolate and festive music. Everyone loves a festive atmosphere and good company, after all.
Utilize Black Friday or Cyber Monday (or Both)
Shoppers are already out and about on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Make sure you have something to offer them to celebrate Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Small Business Saturday.
Recently, there’s been less of a distinction between the Friday, Saturday, and Monday stores. To capitalize on that sale weekend, make sure you’ve got sales going from Friday through Monday. Your customers will appreciate the flexibility.
Need More Storage Space? StorageMart Can Help
It’s hard to figure out how to market your small business if you’re experiencing inventory problems. Retail businesses fluctuate in their inventory. Sometimes you need less space—and sometimes you need more. Don’t let a lack of space get in the way of your success.
If you don’t want to pay for space that you only sometimes need, consider self storage. It’s there when you need it, but there’s never any long-term contract tying you down. At StorageMart, we offer clean and well-lit self storage units that are available to rent on a month-to-month basis. Check out our storage unit guide, or rent a unit online today!
Updated February 7, 2020