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It’s the peak of the holiday season and small businesses are looking forward to finishing the year strong. Although your customers are excited about spreading cheer, they’re also looking for the perfect gifts this season.
According to National Retail Federation, it’s expected for 2014 holiday sales to be $616.9 billion, which is a 4.1 percent increase from 2013. To help you increase your sales this year, here are some holiday marketing tips to help your small business thrive this season:
1. Revamp your website and social media accounts.
If you haven’t already, give your website and social media accounts a holiday makeover. Update the appearance of your website with a holiday theme. You can also use the same theme on your Facebook and Twitter accounts by updating your cover and profile photos. These updates will let your customers know you’re excited for the holiday season just as much as they are.
2. Give customers a sneak peak of products and sales.
Throughout the entire season, give customers a secret preview of upcoming products and sales. This is a great way to get your customers excited about your business and will draw them into your store as they do holiday shopping.
There’s a number of creative ways you can give your customers a preview of your sales and upcoming products. For example, if you’re active on Instagram, you could post photos of clues that would get your customers excited about the new product. You could also send out an email newsletter promoting the launch date and provide coupons for customers who are signed up for your enewsletter.
3. Send holiday cards with exclusive deals to loyal customers.
Make your customers feel appreciated this season by sending them holiday cards with special coupons inside. Although it might be easier to send them an email, a holiday card is a more personal way to show your customers how much you care about their business. Plus, you’ll be able to reward your customers with a special holiday gift they’ll be able to redeem in your store.
4. Host a social media contest.
Another way to get your customers excited about your business is to host a social media contest. During this contest, give your customers the opportunity to win a gift card to your store or a holiday shopping spree. This reward will motivate your customers to get involved with your contest and spread the word about your store.
If you’re looking for ideas, one thing you could do is to host a social media photo contest. For example, invite customers to upload their photos of their best wrapped gift and share it to your Facebook page. This is a great way to get your customers excited about the holiday season and involved with your business.
5. Plan a holiday store event.
To get more traffic into your store this holiday season, host an in-store holiday event. Whether it’s an exclusive shopping event for customers or inviting Santa for a Saturday afternoon, think of creative ways to get more people into your store during the holidays.
6. Partner with a local charity.
The holidays are a very special time of the year because many people are in the spirit of giving. Not only are they focused on giving gifts to their loved ones, but they’re also in the spirit of giving back to their community.
Partner with a local charity your customers feel deeply connected to. Use this partnership as a way to promote awareness of the charity and increase holiday donations. For example, invite customers to make donations to the charity with their purchase and match each of your customer’s donations. This is a great way to show your customers that you care about your community during the holidays.
The holiday season is a wonderful time to remind your customers how much you appreciate your business. By following these holiday marketing tips, you’ll boost your sales and bring more customers into your business this season.
What are your favorite holiday marketing tips for small businesses?
Ivan Serrano is a business, marketing and social media journalist living in the Bay Area of California. We're so glad to have him as a contributor to Best Small Biz Help.com.
Follow him on Twitter @IvanSerrano55
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