Festive Holiday Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

The holiday season is a crucial time for businesses. Most people are looking for unique brands and products that they can purchase as gifts for loved ones. This means that no business can afford to slack off during this time of year.

Statistics show that 15% to 25% of a company’s revenue comes from the time between Thanksgiving to New Years. If you haven’t jumped on the planning boat yet, it is crucial that you start planning for your small business holiday marketing strategy ASAP!

Don’t be overly concerned about budget, as there are many affordable ways that you can leverage. Read on to learn the 10 best holiday marketing ideas that will boost your business this season.

Participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Statistics show that Black Friday has gained popularity nationwide. Both Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become the most important holidays in the retail calendar, with many consumers taking advantage of deals.

These holidays are an excellent opportunity to offer discounts and promotions. You can also beat your competition by extending sales through the entire weekend after Thanksgiving. You can stock up on bestsellers or offer discounts on old stock.

Make it easier for your customers to buy from you by making the sales available online and in stores.

Create a Holiday Gift Guide

The perfect holiday gift guide makes it easy for customers to find exactly what they need. Most shoppers are looking for a special gift for loved ones but figuring out what to buy can be difficult.

You can create a gift guide by taking the time to understand your audience. First, you need to have a good grasp on your target audience. Dive deep into both demographics and psychographics. Once you do that, it will be easier to craft a gift guide that attracts your customers.

Don’t forget to check out website data before you craft your guide, which can provide a look into trends and habits, popular products and more.

Leverage Social Media

Most of your clients use social media. A recent survey showed that Canadians spend more than 10 hours per week scrolling mindlessly through the platforms. What better way to communicate an upcoming promotion than using this method.

There are a variety of ways that you can use social media. You can hold contests where the winner gets a gift hamper. Or, you could share lifestyle content to boost brand engagement.

Don’t hesitate to get funky and creative with each post. Here's a tip, maybe you can share a video on the different ways customers can wrap, gift, or use your product.

Team up with Influencers in your Niche

Influencer marketing helps you cut through the digital marketing noise and communicate authenticity to new clients. What makes this strategy powerful is that people trust everyday people more than they trust marketers.

Currently, Starngage cites that 65% of brands are spending more on influencer marketing. Also, 71% of clients prefer buying products that they saw mentioned n social media.

You can team up with a micro-influencer whose audience is similar to your target market. You can even work with the influencer to create content that will hype up your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

Think Charity

Giving back to a local charity is another way to support the community and increase your sales. Statistics show that customers are likely to buy from brands that share their values. During the holidays, you can look for a local charity that's close to your heart. You can donate specific items or a percentage of each purchase to an organization.

The holiday season is a time for giving. Most people are looking for ways to give back. You can make it easy for customers to give back to a worthy cause by coming up with ways to engage customers in philanthropy.

Consider Offering Special Holiday Services

One idea right off the bat includes free gift wrapping with purchase. You can remove the stress of gift wrapping by offering this service for free. After all, we aren’t ALL fantastic wrappers!

This holiday marketing tip works if you have a retail store, whether online or brick-and-mortar. Your clients will appreciate your business taking the time to wrap the gifts for them. You can also go the extra mile by offering holiday-themed gift cards. If you execute this strategy well, it will boost customer loyalty.

Host a Holiday Event

Try hosting a fun, memorable event for your customers during the holidays. The event can be as simple as extending store hours, complimentary beverages or snacks, or a holiday-themed ambiance at your store. If you have an online business, you can partner with a business that has a physical store. You can host a trunk show or sidewalk sale.

Make sure that the holiday event has a theme and style that reflects your brand. For example, if you sell toys, you can partner with a children's clothing store.

Take Part in Holiday Markets

Holiday markets are a great way for you to get new clients. Customers who have never heard about your brand can discover your product by strolling about in the holiday market. Leveraging this strategy is fairly simple. All you need is to book a spot at the holiday market this holiday season. You can supplement this strategy with your online store to boost sales.

Communicate Brand Value

It's essential that you communicate brand value in every holiday marketing strategy you use during the holidays. A small business marketing for the holidays can outdo their competition by communicating how their product solves their customers' problems. The business should also communicate how their product will make the holidays more enjoyable.

Start by identifying what makes your product sellable during the holidays. You can reach out to repeat clients via email to get more feedback. Once you figure out what makes your product unique, you can adjust your holiday marketing campaign to communicate this value.

Get Decorating

Decorating your business helps get customers in the holiday spirit of giving and shopping. There are budget-friendly ways to decorate your store; for instance, you can reuse decorations from the previous holiday.

Customers love shopping in an environment that brings out the holiday spirit. You can make this a tradition by decorating when the season is about to peak. Be careful not to start too early as it may turn off some customers.

It would be best if you communicated the holiday spirit by decorating your online store and social media. Decorating your online store ushers in the holiday spirit and reminds your customers to make a holiday shopping list or prepare for the holidays by shopping early.

When You Should Start Marketing

Typically, the holiday shopping season begins in November and ends in January (around 3rd January). This holiday, consumers are expected to spend around $1841, unlike last year when they spent $1405. Most of the costs go to buying gifts for friends, family, and co-workers.

A study by the National Retail Association shows that around 40% of people begin holiday shopping as early as Halloween. Most early shoppers want to avoid shipping issues and cases of late production. With that in mind, planning for your holiday marketing as soon as possible benefits you as it helps you attract early shoppers.

To attract early shoppers to your store or website, you can begin implementing your marketing strategy at the end of October or early November.

It is also important for you to have a look at what has been working for your business. Remember that no one knows your business or your customers as well as you do. So use what has been working for you as a guide for your holiday marketing strategy.

Bottom line

There is a surge in customer spending during the holidays. A small business should view this surge as an opportunity to gain new loyal customers with unique offers and an unforgettable experience. These 20 budget-friendly strategies will help you boost your sales and increase your customer base. With little creativity and careful planning, the holiday season will be a stress-free time for your business. Better yet, the sooner you start planning for your holiday marketing strategy, the higher your chances for success.

Read to put these strategies to use? Feel free to share your experiences with us in the comments section. If there's any tip we've left out and you'd like to share, you can do that too.