Does the looming holiday season have you wondering about holiday marketing strategies?
It should.
This is the time of year that the retail realm lives for. They most likely began devising their B2C holiday marketing strategies back in the summer. That might put you a bit behind, but don’t lose heart. I’m here to help you.
You all know that I’m all about the online space, but that doesn’t mean that a variety of offline strategies are not pertinent as well. Holiday marketing tactics are on full display everywhere right now. You can’t walk into any big retail store and not see Christmas items for sale. It’s crazy. They put out the Christmas merchandise with the Halloween goods these days. I got Halloween candy with snowflakes on it! Let’s take a look at some of these offline holiday marketing strategies and how we can use them.
Give something for nothing – Everyone is a sucker for free stuff. You know the cliche, “the best things in life are free”. In this season meant for giving, give them something even if it’s just a coupon.
Aim for their emotions – It’s an age-old, tried and true marketing strategy. If you can get that emotional response from your customers, that is very likely to translate into sales, so aim right for the feels.
5 General Holiday Marketing Strategies for Everyone
Those offline strategies were just a little extra. Now we’re going to get down to the real meat and potatoes. These are the holiday marketing strategies to jump on, no matter what.
Optimize your website – I mean for people, not for search engines. Make sure your website is providing the most streamlined experience for your customers. This is serious. 57% of visitors to your site will leave if it doesn’t load in 3 seconds. That’s more than half your potential revenue on the table. Make it fast, make it mobile-friendly, and make sales.
Offer stellar shipping – In this current age of Amazon Prime 2-day free shipping, you need the best you can possibly offer. It could be possible to disguise some of your shipping costs as the price of the item. Do what you have to do to offer the best prices possible on your products and shipping. The big dogs are hard to compete with here.
Segment your audience – Offer your loyal customers the best incentives. If you’re giving new customers something free, then you need to give your loyal customers something even better. Think of how you feel when your cell phone company offers free phones and services to get people to switch from other carriers. When was the last time your cell phone company did something great for you? Do something great for your long-time customers!
Use Social Media – Your customers are looking for your on social media. I can almost promise you that. Social media gives businesses the unique ability to connect with customers where customers connect with friends. That is powerful. You can nestle your ad for your nightclub right up next to their post about their Friday night plans. Learn how to use social media effectively for business.
Create consistency everywhere – Whether your holiday marketing strategies are online or off, create a consistent message. When that customer puts their phone in their pocket and walks in your door, they need to know exactly what to do next to get whatever brought them in the first place.
Wrap Up on Holiday Marketing Strategies
Holiday marketing strategies aren’t rocket science. Get with your team, and create a consensus that is putting out your message in such a way that creates an easy decision for your customers based on an emotional response. You’ll get more customers for the holidays, and they’ll love your for it.
