If you felt like Halloween 2020 didn’t feel like regular Halloween, you’re not alone. Fewer kids were trick-or-treating, fewer houses were decorated, and we’ve been snacking on more leftover candy than ever before. As we all know far too well, 2020 is very different.
This year’s holiday season is likely to feel different too. So, it’s really important that you get your holiday marketing and promotions into the holiday spirit to help delight and cheer up your customers. Just because retail stores are closed, doesn’t mean Santa isn’t in his workshop!
The best way to achieve success these holidays is to start planning and executing your holiday and marketing promotions ASAP. The more you do now, the more you can focus on making sales come the holidays. Also remember, online holiday sales are expected to surge to $189 billion, meaning this season will be more competitive than ever.
The best way to break through the clutter is to think of outside the box and find creative ways at tackling your holiday marketing and promotions. So let’s get into the 3 areas you should be focusing on these holidays: your products, your website, and your advertising.
Products
Products are the heart of your business. They are quite literally your money maker. It’s so important that your products shine just as bright as any Christmas tree so your customers have seen. And no, we don’t mean literally make them shiny. We just mean making them look as pristine as possible and giving your customers the best sense of what your products are like without physically holding them.
Webroom your products. You’re not IKEA. You likely don’t have a big warehouse where you can showcase your products. Or at least you don’t during COVID. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t give your customers a similar experience. You can give customers a look at virtually every angle of your product by working with a developer to create 360-degree product shots. Or if you’re on a budget and more of a DIY’er, you can still create amazing product shots following these 5 simple tips.
Holiday packaging. This is another great opportunity to bring a little more holiday spirit into the air. Odds are a lot of your products being shipped out these holidays are purchased as a gift, and nothing makes a gift better than great wrapping. Simple things like a white string, a bow, and a pinecone scream holidays and can all be purchased at the dollar store. Also, try to keep your logo or company name somewhere on the wrapping so that when people share their gifts on social media they’ll see your company.
Bundle up. If you live in a colder climate you should definitely bundle up these holidays, but that’s not what we’re talking about. Gift bundles are a great way to drive extra revenue. If some of your products complement other ones, offer them up in a bundle at a discounted holiday rate. Even though you’re making a little less per sale, you end up selling way more product. Best of all, your customers will appreciate you for it.
Give a gift. Get a customer. Believe it or not, selling products to your customers isn’t your number one goal these holidays. What your priority should be, is giving your paying customers an unbelievable experience to keep them coming back for years to come. Retaining as little as 5% of customers can increase your profits by 25% – 95%. One of the best strategies for client retention is giving a small gift card with purchases. Not only will your customers feel appreciated, but there’s a high chance they’ll come back to your shop soon.
Website
Think about your favorite brick and mortar store in the middle of summer. Now try to visualize what that store looked like during last year’s holidays. Odds are it was unrecognizable and underwent a radical holiday makeover. Stores completely change the way they look to get customers in the holiday spirit, or in other words, the spending spirit. The same needs to be done to your website in both appearance and performance if you want to maximize your profits these holidays.
Creating a sense of urgency. We’ve all seen those Black Friday videos where people stampede over others and there are two reasons for them. Reason one is some people are animals. Reason two is because the psychology of urgency is a very real thing that drives sales. Pop-up ads are one of the best ways to do this when people are shopping online. You can program your site to deliver a pop-up ad that notifies customers that whatever product they’re looking at is running low on stock and that this might be their only opportunity to buy it.
Refresh your SEO for the holidays. What good is a website if people can’t find it? You’ve probably nailed your SEO for whatever it is you sell, but during the holidays people don’t always know what they’re looking for. Instead, they search for terms like, “gift ideas for wife” and you need to optimize your SEO for this seasonal change in consumer behavior. Check out this list of keywords and see if there’s a way for you to incorporate them into your website copy.
Update your landing page. This is the first thing that people see when they enter your site. Consider changing up the font to something more festive and wishing people a happy holiday the moment they arrive to get them in the holiday spirit. Even more important, however, is making sure that your holiday promotions are at the forefront of your landing page. Also, double-check to make sure that your landing page looks just as good on mobile as it does on your desktop.
Advertisements
When it comes to your holiday marketing and promotions you need to be strategic about your advertising. Not only are the holidays the busiest time for shopping, they’re also the busiest time for advertising. Here are some tips to stick out from all the clutter.
Touch on emotion. People have an emotional attachment to the holidays. To most, it means time with their families and friends. When writing your ad copy try to make your customers actually feel something when they read it.
Optimize social media. Little things go a long way on your socials. Try changing up your company’s profile picture to give it a touch of holiday spirit. Also, use hashtags on your social media that you anticipate people searching these holidays. Lastly and arguably the most important is try to encourage discussions on your social channels. When people are engaged in a discussion, that thread will often appear in their friends’ newsfeeds.
Produce festive ads. Your ads should be clearly communicating what your promotions are, but they should also be conveying a sense of the holiday. Add festive imagery to your ads as well as using festive fonts. If you see a font you like somewhere else, WhatTheFont is a great app that scans fonts and lets you choose from similar ones.
Target where your consumers already are. Since it is such a competitive time of the year, you don’t want to waste money advertising where your message will get lost in the holiday clutter. Get the most out of your advertising budget by targeting channels your customers are already frequently shopping at.
Remember, the more you do now the more successful you will be when it comes time to sell. Holiday marketing and promotions are a ton of work, but when done effectively, the rewards are more than worth it.
The shopping season isn’t just around the corner, it’s here. Now. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help you succeed.
PS: Feel free to download our holiday merchant guide which has a ton of more great tips.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE HOLIDAY MERCHANT GUIDE
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