Running a small business is like running a marathon—just one you have to sprint. So, by the time the holiday season rolls around, most business owners want to unplug from it all and get some much-deserved rest. But (there is always a “but”) the holidays are a crucial sales period for most. In fact, more than half of small businesses say they make 20-40% of their annual sales during the holidays. So, sure, you can unplug—if you’ve done your future self a favor by not procrastinating on this project. And with so much money to be potentially made (or lost), it's pretty clear you’ve got to have a solid holiday marketing strategy in place. So, let’s make sure you do!  Read on for our advice to help you boost your sales this holiday season with tips to help you approach your holiday marketing and marketing campaign ideas to boot—so you can actually do some unplugging and take time off.

Holiday sales are important for small businesses

Just in case you didn’t catch our drift, the holiday season is a make or break time for many small businesses. It's a time when customers are in a buying mindset and are ready to spend. It’s a time where acquiring new customers is easier and cheaper, so you can hopefully grow your book of business year-round. And it’s a time where you can squirrel away the money you need to carry you slower parts of the year. So yeah, you really can’t really afford to just phone it in during the holidays—you’ve got to make the most of this opportunity to set the stage for a successful year ahead. 

::Steps off soapbox::

How to approach holiday marketing

Now that we’ve gotten that out of our systems, let’s step away from the scare-tactics-lite and into the helpful marketing tips—because there is a method to all this marketing madness! Here is our advice to help you successfully plan your holiday marketing.

#1 Plan ahead (like way ahead): When it comes to holiday marketing, early preparation is key. In fact, some small businesses (typically product based) start planning their holiday marketing campaigns as early as summer because they need to plan a photoshoot and wait for the photographer to edit everything. But, in addition to scheduling photoshoots, marketing is always easier and more effective when you’re not just winging it. So, make a plan that outlines your offers, creative, what content you’ll need, etc. Again, you want to do your future self a favor—and this is step 1.

Pro-tip: Enji’s marketing campaign tool makes it super easy to plan your holiday marketing campaign—plus, there are templates that outline a lot of the tasks you need todo to prep.

#2 Use all your marketing channels: With customers being bombarded by marketing messages during the holidays (#sorrynotsorry), it's crucial to utilize all your marketing channels. Whether it's social media, email marketing, blogging, partnerships, or advertising, make sure your business is present in all the places where your target audience is likely to be. By diversifying your marketing efforts, you increase the chances of reaching potential customers and getting your announcements to stick.

Pro-tip: Personalization is becoming more and more important, so be sure to capture and use your customer’s names whenever possible. You also want to segment things like your email list to make sure you’re sending things that are actually relevant to each person vs. mass marketing everything you have to everyone.

#3 Talk about your holiday sales early and often: In a sea of holiday marketing that is loud and hard to stand out in, it's essential to tell your customers about your holiday sales early and frequently—seriously, like earlier and more often than you maybe feel comfortable with (maybe just not like Christmas in September though). The reason is you can't assume that a single email or social media post will be enough. Instead, you want to create a series of engaging and informative content that keeps your audience informed and excited about your holiday offerings. By consistently putting your business in front of your customers, you increase the likelihood of capturing their attention and driving sales.

Pro-tip: At minimum, you should be announcing your holiday sale or promotion, reminding your customers about it while it's going on, telling them when it's ending soon, and making a "last chance"call as well.

Holiday marketing campaign ideas for small businesses

If you’re looking for a few more marketing tips to get the wheels turning, let’s get you going! From the different days you can plan a promotion around to different offers you can incentivize sales with, here is a list of important dates and offer ideas you can include in your marketing campaign.

Important dates:

• Black Friday
• Shop Small Saturday
• Cyber Monday
• Giving Tuesday
• Religious holidays
• New Years
• Your shipping deadline

Holiday offer ideas:

• Free gift wrapping
• Gift with purchase
• Free shipping
• Discounts
• Buy on get one

The holiday season is a critical time for small businesses, and effective holiday marketing can make all the difference. By planning ahead, utilizing all your marketing channels, and communicating early and often, you can much-needed-rest assured that your business will stand out from the competition and hit your holiday sales goals. So get creative with your campaigns, do the work and schedule time to unplug after you watch your small business thrive during the holidays.

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