The holiday season is right around the corner, and you know what that means—it’s time to start thinking about your holiday sales! Whether you’re gearing up for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or any other seasonal event, having a well-thought-out promotion can make all the difference in reaching your sales goals. And doesn’t that sound like a pretty sweet way to start next year? Yes, we’re already thinking about next year.

In this post, we’re going to talk about:

• The importance of planning your holiday promotions now
• The different types of marketing promotions you can use
• How to plan and execute your promotion with Enji
• Tracking the success of your promotion

Plus, we’re even going to share a little advice on how to use the data from your promotions to improve future campaigns.

Why Holiday Promotions Are Important

First, let’s talk about why this matters (although as a small business owner, I’m sure you know Q4 is often the biggest quarter of the year). So, how important are holiday sales to most small businesses?⁠

⁠40% important.⁠ And not just a random 40%—like 40% of the year's revenue important. And that means the holiday season is no joke. ⁠

Holiday promotions are one of the best ways to attract new customers, reward your existing ones, and boost your sales. With more people actively shopping and looking for deals, the holiday season is the perfect time to get your brand in front of more eyes. A well-planned promotion can help you stand out in a crowded market, drive traffic to your store, and create a sense of urgency that encourages people to buy (without you needing to create that urgency yourself).

Types of Promotions to Consider

Before you go slashing all your prices—-there are a few different types of promotions you can use to catch your customers' attention if you’re worried about dipping into your profit margin. Here’s a breakdown of the most effective ones:

1. Discounts

Worth mentioning because it’s the easiest. Offering a discount is one of the simplest and most popular ways to run a promotion. Whether it’s 10% off, 25% off, or even 50% off, discounts create an immediate sense of value for your customers. You can offer discounts in different ways, such as:

• Percentage off (e.g., 20% off your entire order)
• Dollar amount off (e.g., $10 off when you spend $50)
• Tiered discounts (e.g., 10% off $50+, 20% off $100+)

Our advice? Use discounts strategically to encourage higher spending. For example, offer a discount that only applies when customers reach a certain spending threshold.

2. Bundles

Product bundles are another great way to increase sales (especially if you have stock of somethings that aren’t selling as well as others). By grouping complementary products together and offering them at a discounted price, you encourage customers to buy more than they originally intended. This ends up being a win-win, because you can bundle things that don’t sell as much, and your customers get to enjoy things they may have been hesitant to buy.

3. Referral Programs

Next, let’s talk about referral programs. If you can, encourage your existing customers to refer friends and family by offering them a reward, such as a discount, gift, or credit toward their next purchase. In return, you gain new customers who are more likely to trust your brand since they were referred by someone they know.

Keep in mind, you want to make it as easy as possible for customers to share their referral link on social media, via email, or through direct messaging.

4. BOGO (Buy One, Get One)

BOGO promotions are a true classic. Whether it’s “Buy One, Get One Free” or “Buy One, Get One 50% Off,” these deals encourage customers to buy more by giving them something extra in return. It’s a simple way to move more products and create excitement around your brand.

How to Plan a Promotion with Enji

Now that your wheels are turning, let’s talk about how to plan one. Here’s how you can use Enji to plan your holiday promotion.

Want to make this lightning fast? Just pick the holiday sales marketing campaign template!

1. Define Your Goal

Before you launch your promotion, get clear on what you want to achieve. Are you looking to increase sales, attract new customers, or clear out old inventory? Defining your goal will help you shape the rest of your promotion.

Enji’s Marketing Strategy Generator can help you set clear, actionable goals for your business in just a few minutes. And then you have them to refer to as you create your campaign!

2. Choose Your Promotion Type

Decide which type of promotion best aligns with your goals. Do you want to offer a discount, create a bundle, run a referral program, or try a BOGO deal? Once you’ve chosen the type, outline the details of your offer (e.g., “20% off all orders over $50” or “Buy One, Get One Free on all accessories”).

3. Create Your Content

Use Enji’s AI Copywriter to generate eye-catching headlines, social media posts, and email copy that promotes your sale. Make sure your content highlights the value of your promotion and encourages customers to take action. Include urgency in your messaging (e.g., “Limited Time Offer” or “Sale Ends Soon!”) to prompt immediate action.

4. Schedule Your Content

With Enji’s Social Media Scheduler, you can plan and schedule your promotion posts across all your channels in advance. This way, you can make sure that your message is consistent and reaches your audience at the right time without you having to scramble at the last minute. 

5. Monitor and Adjust

Keep an eye on your promotion’s performance throughout the campaign. Check which posts are getting the most engagement, how many people are using your discount codes, or which products are selling the most. If something isn’t working as planned, be ready to adjust your strategy.

Tracking the Success of Your Promotion

We know you didn’t start your business to look at numbers all day but please don’t skip this step. At the end of your promotion, take a good hard look at what worked and where you can improve. 

Here are some key things you should look at:

• Sales Revenue: Duh. How much did your promotion contribute to your overall sales? Compare your sales numbers before, during, and after the promotion to gauge its impact.
• Conversion Rate: How many people who saw your promotion actually made a purchase? A higher conversion rate indicates that your promotion resonated with your audience.
• Engagement: How many likes, comments, shares, or clicks did your promotion receive? This shows how well your message captured your audience’s attention.
• Customer Acquisition: Did your promotion help you attract new customers? Track the number of first-time buyers during your campaign.

Enji’s KPI Dashboard makes it easy to monitor these metrics in real time, giving you the info you need to understand how your promotion is performing.

Using This Data for Future Promotions

Finally, once your promotion is over, don’t just move on—take the time to analyze the data and learn from it. This reflection is key to refining your strategy for the next round. 

Start by identifying what worked: Which products flew off the shelves, which discount codes saw the most action, and which channels brought in the most traffic? This helps you understand what truly resonated with your audience so you can replicate that success (and double down on what’s working). 

Then, pinpoint the areas that fell short. Did certain products lag behind? Were there channels that didn’t generate the buzz you expected? Use this data as your guide to fine-tune your strategy for next year.

Don’t believe us? Here’s what our founder Tayler has to say:

"We all want to get better at marketing over time, and one of the best ways to do that is by evaluating how your marketing campaigns went—and leaving your future self notes! Every time I finish a marketing campaign in Enji, I give it the thumbs up or thumbs down (that's really a thing in Enji!) and then go down to the notes section. That's where I leave all my thoughts about what went well, what didn't, and how I would do things differently next time."

Planning Holiday Promotions

Overall, the holiday season is one of the best opportunities small business owners have to boost sales and connect with their audiences. By using a variety of promotion types (and leveraging Enji’s tools to plan, execute, and track your campaigns), you’ll be well-equipped to make the most of this busy shopping season.