Business Buzz - Making You Famous

It’s the happiest season of all…and great for business!

One thing you can’t afford to save for the last minute this holiday season is your marketing. The holidays are all anyone thinks about come November 1^st, so make the most of what everyone is thinking about.  Below find five tips to get your marketing ready for the “most wonderful time of the year.”

1. Make sure to have a holiday plan- Don’t let the holidays sneak up on your business. Make sure you have a holiday plan ready to go and put it in action. Ignoring the holidays in your marketing will just make you seem like a robot, and trying to stay quiet and sneak under the holidays will make people forget about you until the New Year. The best time to start is now. If you don’t have a plan set, make it a top priority and get started right away.

2. Create holiday themed graphics- On your web site, social media, email campaigns, anything you send to customers this holiday season, make sure it is decked with Holiday Cheer. Creating in- house or going external, it doesn’t matter just make sure it happens. Customers will notice and appreciate your efforts to include the holidays and taking that extra step. Always be sensitive to different cultures, and know your audience as you design your festive campaign.

3. Jump on the Deal Bandwagon- Everyone is doing it and this is one of the times where that is an acceptable excuse. There will be so many deals and sales going on that if you don’t offer something you will be easily overlooked. Why would a customer pay more for you when they can get it cheaper next door? All it takes is one great “steal” to get customers in your door, where they’ll often spend money on other things as well my site. Try using tools like Groupon or Living Social if you haven’t before, and get in front of customers eyes in a new ways. You can also put deals on sites like RetailMeNot. Including deals is part of the holiday season, so don’t overlook a great holiday sale strategy in your marketing plan if you want to get noticed. At the same time, try to offer something different than what everyone else is doing. Small businesses in particular can focus on incentives given for “small business Saturday,” so they aren’t overrun by larger corporations on Black Friday.

4. Make it personal- There are several ways to include this tip, from something as simple as sending personal cards to your existing customers, to something more extreme, like the OfficeMax’s Elf Yourself campaign from 2006. Whatever way you choose to make it personal, our suggestion is to center it on the less-celebrated holidays, like Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. You might have a better chance of customers remembering your efforts if they aren’t centered on Christmas only. Unless you have a big idea you think will really win over the audience – then go for it!

5. Don’t forget technology! One thing that would be foolish to do in such a busy time would be to neglect your web presence. Cyber Monday and online shopping is a huge part of the holidays. Try offering online only deals, or using a text message service to give special discounts. Now is also a good time to make sure your web sites and coupon codes are mobile friendly for tablets and phones. While incorporating all the new forms of technology is vital in today’s marketing world, that doesn’t mean the old ways are dead. Don’t write off the influence of a good, simple, holiday themed email campaign. While everyone else focuses their efforts on the next big thing, a tried and true method might just help you stand out from the crowd.

The holidays can be stressful times. Use these tips to help your marketing stand out this holiday season and take a little stress off yourself. If you need help with any of the tips we’ve given or would like to create a holiday strategy, we’d love to help! Contact us for more information. Happy Holidays!