Business Buzz - Making You Famous

The holiday season brings opportunity to give, celebrate and play a role in the community. As a small business, your community starts as your customer base. Perfecting your holiday marketing plan can help reach your customer base and expanding your bandwidth. As the holiday season has made its landing in full force upon businesses across the world—marketing should be at the top of the list. Make the most out of the season and strategize for marketing as soon as you can.

Our team at Pilmer PR has put together five tips to get your marketing ready for “the most wonderful time of year.”

1. Have a holiday-oriented plan. Do not let the holidays sneak up on you. Customers look to companies that are ready to celebrate with them—don’t put it off and end up rolling out a robotic campaign. There is no flying under the radar when it comes to the holidays—take advantage of the opportunity to give, share and start a conversation with your company. Give the community something to talk about by being involved in the holiday celebrations. The best time to start is now. If you do not have a plan set, make it a top priority and get started right away.
2. Get creative. Look to social media, e-mail, websites and other marketing materials to get creative. Use puns, memes, GIF’s and find out what your audience is looking for this holiday season. Throw in some hashtags that employees and customers can use to spread that holiday cheer. Customers will notice and appreciate your efforts to include the holidays as you take those extra steps. Remember to keep in mind different cultures and know your audience as you design your festive campaign.
3. Give back in deals and dimes. Don’t be a Scrooge. Coupons, discounts and sales can go more than black Friday. It’s the season of giving and developing that customer relationship during the holiday season can build customer relationships for life. As this season comes with enough internal and external stressors as is, be that person that takes the burden off, even if it’s a small discount or free shipping. People don’t forget those tender mercies.
4. Find a cause and partner up. As a small business, it can be hard to get your name around town and establish credibility as a solid organization. During the holiday season, many people take the time to give back to those less fortunate. Consumers want to buy from companies that do good. What better time of year to leave your mark than the holiday season. Work with local non-profits or organizations to put out a campaign or host a service event for the whole community. It doesn’t have to be big, small acts of kindness go farther than many think to believe.
5. Do not forget technology. One thing that would be foolish to do in such a busy time would be to neglect your web presence. Now is a good time to make sure your websites and coupon codes are mobile friendly for tablets and phones. Incorporating all the new forms of technology is vital in today’s marketing world, but that does not mean the old ways are dead. Do not 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 have given or would like to create a holiday strategy, we would love to help! Contact us for more information.