12d a y s HolidayMark e ting Tip s of 2026-2027 419-472-0505 MMPTOLEDO.COM
12 d a y s HolidayMark e ting Tip s of 1 2 According to a recent survey of US consumers, 50% of shoppers plan to start their holiday shopping no later than October, with 26% planning to forgo Black Friday entirely. Surprisingly, over half of Gen X and 50% of millennial shoppers start shopping as early as September and October. Plan to start thinking about your holiday marketing strategy well before October to get a solid plan in place that will cover the 3 largest shopping months of the year. Show your customers the work you’ve put in and that you’ve thought this campaign through. If a particular avenue of marketing has not produced a lot of buzz, then there’s no shame in cutting any losses short and shifting focus. This is why it’s important to stay ahead of the game and plan multiple paths if your original marketing idea goes south. S t a r t e a r l y & Keep a note of important dates during the holiday season. This should be one of the first steps in organizing your holiday marketing strategy. See below for important retail dates in 2024 to keep in mind: O r g a n i z e t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t d a t e s . Thanksgiving: November 26 Black Friday: November 27 Small Business Saturday: November 28 Cyber Monday: November 30 Giving Tuesday: December 1 Green Monday: December 14 Christmas Eve: December 24 Christmas Day: December 25 New Year’s Eve: December 31 New Year’s Day: January 1 d e m o n s t r a t e p r e p a r e d n e s s . 3 Creating compelling content for your prospects and customers to share because of their genuine interest and likeability is a free and effective way to spread the word. Integrating social media engagement through the use of online polls or asking individuals to like, comment, and share aids in this collaboration, especially during the giving season. Having a consistent message can ensure that your brand sticks in your audiences’ mind. While being consistent you can also segment the messages being relayed to different parts of your audience based on their specific needs. This can be as simple as using tags in your email marketing software, or posting on different social media platforms based on the types of consumers who typically interact with your posts. S e g m e n t m e s s a g i n g & i n v i t e p a r t i c i p a t i o n .
12 d a y s HolidayMark e ting Tip s of 4 5 Holiday promotional strategies are not a one-size-fits-all approach. Some businesses have a holiday off-season while organizations like nonprofits are rolling out their end-of-year giving campaign. The best way to determine these needs is by researching patterns in your audience and getting into their thought process by integrating a buyer’s journey into your marketing strategy to fit your business or organization’s needs. Consider a holiday promotional sale, coupon or guide even if your business is in it’s off-season to remind customer’s all year long of your consistent presence and preparedness for the upcoming in-season. Your online marketing should be brimming with keywords to best optimize your prevalence in consumers holiday internet searches. Try researching common keywords associated with your products, services, or cause through a search engine optimization program such as Semrush to get an idea of their ability to rank your website organically on search engines. Expect your customers to have digital fatigue around the holidays and don’t expect that everyone will be checking their inboxes consistently. Relying solely on one channel to reach your customers doesn’t ensure they’ll get your message, try integrating social media and direct mail as touchpoints. It’s becoming increasingly important for your SEO to not exist in a vacuum. Instead, it needs to become integrated and synergise with your other channels. U t i l i z e S E O f o r o m n i - c h a n n e l m a r k e t i n g . K n o w y o u r a u d i e n c e & t h e i r h o l i d a y n e e d s . 6 Standing out from the crowd during the holidays is difficult and can seem overwhelming. Don’t become discouraged if it appears like the big names have already consumed the market. According to a recent survey, 84% of consumers want to buy from small businesses this holiday season and 87% are more likely to return at other times of the year after visiting and buying from a small business during the holidays. Anticipating that the marketplace is going to be competitive and planning on figuring out what your niche is will put you ahead of the curve. The most important and unique aspect of any small business is the ability to be personable, cutting-edge, nimble, highly adaptable and exactly what customers are looking for in this hectic time of year. B e p r e p a r e d f o r c o m p e t i t i o n .
Try avoiding the use of generic imagery. During the holidays consumers are bombarded with repeated images intended to grab their attention, but generic and outdated imagery, regardless of how flashy, is a quick way to turn a potential customer away from even learning about your product or service. Keep up on social trends for the season and as tempting as it is to reuse successful past campaigns from big-names, stick to something unique and up to date. What’s trending for each market will always be different, so doing research is important. Trendy marketing keeps brands fresh and easily accessible to new customers. Staying in touch with the current trends help your brand look like it’s present, ready and approachable. U s e t r e n d y & a p p e a l i n g r a t h e r t h a n g e n e r i c v i s u a l s . 12 d a y s HolidayMark e ting Tip s of 7 8 The holidays can be a stressful time of year. Offering a quick, easy to understand, and convenient shopping experience readily equipped with friendly customer service to make your customers feel comfortable will help leave a lasting impression for next year. Don’t forget that exclusivity is also huge. Make your customers feel special and personally appreciated with a special offer, gift, or service to ensure your place in their mind as their go-to organization at other times of the year. This can be anything, from special packaging, access to a loyalty program with phone number or email, discount codes or an actual physical gift with or without purchases. O f f e r t h e b e s t e x p e r i e n c e & s h o w g r a t i t u d e . 9 Overcoming holiday message fatigue can be difficult, but not impossible! Make sure each email communication to your contacts is meaningful and that the messaging has intent. Create a real reason that consumers should invest in your product or service. Panic buying is at an all time high, so aim to be the one of the few organizations this holiday season that takes the simple route by establishing a real connection with customers who will return at other times of the year. The holiday season isn’t always about the end-of-year revenue, it’s a time to get top of mind. Don’t let your contacts get bored of seeing your name in their inbox to the point that they automatically ignore future communication in the coming year. D o n ’ t s p a m y o u r i n b o x e s o r g i v e f a l s e u r g e n c y .
12 d a y s HolidayMark e ting Tip s of 10 Opening your doors to the public this holiday season is a good way to foster the attitude of hospitality and to leave a lasting impression. Give them an inside look at your facilities or invite them to an event they can bring family and friends to that gets everyone into the holiday spirit. Go as small or as big as feels appropriate for your business as well as within budget. Hosting an event gives your organization the opportunity to market to audiences on a different, more personal and honest level. Consider a specific theme or purpose for your event rather than a simple party. Set a specific time, advertise and promote the event and cater to your specific audience. Create connections not only for yourself but within your community as well while promoting your business for the holiday season as welcoming and friendly. H o s t a n e v e n t o r a n o p e n h o u s e . For many, giving back and doing good deeds during the holiday season is a way to reflect on what they have accomplished throughout the year. Showing that your organization is willing to give back to the community through partnering with nonprofits helping causes you’re passionate about is a great way to end the year on a positive note and make them feel good about working with you. Maybe your business has already been in contact with nonprofits or your nonprofit is already partnered with others, get in touch and suggest a mutually beneficial partnership! Their contribution to your business is then a contribution to something much larger. If you’re unsure where to start, think small and local! P a r t n e r w i t h a n o n p r o f i t o r g a n i z a t i o n . 11 12 Even though sending holiday cards seems like a thing of the past, millennials are embracing this concept more each year. Even something as simple as a handwritten note or using variable data to print an individual’s first name on the card can be enough to leave a lasting impression and make your customer feel as important as they are to your organization. Dedicating a little more time to choosing, writing and sending a card directly to your customers hands is a worthy investment. S e n d a p h y s i c a l h o l i d a y c a r d t o c u s t o m e r s .