A marketing tips guide for small businesses and nonprofits preparing for the 2026-2027 holiday season. The document covers 12 strategies including starting early, organizing key retail dates, segmenting messaging, using SEO for omnichannel marketing, understanding audience needs, preparing for competition, using trendy visuals, offering a great customer experience, avoiding spam, hosting events,…
This is a marketing tips guide for small businesses and nonprofits preparing for the 2026-2027 holiday season. It is produced by MMP Toledo and includes 12 numbered tips to help organizations plan their holiday marketing strategy.
The guide opens with consumer survey data showing that 50% of US shoppers plan to start holiday shopping by October, and 26% plan to skip Black Friday. It advises starting early and lists key retail dates for 2026: Thanksgiving on November 26, Black Friday on November 27, Small Business Saturday on November 28, Cyber Monday on November 30, Giving Tuesday on December 1, Green Monday on December 14, Christmas Eve and Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Tips cover segmenting messaging and inviting participation through social media polls and email tags. The guide recommends using SEO tools like Semrush for keyword research and integrating social media and direct mail for omnichannel marketing. It also advises knowing your audience's holiday needs and preparing for competition, citing that 84% of consumers want to buy from small businesses.
Further tips include using trendy visuals instead of generic imagery, offering the best customer experience with exclusivity and gratitude, avoiding spam and false urgency in emails, hosting an event or open house, partnering with a nonprofit organization, and sending physical holiday cards to customers with handwritten notes or variable data printing.