Part 4 of 4: Promote Your Holiday Offer!

Now that you have set your holiday goals, defined your audience and created your offer, it’s time to talk about marketing!

So where to start? You can promote in so many ways: online posts, a community newspaper, by partnering with neighboring businesses, via print advertising, big banners, banner ads, direct mail, online ads, email marketing and yes, even personal invitations! We’ll cover a few of these options below, be sure to take some time and think creatively. How does your audience expect to hear from you? What would represent a pleasant, unexpected surprise? In today’s busy world, what would make them stop and take action?

Marketing Events: Is your offer is in conjunction with an event, such as Small Business Saturday, or an event of your own creation? If so, be sure to start promoting your event with both in-store signs and on social media well before your event. When it comes to social, customers love behind the scenes content. You can even build and promote an event on Facebook so that your fans can easily share it. You’ll also want to send a personalized email to your audience inviting them to your event.

Marketing a Special Sale: If you’re promoting a special sale, make sure you engage with your fans on social. Don’t simply share your sale on Facebook the day of the event. It can take a few days for your post to reach your audience, and as you know, your post will only reach a portion of your audience. An easy approach is to think in sequences of three. Announce your sale well in advance, reminder your fans of the sale, and remind them of the sale the day before. To ensure your posts reach more of your audience, consider boosting your post or engaging in an online advertising campaign. And be sure to share great images! advertising campaign.

Email Marketing: Whether you’re promoting an event or special offer, you’ll want to make sure you reach out to your audience via email! Why? Because unlike social media, you can count on an email reaching your customers’ inbox.

  • If you’re promoting an event, send your first email at least a few weeks in advance, send a reminder email a couple days to one week prior and then either send a last chance reminder or follow-up with a thank you. Many email providers allow you to automatically resend an email to readers who did not open your first email! With Constant Contact, you can also include a RSVP block in your email. With one simple click, your readers can tell you if they are planning on coming to your event.
  • If you’re promoting a sale, send an email a couple weeks prior to the sale, a reminder maybe a week prior or at the start of your sale, and a last chance the day before your sale ends. The timing of your series is dependent on various factors, such as how much time you have to promote your event or sale, how long your sale is (1 day or 10 days), and the nature of your audience.

“Marketers generated 174% more conversions with email than social media.” (Campaign Monitor

Additional actions you can take to promote your holiday offers. There is an infinite number of ways you can engage and inspire your audience. Here are a few additional ideas to help you stay engaged with your audience.

  • Do more than simply post an event announcement on Facebook or Instagram. Ask your social fans to sign up for your email list so they can be sure to be notified of your holiday specials.
  • Have an in-store signup list or app so your customers can sign up for advance notice of sales and events.
  • Remind your fans there's still time to take advantage of your offer. Be creative with your reminders.
  • Are you offering a give-away – share the news in-store, on your social channels and via email.
  • Ask your audience to invite others to join them for your event, share the love – right?
  • Have fun! Celebrate with your customers. Your customers will enjoy it as much as you do.

One Last Note - Focus on Customer Service: The holidays can also be a stressful time of year, even with all the magic in the air. Make sure the experience you provide your customers is top-notch. Spend time talking with your team, preparing them for an influx of customers. Make sure you have all the little extra supplies on hand. This is the time to really focus on your customers experience. Your customers will be spending dollars this holiday season. Lots of dollars. The quality of your customer service could impact the dollar spend at your store.

I hope you enjoyed this series and wish you much success this holiday season and beyond. If you missed any of the blogs, first focus on your holiday goals, then define your audience, then create your offer and then promote your offer. Follow these four simple steps and you’re well on your way to holiday success!!

About Simone G: Simone G is owner of The Small Biz Shop and has been offering email marketing services for over 10 years. She believes you can grow your business one conversation at a time through engaging email marketing. Her proven creative process helps her understand your business, your goals and your audience. She also provides online coaching courses and private training to help you be more successful with your email marketing. As a certified Constant Contact Solution Provider, she stays on top of new industry trends, helping you navigate through and benefit from the newest technologies in a personable and engaging way that leads to results.

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