It’s the most wonderful time of the year...

Not just for those celebrating one or all of the upcoming holidays, but for businesses and consumers alike. Now is the time to prepare for the upcoming holiday season; while there is fierce competition, there are also plenty of opportunities for savvy businesses.

Upcoming Celebrations:

• Halloween
• Veteran’s Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Black Friday
• Small Business Saturday
• Cyber Monday
• Giving Tuesday
• The entire month of December
• New Years
  
  

So what is your game plan? By now you should have a pretty solid marketing strategy in place to address all the upcoming holidays. But if you don’t, here are five last-minute tips from our Boca Raton Advertising Agency.

TRANSFORM YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE

The best part of the holidays? Decorating of course! Updating your social media profile is a great way to show your holiday spirit. Change your profile picture and cover image to reflect the season, upcoming holiday, or a sales event. Go ahead, break your brand guidelines...just this once. We won’t put you on the naughty list.

ANALYZE LAST YEAR’S DATA

What worked (or didn’t) for your holiday marketing campaign last year? If you ran a promotion and it did well, you should keep that promotion in mind and build on it for this year’s campaign. Take the elements that worked and add a new spin to them. What holiday or sales event gets you the most business? If you can’t do them all, skip the ones that don’t increase your bottom line and focus on those that do.

USE A VARIETY OF CHANNELS

Like any other marketing campaign, you won’t reach many potential customers if you’re not where they are. ‘Tis the season to tap into the channels that your audience frequents. Some channels you might consider exploring include Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, Tumblr, Tik Tok, Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Pinterest and Medium. Of course, you don’t need to be on every single social media app, only the ones that make sense for your intended audience.

PROVIDE THE BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Shoppers both in-person and online always look for the easiest and overall best shopping experience possible. Going above and beyond for your customers shows them you care more than your competitors. In specific, online shoppers mostly consist of mobile shoppers, easing their shopping process makes them much more likely to use your app or website. For the holiday season, it is crucial that your company designs an easy to browse page where consumers can conveniently browse for something they’d gift for another or for themselves. The easier it is for them to find what they are looking for, the better your chances of selling your product becomes.

OFFER FREE REWARDS

Although it’s the season of giving, shoppers aren’t only looking to buy for others, if they like what they see they’re likely to purchase the product. Have you ever seen a deal where if you spent $50 you could get a free item? This may just be an example but it encourages shoppers to spend more, and everyone loves free things! If your company can’t offer free products, then offer free shipping, anything to please your newfound or existing customer for the holiday season. It’s the value you bring to them that counts in the long-run.

You may also include digital media to promote an upcoming or ongoing sales event that appeals to holiday shoppers and gift-givers. This includes infographics, ads, social media posts, and videos.

Bonus Tip: Don’t target the customer’s wallet, introduce your brand to them and treat them like the valued customers they are. Developing customer loyalty has never been more important than it is today in the age of social media. Thank your customers for shopping with you and continue to interact with them past the holiday season. Encourage them to visit your social media pages or website and continue shopping with you.

And remember to always plan ahead with your seasonal marketing strategies.

Do you need help strategizing your holiday season marketing campaign? Our full-service marketing experts here at Keenability are eager to help turn your holiday stress into the most wonderful time of the year!