Christmas Holiday Marketing Ideas

When it comes to making an impact during the holidays, there’s something for every small business to choose from. Start early so you'll have plenty of lead time and can ensure your business is top of mind with customers during this heavy buying season.

1.  Know what gets people to start buying...

Buying psychologists have learned that when a person in a store decides they want to buy one thing, they will then start looking for other things to buy. 

Ravi Dhar of the Yale School of Management, calls it 'the shopping momentum effect.' There's a certain amount of guilt that most people experience when spending money, but having opened our wallets the first time, with each additional purchase the guilt ebbs. "Research has shown that just paying for something has some pain attached to it, even though you get something back in return," Dhar says. "But after you've bought the first item, the second item doesn't hurt as much."

TIP:  Focus on the Saturday and week before Christmas if you're a local retailer.  That's when most people go out to find gifts for people they will be giving in person, not shipping.  

 

2.  Create curb appeal.  Decorate to get noticed during the holidays

Decorating the outside of your store or office will make your business more noticeable and just like with real estate, the better the "curb appeal", the more likely people are to want to come in. 

Decorate your website. A sprig of holly on your logo? Some snowflakes in the background? A Santa hat on your spokesperson? It doesn't have to be elaborate, but a touch will let your customers know you share the joy of the season.

TIP: Seasonal flair doesn't have to be reserved for just the Christmas holidays. Consider a seasonal update to your physical and virtual locations, much like Google does with it's logo, at least four times a year.

Should you use the term Christmas or "the holidays"?  For people who celebrate Christmas, they want it called that.  For others who don't celebrate Christmas, they find messages that use that term offensive.  The big retailers flip flop on using the term Christmas.  You'll need to decide what's right for your business and your brand reputation. 

3.  Send your clients and customers holiday greetings

TIP from Gail Mayhugh, "My best Christmas marketing idea is actually to market at Thanksgiving. Back in my previous life as a Banker I lost a big client because I sent a gift at Christmas, he was Jewish. I now send Thanksgiving cards wishing them a wonderful holiday season. The great thing is that I'm the first card they get for the season so I'm not lost in the pile. Each year I always get a new job from a returning client. Sending something at Thanksgiving will not offend anyone."  Gail Mayhugh in Las Vegas with GMJinteriors.com

If you decide to send greetings during the month of December...

Send an email or greeting card to your customer list. A photo of your staff may be eye-catching.  Include a holiday offer or compelling message.  Expect that people won't read whatever you send them during this busy time of year.

Create a holiday campaign that includes a combination of elements: perhaps a print ad supported by a series of direct mailers or emails. Feature a product or service, offer gift ideas, hold a giveaway, or highlight your company's community involvement.

MeebleMail has templates for email stationery that will make your emails stand out from the crowd.  If you use Microsoft Outlook, check out the options from them for free.  PaperlessPost, Evite, Wufoo, Eventbrite and Facebook Events are also free or low cost ways to invite people to events, create forms and communicate in a more personal way via email.

Check out JibJab.com, a website that lets you add your photos to creating fun and funny holiday ecards.  Free too! 

Know this: Your customers (like everyone else) will be barraged with holiday messaging. Consider this when planning. Send only short, relevant messages that will be perceived as valuable and respectful of their time. If you want to do a "12 days" email message, send an invitation to customers asking if they want to participate, then send brief daily messages.

How to do email marketing
Direct mail offers
Marketing campaigns
How to create and send invitations and cards

4.  Holiday Sales and Special Offers

In general we're not fans of these because they usually attract people who aren't brand loyal and won't become profitable customers.  But we know everyone loves a deal and you may need to make some to generate retail store and website traffic during the holidays so here's help with that:

• Promotional Offers that Attract Profitable New Business
• How to Increase Sales
  
• Groupon Pros and Cons for Small Business
  

Know this:  There are more than 400 sites like Groupon to learn about. 

Deal-a-Day Coupon Sites

Refresh the offers on your website and in your emails so that people returning to your website will be glad they did. Also update and make very visible your email subscription form. You may get visitors to your website who you haven't seen in a while.

Promote deals via text messages.  Ask people to send a text message to a particular number to receive two text messages per week highlighting some of your best savings. 

5.  Sell more by helping customers be great gift givers

Look at what this website Wantist.com does - they help people find gifts.  For example, type in something STYLISH for someone OUTDOORSY and the site then presents a page of photos and links to relevant gifts based on that criteria.  How can you do something like this for your customers?  What about doing something like this in your physical store?  It's sort of a Mad Libs fun way to help people find interesting and relevant gift ideas.

More ideas for how to help your customers be great at gift giving...

• Gift Giving Ideas to Help Retailers

Next page - learn when people start searching for Christmas gifts and what they are searching for...plus ideas holiday marketing ideas #6 - #21...