4 Marketing Tips to Help Your Business Prepare for the Holiday Season
The holiday season is a time of joy and celebrations—and also a hectic time for businesses! This is the prime time for sales for many industries, which makes marketing during these upcoming months absolutely crucial. To help you cut down on the overwhelm, I’ve got four simple tips to help you prepare for the holiday marketing madness:
Tip #1: Decide on Promotions
Decide what promotions you’re going to run during this holiday season ahead of time. Determine what products and/or services will be included, and what won’t. This will cut down on any last-minute panic as you put together your holiday promotions! Don’t forget to finesse any fine-print guidelines, such as shipping and return policies, so your team has them on-hand once the holidays roll around. And if you’re going to run any contests on social media, now is the time to figure out what all the rules and conditions for entry will be.
Tip #2: Know Your Key Dates
Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years – with so many holidays packed into a short stretch of time, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Make sure to mark these key holidays on your calendar to help you plan start and end dates for all your individual promotions. And remember – just because you can tie a promotion to a particular occasion doesn’t mean you should. Be realistic about what your team and business can handle and focus on the promotions that make the most sense.
Tip #3: Fill in Your Promotional Calendar
After you mark off all the upcoming holidays and decide what ones you’re going to participate in, it’s time to map out your promotions and content around these key dates! Looking at your list of promotions, work backwards from each key date to decide when you’re going to start each promotion. Then decide what content you’re going to share to support it. Be sure to include paid and unpaid campaigns. By taking the time to plan this all out now, you can build a cohesive marketing plan to drive sales this holiday season!
Tip #4: Gather Your Assets
Now that you’ve got your promotions and content all mapped out, figure out what assets you’re going to need to create to support your campaigns before the holiday rush starts. Brainstorm ideas for any graphics, images, or videos you might need. Put together any emails or print materials so you have everything on-hand and ready to go. If you start now, you won’t be rushed if revisions or changes are needed.
These are four easy tips that I use to help our clients plan and prepare for the holiday season. Need some help? Reach out to us at Minute Marketing to take some things off your plate before the end of the year!