by Arleen Atienza
It is time for businesses to start preparing and implementing their marketing strategy for the busiest period of the year: the holiday season. With so much at stake, it’s not enough to recycle the same old marketing tactics from previous years. Instead, consider thinking outside the box to develop a fresh and unique marketing strategy that will captivate and engage your customers.
With a proactive marketing approach, you can boost sales and revenue in the coming months. Let us explore five ways you can increase holiday sales and have your best season yet!
1. Get into the holiday spirit on-site and online.
Customers are not just looking for gifts—they also want some holiday spirit! Learn from veteran restaurateurs and business owners who go festive offline and online. Create a merry mood in your store, bring on the Christmas music, and update your window display with warm holiday scenes and plenty of sparkle. According to experts, putting up decorations evokes feelings of joy and nostalgia among many people. You want your customers to identify these positive sentiments with your business.
Maintain the festive cheer online by updating your website to reflect the season and scheduling social media posts about your upcoming holiday deals. If you have a mailing list, send an e-greeting card to your subscribers. If your business engages in charitable activities over the holiday season, feature photos on your social media feed to show your followers that you are not simply paying lip service to the Christmas spirit.
2. Reward your loyal customers.
Even though you’re keen to win over new shoppers, don’t forget about your loyal customers. Use the season as an opportunity to offer your top customers a special present, such as attractive deals or an exclusive first look at a new product. Determine the discounts you wish to offer, conduct a pricing analysis, and come up with creative methods to appeal to your loyal customers’ desire for great bargains.
Think about thanking your subscribers with early access offers before the holiday rush. This encourages customers to start buying gifts ahead of the holidays. Your subscribers will feel special because they can enjoy a fantastic deal now and before everyone else.
You can also reward your loyal customers by launching email campaigns with amazing prizes for shoppers who share their stories, photos, and reviews on social media to create a buzz before the Christmas season officially begins.
3. Leverage video marketing.
Using video marketing to boost sales and grow your business is becoming more popular. Customers enjoy seeing behind-the-scenes videos of their favorite brands and businesses. Including a video on your company’s website, social media profiles, and email campaigns can help you deliver your message in a way that encourages visitors to learn more about your brand. Video marketing enables you to promote not only your products but your entire brand.
Show your company’s human side this season by inviting employees to share their fondest holiday memories or providing customers with a glimpse into what goes into preparing your business for the holidays. Get creative—regardless if it’s a festive webinar invitation video you send via email, a video you upload to your customer page to wish all of your subscribers a happy holiday, or a funny video you share on social media.
4. Showcase your products in a virtual room.
Many businesses have outlets or showrooms where customers can get up close and personal with their products. However, as customer needs and preferences evolve, it is equally important to showcase your products online. Use webrooms to display your products this holiday season.
Webrooming functions similarly to showrooming, except that you present your products online rather than in person. In most situations, a webroom allows consumers to examine a product from every angle, giving them the whole in-person showroom experience online. It’s an effective holiday marketing tactic, particularly when it comes to expensive purchases.
If you want to create a webroom for your products, you should get started as soon as possible. It is vital to deliver high-quality images or videos of products on webrooms. You will also need a team of developers and professional photographers for your webroom, and this—depending on the size of your product line—can result in several months of work.
5. Offer free products or gifts.
Yes, the holidays are a time for giving—but your customers want to be on the receiving end of some gift-giving, too. You can double your revenue by offering presents with every transaction during the holidays.
To amplify your sales and visibility during this time of year, highlight special deals, discounts, and promotions whenever possible. If your company is on the fence about giving freebies, you might provide free shipping instead. Consider offering free delivery for purchases made during the holidays. Make sure your customers are aware of your free shipping promotion by featuring it in your marketing emails and online platforms.
Final Thoughts
The holiday season can make or break your sales targets for the year. Drive more holiday sales than ever before by starting your marketing efforts early, evaluating what worked in previous years, and building your campaign around a festive theme that fits in nicely with your brand.
Are you ready to make the holidays magical? Financial Potion offers high-quality, full-service video marketing solutions that can help drive your sales upward. Contact us today, and we’ll make sure your holiday marketing initiatives stand out!
