3 Tips to Help Rock Your Small Business Holiday Season
As a business owner, do you feel prepared for the holiday season? The next few months will likely be the busiest for your business as shoppers are most active during the months surrounding the holidays so expect an increase in customer traffic. If it's your first time going through the holiday season as a small business owner, it can feel intimidating and be difficult to know what steps to take.
Preparing is key for increasing your profits, minimizing stress, and helping your business stand out. To help you get started, this blog will walk you through a few important steps to help you do so. From seasonal goal setting, holiday-focused marketing, and how to get involved with your community during the holidays, you’ll learn more on how to get shoppers into your store.
Step 1: Creating Seasonal (and Post-Seasonal) Business Goals
One of the best ways to ensure a successful holiday season is to identify your business goals. As shoppers become more active during the holiday season, businesses often step up their marketing and promotional efforts, so having a clear, defined plan will help your business stand out against competitors.
But what counts as a business goal? Simply identify what you want to accomplish during the season. Whether you want to reach a certain number of sales, strengthen relationships with customers, or increase your amount of visitors, goals and planning will look different for each individual business.
Remember, holiday shopping doesn't end with Christmas! Shoppers look forward to post-holiday sales, bargains, and using gift cards during the weeks after Christmas. Therefore, extending your offers would be a great way to get customers coming back into your store.
Step 2: Holiday-Focused Marketing
Creating a Promotion Plan
When mapping out your holiday marketing strategy you’ll need to evaluate and ask why customers would want to purchase from your small business during this time. Is it that you have the perfect seasonal sweaters, best gifts for family and friends, or highest quality desserts? Let your target audience know that you have exactly what they need for the season. Once you pinpoint what makes your business stand out, you can build your holiday marketing around it.
You’ll then determine which promotion is best for your small business. Whether it’s discounts, coupons, gift cards, contests, or free gift wrapping, promotions can vary depending on the products you're selling. Offering promotions to customers is what will draw them to your store and set you apart from competitors.
Holiday Social Media Marketing
Social media allows you to elevate your marketing strategy and promote your business during the holidays. Shoppers are determined to find the perfect gift and often search Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to find gift inspiration and product deals. Creating timely and festive content will help draw attention to your business and products. This process can be as simple as offering a 1-day giveaway for a top-selling product.
Four simple ways you can use social media for your small business this season include:
Using a social media poll to identify what customers are looking for
Engaging with followers and potential customers
Promoting your discounts
Sending email campaigns
Step 3: Community Involvement
Giving Back to The Community
There’s no better time to get involved locally than during the holiday season—and there are so many ways to do so. Whether you decide to host a drive, partner with a charity, volunteer, donate, or give a special discount to local frontline employees, customers appreciate businesses that contribute to a greater purpose which will make a meaningful difference within any community.
Local Business Collaboration
Collaborating with other local small businesses is a great opportunity for brand awareness and increasing your revenue. A collaboration during the holidays creates a chance for small businesses to compete against bigger competitors. You could work with other businesses by creating a fusion product, offering a giveaway of shared products, or cross-promoting content on social media.
When collaborating it's important to choose a business that compliments yours. Working with a company that shares similar values and goals will evoke emotion within your community and allow you to connect with more people locally.
Implementing a holiday business plan comes with great benefits. It’s the holidays, so remember to keep it light and have fun. Even the smallest efforts can make a big difference for your small business.
