[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]According to a recent statistic from Adept, “an estimated 92% of holiday shoppers will go online to either research or purchase gifts this season.” Small businesses can make substantial revenue over the holidays, so it’s important to take a step back and look at your holiday marketing strategy.

Although it’s essential to have a marketing plan in place 24/7, certain marketing adjustments should be made around the Holiday season to ensure increased revenue, customer visibility and  satisfaction. Here are some of the key things to consider integrating into your marketing strategy this holiday season:

1. Focusing On The BIG Picture

You need to decide what your main goal of this holiday push is. Are you looking to increase your sales, gain new customers, or maybe increase your customer satisfaction? Whatever the case is, having a set goal can help you market promotions throughout the holidays.

2. Being Mobile-Friendly

• With the ease of smartphones, a majority of shoppers will research products and buy straight from their phone this holiday season. For the first time, analysts had predicted “more than half of online traffic to retail sites would come from smartphones rather than desktops during the four-day Black Friday holiday shopping weekend.”
• If your website, emails, and e-commerce providers are not mobile-friendly, there is a good chance smartphone users will seek a competitor’s site instantly

3. Rebranding (For The Holidays)

Create festive and holiday themed graphics that can be used across all platforms.

Here are some things to consider:

• Re-design your web banners to increase promotion
• Social cover photos and logos that match the festive website
• Holiday themed email templates and newsletters

4. Deciding On Deals

• Are They Reasonable? – Customers overly compare product pricing during the Holidays with competitors, so make sure your promotional products stand out. This past Black Friday, consumers were vacillating between shopping in stores and online.
• Are They Personal? When it comes to buying products or services, it’s crucial for customers to have a connection with the company they’re buying from, especially during the Holidays. Personalize your promotions, gifts, or services so customers feel important and satisfied.
• Don’t forget to create a call-to-action to highlight promotional items!

5. Planning to Promote

• Utilize Social Media for giveaways, coupon codes, and contests.
• Upload videos about your product or service for consumers to watch.
• Don’t overload people with emails! Keep emails full of useful, genuine, & interesting content.
• Stay consistent! For example, you can offer a new special one-day of each week (like Starbucks’ #MerryMonday) or do a “Flash Sale” that excites customers about the upcoming sales!
• Segment your customers based on their purchases preferences and buying patterns.

6. Being Merry

The Holidays are an opportunity to share with customers the exciting parts of the holidays too, especially happening within your business. Some suggestions are:

• Throwing a Holiday Party? Take pictures to share!
• Office Elf On the Shelf? Have some fun showing off your creativity on social media!
• Give back to the community – Donate toys, gifts, food, or even volunteer. (This is marketing within itself, but it could make a great blog article!)

Even though Black Friday has passed, in the marketing world, the Holiday Season is just beginning! Between Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday, and the assortment of December festivities, Businesses can strive during this time if they stay on top of their marketing strategy!

Sources:
1 http://www.marketingadept.com/blog/the-ultimate-list-of-e-commerce-marketing-stats-for-holiday-2015/
2 http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/28/black-friday-draws-familiar-lines/iGE2QDQPAUoaB3rYxZGglK/story.html[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_cta_button call_text=”Need some help with your holiday marketing?” title=”Email us today!” target=”_self” color=”btn-success” icon=”wpb_mail” size=”btn-large” position=”cta_align_left” href=”https://tomo360.com/contact-us/#.Vlzaxt-rSRs”][/vc_column][/vc_row]