Holiday Marketing Guide

Eric McGinnisNews, Social Media Leave a Comment

Holiday Marketing Guide

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Ah yes, the holidays are a magical time. It’s all hot chocolate and sugar cookies mixed with the usual holiday madness. However, for businesses, the holidays are prime time for sales. This year, businesses are facing much bigger hurdles than working overtime. They face a new world emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.   

The coronavirus has changed how we live. This has included shopping online for contactless delivery, working from home, and opting for carryout instead of dining in restaurants. Despite the pandemic, holiday shopping will be flourishing. In addition, holiday shoppers are starting their shopping earlier this year. This means that with the approaching holidays, businesses need to prepare for a different shopping experience.   

People’s shopping habits have changed as a result of COVID-19, so businesses need to adapt. One of the biggest topics' businesses need to address is shopper safety. This messaging needs to be woven throughout the traditional festive marketing to reassure consumers. Consumers want to know if your business is taking the necessary precautions to keep both customer and employee safe.  

Using the advantages of digital marketing (and our digital marketing agency), your business will be able to seize the opportunities of 2020’s holiday season.  

1. Step Up Your Social Media Strategy  

In order to stay connected, people are spending more time online. It's been a socially distanced way to stay in touch with family and friends. With more people active on Facebook, Instagram, and so on, it's the perfect opportunity to market to your audience!   

Maybe you need to promote upcoming holiday specials your business offers or sell gift cards. Utilizing advertising tools such as Facebook Ads to promote services or boost brand awareness will put you at the forefront of your audience.   

For decades it's been a struggle for businesses to build strong brand loyalty. Now with social media, it's easier than ever. Restaurants or marine dealership, you'll be able to build lasting customer relationships for long-term business growth on social media. Social media is also a great way to connect your audience to other resources like your website or show a behind the scenes look at your business. It humanizes your brand while casting a wide net over a large audience to market to.   

But first, if your business isn't already on social media, it's time to change that! Social media is the “it” place to connect directly to your customer base, making it a powerful tool. Having the ability to facilitate engagement between business and consumers provides valuable insight. Chances are, your competitors are also on social media. Having a strong online presence will prevent your competitors from capturing your audience’s attention first.   

For many businesses, the holidays are stressful enough. Couple this with the demanding job that social media is, it’s a lot! This is why having a team of social media experts with the proper resources, knowledge, and proven results will not just benefit your business, it will allow you to dedicate more time to your business.   

Yet, not all marketing companies are created equal. Many do not offer a full level of service that is required to have a flourishing social media strategy. Our specialties are diverse and complement each service we offer. Our social media management service goes beyond whipping up a few crafty posts. We analyze your current social media, create a strategy that is designed to achieve results, and analyze all your performance. We take your social media from generic and bland to engaging and compelling.   

2. Spruce Up Your Website  

Your website is the hub of your business’s information. It should tell your audience everything they need to know about who you are, what your business does, and then some. A website is your marketing resource to inform customers and encourage sales through add to cart, click to call or schedule an appointment.  

This holiday season, your website will be even more valuable. Consumers are shifting their shopping habits from in-store to online. According to Google, 77% of shoppers say they will browse online for holiday gift ideas instead of stores. Thus, by the time they arrive in your store, it’s very likely they already know what they’ll want.  

Even if online shopping is not relevant to your business, having an informative website will do more than you know. When people want to know something, they Google it. A fully optimized website will organically rank high enough will put your brand’s name in front of searchers. Whether they’re looking for a plumber or auto mechanic, your name and contact information needs to be out there for searchers.  

With this being said, your website may need a facelift before the barrage of holiday traffic. This could be implementing an online store for social distance shopping or doing a complete design overhaul. Making your website informative and functional will be key this holiday season.  

Our website design services rise above basic templates. We custom design branded websites with the user experience in mind. So, when someone clicks on your website, they’ll be blown away by its beauty and functionality. Not all websites are created equal. In 2020, 51.53 percent of global website traffic was generated by mobile devices. We create websites that are SEO and mobile-friendly so every customer has the same flawless experience on any device.  

3. Take Advantage of PPC  

Pay-per-click advertising is a budget-friendly and effective way to spearhead your holiday marketing campaigns. With Google Ads, you can set a budget and only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Your business will appear during relevant searches on the top search engine. Marketing is all about being in the right place at the right time. This is exactly what Google Ads does. Customers will find your business when searching relevant keywords. You'll never miss a lead again!  

Whether your goal is to maximize clicks or increase conversions, there's a Google Ads campaign perfect for your business. With Google's in-depth analytics, you'll be able to target the right audience, in the right location and time to always be effective. During the holidays, businesses are competing for the attention of consumers. Rise above the competition with targeted holiday campaigns to promote your specials, COVID-19 shopping alternatives, or brand awareness.  

We've only scratched the surface of how beneficial PPC advertising can be. Especially during the holidays when millions of consumers are searching for products and services. As certified Google Partners, we know how to take your campaign and budget further. Unlike other set it and forget it marketing companies, we're always monitoring your campaigns. Our hands-on approach allows us to make adjustments so that your campaigns are always optimized. We do all the leg work of keywords, strategizing, ad groups, and more.  

4. Personalize with Email Marketing

Small businesses are pillars in a community. You have the unique advantage of familiarizing yourself with your customer base. This year, businesses may not be seeing their customers in-person. Use email marketing to promote holiday specials, products, or just to give a holiday greeting.   

We know what you're thinking. Email marketing is dead, right? Absolutely not. Consider how email has integrated itself into our daily lives. People usually have a personal and professional email, and check them daily. It's one of the few ways a business can have a direct and intimate conversation with a customer. It builds a deeper relationship then scrolling through ads on Instagram. Let's not forget to mention that email marketing is cost-effective. For every $1 spent on email marketing, your return on investment is $38.  

We know how to get your subscribers excited about your emails landing in their inbox. We achieve this through consistency and strategy. Every email sent is carefully crafted to connect with your customers. Why? Because that's what email marketing is all about! We build long-term relationships with your audience while bringing in new prospects.  

5. Live Stream Events & Sales  

If your business is centered around face-to-face interaction, we have your solution. Live streaming is the way of the future. It gives businesses a new way to showcase their services, products, or events to a larger audience in a safe way. For example, live streaming a business conference is not only social distancing safe, it can allow people to attend who may not have attended before. This could be due to travel circumstances or scheduling conflicts. A car dealership or boutique may want to live stream their latest holiday sales inventory or look book. A yoga studio can live stream a holiday de-stressor retreat. Regardless, live streaming opens up new possibilities. 

Don't settle for low-quality live streaming. Impress your audience with a professional live streaming experience. We have the latest technology and equipment for both in-studio and on-site events to broadcast any event. 

 6. Online Gift cards 

Gift cards are the ultimate gift for holidays. They empower givers with a thoughtful and convenient gift to give co-workers, friends, and family. Yet, consumers aren’t the only ones who should love gift cards! Besides being COVID-19 proof, there are financial benefits to offering gift cards. Businesses can use holiday gift cards to capture more sales, build brand awareness, and encourage customer return. Even better, gift cards enable a wide variety of businesses to participate in the holiday economy. After implementing online gift cards for a variety of businesses, we were able to maximize their holiday sales tremendously. The proof is in the pudding, holiday gift cards achieve killer results!   

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