It's the holiday season! But, while most of us are just hanging up our decorations, small business owners have been planning their holiday marketing campaigns for quite some time.

If you haven't started yet, there's no need to worry. We've got you covered with a list of great holiday marketing ideas for small businesses. We'll walk you through each and help you create a fun, festive, and profitable holiday marketing campaign this season.

Holiday Marketing Ideas

Below are some great seasonal ideas for holiday marketing campaigns. Let's start with the classics, then dive into retail strategies and wrap up with ideas for complete marketing campaigns.

1. Post on social media.

Social media is an excellent place to promote your business. Whether announcing a new product, sharing a deal, or just posting entertaining content, social media is one of the most effective marketing channels for small businesses.

This holiday season, consider posting on sites like Facebook and Instagram. These platforms use a lot of images, so they're great for showing off products and highlighting customer experiences.

For example, here's a post from a local contractor promoting its services. I like how timely this post is, but our social media experts recommend sticking to one or two hashtags.

For videos, you can use sites like TikTok and YouTube. In fact, here's a video we published to TikTok last year:

@getthryv

If the holidays are typically your slow season, have no fear - here are 4 tips to make sure your business's stocking is full of cash flow instead of coal this year.

♬ original sound - Thryv | For Small Businesses

2. Start a holiday sale or limited-time offer.

The holiday season is also shopping season, and customers are always looking for a good deal. A holiday sale is a great way to grab their attention, and it can help you generate a surge of sales before the end of the year.

You should consider making it a limited-time offer that expires after the new year. That will create a sense of urgency to take advantage of your deal and act quickly before it runs out. People are busy during the holidays, so adding a deadline is a great way to keep your offer in mind while customers complete their shopping lists.

3. Decorate your website and store.

Your website is like a home for your business on the internet. Keep it festive this holiday season and decorate it with winter-themed colors and graphics.

For example, Lowes decorates its website with images of products next to Christmas trees and other holiday items.

These images position Lowes' products as great gifts for the holiday season. It's a simple and effective way to update your website because it's not very difficult to replace images, especially if you're using a website builder.

4. Send your customers a gift.

It's the season of giving, so why not get involved and send your customers a small gift?

I know what you're thinking - "That sounds expensive." But, gift giving doesn't have to be complicated or extravagant.

In fact, here are a few cheap and easy holiday gifts that you can give your customers this year:

• Thank you notes

• Free samples
• Punchcard for a loyalty program
• Company swag
• Charitable donations
• Free quotes, consultations, & estimates

5. Air a seasonal commercial.

Seasonal commercials are effective for building brand awareness. You can share them on social media or post them to your YouTube channel. Or, you can buy airtime with a local TV station and get your ad on TV, like this one from Sullivan Tire.

Another option is to work with a local news station to cover a story about your brand. You could donate to charity or host a community event, such as a food drive or a park cleanup.

Former news producer, Stephanie Love, offers some great advice in this video on getting your business on TV.

6. Mail out holiday postcards.

Direct mail is one of the most effective forms of print advertisement. It has a high open rate, and people like getting things in the mail. It's like a little surprise that's dropped at your doorstep daily.

One effective holiday marketing idea is to send customers a postcard thanking them for their business. Wish them a happy holiday season, and tell them that you're looking forward to seeing them after the new year. Bonus points if you want to include a discount, handwritten note, or small gift that shows your appreciation.

You can also send an e-postcard to your email list for a fast and convenient alternative. Here's an example of a holiday postcard that I received from Golf & Ski Warehouse.

7. Host a holiday event.

People tend to take more time off during the holidays, freeing them up to attend festivals, parties, and events. If you want to build a reputation for your business in your community, a holiday event is a great way to get people's attention. You could throw a festive gathering or host a holiday trade show by partnering with other businesses.

Here's a cool event that my hometown hosts each year. Local businesses donate a holiday tree that's decorated to their liking. Then, people can walk through the "Festival of Trees" and buy raffle tickets to win each one.

Source

Events like this are a great way to meet people in your community and build brand awareness for your business.

8. Write a holiday-themed blog post.

Another way to spruce up your website is to publish a holiday-themed blog post. Blogs are great for beefing up your site and helping you get discovered on search engines like Google.

You can use blogs in several different ways. You can write about your products and services, share updates about your business, or write about topics related to your industry.

For example, here's a landscaping company that shared seasonal landscaping ideas for decorating a lawn.

As someone who writes blogs daily, I recommend choosing industry topics like this. If people want to read about your products and services, they'll go to your landing and FAQ pages. But if they want to learn something, your blog provides the perfect platform for this type of content marketing.

9. Update your local business listings.

A local business listing is a public profile for your business on sites like Google, Yelp, and Nextdoor. They're very important for marketing because they're one of the first places where people can learn about your business. They contain information like your business hours, location, customer reviews, and more.

Local listings are also important for SEO. If yours are updated and have good reviews, you're more likely to appear in search results. Notice how all of the local listings below have plenty of good reviews.

This holiday season, you should make sure your local listings are up to date. Add your holiday hours if needed, and correct any inaccurate or missing information. To make this process easier, you can use this local listings management tool and make all these changes from one place.

Holiday Retail Marketing

Now, let's look at some holiday marketing ideas that are perfect for retail companies.

10. Bundle products together.

Bundling is one of the most effective ways to market your products. Rather than selling each product individually, package them together for a discounted price. You'll increase revenue from each purchase and customers will feel like they're getting a good deal.

For example, this company bundles its products into gift sets. You can buy each product individually or purchase the bundle at a discounted price.

11. Add new products to your online store.

Adding new products to your store during the holiday season is always a good idea. It keeps your brand fresh and promotes your products during the busiest shopping months of the year.

Consider creating an entire section for your holiday items if you have an online store. If your products aren't seasonal, label the section as "New Arrivals" so customers know you have new products this season.

I really like how this brand puts its holiday jewelry front and center on its home page. It's hard to miss, and you can see all the important details (price, image, name) before you click on the product.

12. Offer free shipping.

If you're an ecommerce brand, free shipping is a great way to close more deals during the holiday season. Shipping costs typically aren't considered until the end of a purchase, creating an unpleasant surprise for customers who thought they were getting a good deal. Shipping fees can dissuade purchases and increase the number of abandoned carts in your online store.

If you can't provide free shipping on all purchases, consider offering it for purchases of a certain value. For instance, Chewy provides free shipping if you buy something for $49 or more.

Holiday Marketing Campaigns

These holiday marketing ideas will help you create comprehensive marketing campaigns. They'll help you attract new customers, nurture relationships, and close more deals for your business.

13. Advertise on social media.

Social media advertising involves paying to promote your brand on social media. It's great for increasing brand awareness and can drive more sales, too.

Most social media sites use a bidding system for advertising. You can pay based on impressions or clicks and compete against other brands to get your ad shown to specific customers.

Here's an example of a Facebook ad that Thryv created this year, which showed up in my feed because I've shown interest in Thryv's products and services.

14. Create a holiday email campaign.

Email is one of the best online marketing channels for small businesses. You can control when your message is sent, and most people check their inboxes daily. It's perfect for engaging existing customers and can help you strengthen relationships over time.

Email automation is key for this. You can create email marketing campaigns that automatically send customers messages without pressing a button. If customers buy a product, visit your website, or fill out a form, your automation will send them pre-written emails, saving you time while also creating a smoother customer experience.

Here's an example from my local veterinarian. Whenever I schedule a new visit, I get an automatic reminder leading up to the date. It's helpful for me as a customer, and the business avoids no-shows and rescheduled appointments.

15. Launch a customer referral program.

A referral is when an existing customer brings a new customer to your business. They're incredibly valuable because the referred customer is usually interested in your products and services. Now, you just have to close the deal with a holiday promotion or discount.

You can generate a steady stream of referrals with a customer referral program. Like a loyalty program, a customer referral program rewards people for referring others to your business. You can give out discounts or exclusive rewards to thank customers for helping you close a sale.

For example, this travel company offers a $200 credit to customers who refer their business to other people. The existing customer is awarded the credit once the new customer buys something from the brand. It's a win-win for everyone involved.

Marketing Ideas During the Holidays

The holiday season is a huge opportunity for your business. People are out shopping, and it's a great time to squeeze in some sales before the end of the year. Use these holiday marketing ideas to improve your campaigns, and check out this holiday marketing handbook for more tips this season.

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