As December approaches, you’ve likely noticed an increase in holiday marketing campaigns. From social media to television commercials, you’ll be unable to escape it. People love the holidays and it’s not hard to imagine why. Children look forward to receiving gifts and having freedom from school, while businesses involved in the retail industry expect productivity to rise. Companies outside of retail may find business slowing down, giving employees a break from the hard work they put in throughout the year. It’s easy to get lost in the festivities, which is why you should consider these four marketing ideas, focussed solely on the holiday season.
New (Winter and Holiday Oriented) Products
Every year, companies and organizations take advantage of the love people have for the holidays. In 2013, Sony released the PlayStation 4 two weeks before December, allowing ample time for people to purchase the system for Christmas. By the end of 2013, 4.2 million units had been sold. When it comes to purchasing gifts for the holiday season, people look for the newest products and you can benefit from it too. If your business relies on selling clothing, consider releasing a line of ugly sweaters that people can wear throughout the month of December. If you are in the food industry, adjust your menu so it corresponds to the season. Add some peppermint into your lattes with mistletoe art on top and surprise your customers with a winter-y change.
Holiday Giveaways
Keeping consumers engaged with your brand is extremely important, especially around the holiday season. As more products are released from your competitors, you might find interest in your own products waning. People love opportunities to receive something for free. By hosting a giveaway (especially a giveaway featuring your most popular product or service), you’ll generate interest in your brand and you may see your sales rise. Keep the giveaway simple. If you make it too complicated, people won’t participate, and your efforts will have been for naught. Embrace social media for promotional purposes and have entrants follow you for additional entries.
Winter-fy Your Social Media
Social media has become a key resource in promoting and growing a business. Hashtags are able to reach more than just your local audience and with ordering online becoming easier, people aren’t as reluctant to follow accounts that may be outside their country. One thing that social media thrives on is cohesive unity. It’s recommended that brands maintain a theme while on Instagram as it’s aesthetically pleasing to the eye. During the holiday season, the themes that Instagram relies on can be quite valuable to grow a business. Instead of keeping your social media the same as it has been all year, consider switching to a more winter-oriented theme. Starbucks has mastered the winter feeling on their Instagram, making their followers feel festive. For a full social media campaign, take inspiration from Twelve Days of Christmas and showcase a new product or service every day for twelve days. You might want to come up with a cute song following the same tune as Twelve Days of Christmas for more interaction from your followers.
Teaming Up for Charity
Around the holiday season, charities become more prominent as they work to provide the less fortunate with gifts, food, and warm clothes. Giving back to your community is just as important as growing your business. It’s a good idea to talk to a local charity to see how you can help them throughout the season. Set up a donation bin at your business where people can drop off non-perishable food items, which you can give to your local food bank. If you want to contribute more than just food items, you might want to consider donating a certain amount of your profits to a charity of your choice. Regardless if it’s 15% or 25% of profits, it can help the charity in a big way.
There are so many opportunities to market effectively during the winter season. You don’t have to stick to a rigid marketing strategy, and around the holidays, it’s not recommended. People want to feel festive and holiday-oriented marketing strategies can help put the fun back in holidays. What winter-related marketing ideas have you implemented this season?