It’s that time of the year again. Haul out the holly, take a sip of the eggnog (or two, because, you know, the holidays), and prepare your business for the deluge of shoppers and new clients. The 2016 Deloitte Annual Holiday Survey estimates that people will spend over $1 trillion this year on gifts. Don’t you want a piece of that pie?
That’s the dream at least. But what happens when your business has a difficult time reaching desired customers during the holidays? And how do you make your offerings stand out above those of your competitor? Follow these 7 tips geared specifically toward small businesses on how to bring in the big crowds this holiday season.
Get creative
It’s time to think outside the box. Yes, I know that’s cliche, but it’s true. You can’t offer the same thing everyone else is offering, and the typical “30% off this” sales are dying. It’s more about how much people can get, and less about how much people can get taken off an original price. Listing items as “buy one get one free” draw much more attention.
Don’t let the creativity stop with the actual offer itself. Get creative with your design of the offer. Switch things up. Maintain your brand standards, but come up with a fun new way to incorporate the holidays into your design. Whatever you do, be consistent across all platforms.
Get competitive
There’s no shame in checking out what the competition is doing, especially if they’re doing it better than you. If you’re looking to pull in their customers, check out how they’re marketing. Figure out what makes them successful, and then spin it to fit your brand and your needs. There’s a fine line between checking out what they’re doing and stealing what they’re doing. Make sure everything you do is original and unique to your brand. Nothing wrong with developing your own spin on a great concept.
Use video
There’s no better way to show off your business than with quality video content. Get a camera (even just your cell phone if it’s done right), conduct a few interviews of existing clients willing to give a testimonial, incorporate some great photos of your products or services, and there you have it. According to this infographic published by HubSpot, Dr. James McQuivey estimates that one minute of video is equal to 1.8 million words. What story are you telling?
Work that email list
You have that “Join our email list” button on your website or the sign-up clipboard on your counter for a reason. It’s time to use it. Create a drip campaign that begins on Black Friday and offers a special promotion with a specific call to action that creates urgency. Continue this throughout the holiday, making each offering slightly different than the one before. Incorporate your video content for an added boost. Tie everything together by publishing a web page version of your email to social media for added benefit.
Social media is your friend
Speaking of social media, use it. Daily posting through the holiday season is essential. Use images and your new video to really bring in the sales. Your goal should be to convert people into buyers either by bringing them into your storefront or going through your website. Utilize the button options on your Facebook page to build conversions. Tweet often using hashtags, and feel free to jump on the bandwagon of popular trending hashtags to generate more brand awareness. Instagram is a great place to display your products and promote them via photo and video.
Advertise
If you want to make money, you have to spend money, right? Throw some advertising dollars behind your social media posts to attract new business and build brand awareness. If you want to be really smart about it, do some direct targeting to get your ads in front of the right people. Target via location, age range, gender, interests (maybe target people that have liked or follow your competitors?), and other details you are able to generate about your potential clients. Organize these by names and types, and develop buyer personas. Use these to increase your focused advertising strategy.
Utilize eCommerce to your advantage
If you aren’t selling your products or services online, you’re about 10 years behind. It’s estimated in the Deloitte report we mentioned earlier that equal dollar amounts will be spent online as in-store this holiday season. List your products and services online, or list gift cards, and make a dedicated push to drive sales via social and email with a “Buy Now” button, and people won’t be able to resist!
This holiday season, expand your business using these 7 tips. And when your business has expanded so much that you need a new office space, consider one of our shared workspaces located throughout NYC and Chicago. We just might have a holiday special lined up for you, too. CLICK HERE to take a tour and experience the Work Better difference.
