The holidays are literally right around the corner and you can’t afford not to use this time wisely for your business! According to the National Retail Federation, 20-40% of yearly sales for small and mid-sized retailers take place within the last two months of the year.
The average consumer plans to spend about $805 on holiday merchandise and there’s no reason for them not to spend part of that on your business!
Recently, I spent a few weeks of my life pouring my heart and soul into the ultimate guide to navigating holiday marketing for my VIP Gem Nation members. There is SO much goodness and juicy information in this collection that I had to pick a few of my favorite parts to share with you on the blog!
Before I spill any of my secrets, the first thing you need to do is realize that running a successful sale is not about simply posting a coupon and crossing your fingers for a boost in sales. To take your sale from stagnant to success, it has to be strategic! An effective sales promotion aims to strengthen brand recognition and encourage repeat customers.
First Things First
When crafting your sales and specials, the key elements you want to implement are 1) keeping it short, 2) keeping it time sensitive and 3) keeping it consistent across multi ple channels. While these may seem super simple, if you follow this plan, you’re sure to see BIG results!
Don’t Forget Your Current Clients
While the holidays are a great way to expand your audience and bring in new clients. you should equally be focused on who has already purchased your products or services previously. If someone has purchased something from you, you’ve already established and gained their trust. So, as long as you delivered on your previous sales promise, a previous clientis much more likely to give you their money. In fact, a repeat customer is likely to spend an extraordinary 67 percent more with you than a new one!
Narrow Your Focus
You can’t gain more Facebook followers, increase online sales, build brand awareness, reach a new market, and clean out inventory all in one promotion. Select a single objective for each sale or special you run and keep your eye on that goal!
Use Calls to Action
The most important part of your sale’s success is the use of Calls to Action (or CTA). Your CTA should be directly related to your single objective. So, if you’re try1ng to increase Facebook likes, your copy should have something like, “… be sure to “like” our page on Facebook for more details!” To create your CTA, think about what action you want the consumer to take dur1ng your promotion and then tell them wnat step to take to do it. Even something like “shop now to take advantage of this limited time offer” is going to be effective.
When writing your Calls to Action, this is not the time for you to show off your creative writing skills. You want to be as clear, concise, and direct as possible for the copy to be effective.
Create Scarcity
This helps reduce purchase resistance in the buyer because they know there’s only a limited amount of time the product or service may be available. Scarcity can be triggered using four different techniques: limited quantity, limited time. limited characteristics, and special pricing.
Numbers Matter
Who doesn’t love a special discount, free gifts, or an extra reward, especially during the holidays? Here are a few major stats you want to keep in mind when planning your promotions:
- The most popular times to buy online are weekdays from 12-2pm & Sunday evenings
- 74% of shoppers say they are influenced by coupons and offers online
- 74% of shoppers search online to get ideas for their holiday gift lists
- 93% of shoppers take action for free shipping (the biggest motivator to shop online)
Sale, Special, and Promotion Ideas
- Buy one get one (or buy one give one for a philanthropic promo)
- Free gift with purchase – it doesn’t need to be anything that costs you money. Even sharing the gift of a treasured family recipe will touch your customers because it’s something from your heart!
- A complimentary gift card that can be applied toward a purchase in the new year
- Free gift wrapping
- Grab bag/mystery box – most people love surprises and this is great for getting rid of old inventory
- Bundle products – Take the guesswork out of shopping for your consumers and save them time
Customers will absolutely notice and appreciate the extra incentives you’re offering them. The holidays are an excellent way to build loyalty with your consumers. Also, consider sending handwritten holiday card to already loyal customers to remind them you love them!
I’ll leave you with one final thought to open up your sales focuses mind. The ultimate goat of your holiday marketing strategy should not be to drive sales (shocker right?!), it should be to ENGAGE and INTERACT with your audience. Think about that for a moment, let it sink in. Why is this so important? When you create community around your brand and products, you can sell literally anything. Stop trying to sell your product and instead, sell who you are as a person, no matter what time of year it is. And, if you can’t get enough, be sure to become a Gem Nation VIP and download the full Guide to Shine: Holiday Marketing Workbook.
RELATED: How To Build Your Community or Tribe
PS – Check out this awesome infographic from The Self! It basically sums up everything you need to know about holiday marketing!
