Christmas Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business

The holiday season is officially in high gear, and this is the season where people from all parts of the world rush to buy gifts and prepare for one of the most awaited times of the year.

Shopping malls are jam-packed, pop-up stores are everywhere, there are long lines at restaurants, Santa is making stops at major department stores, and online shopping sites are bombarded with orders.

While the streets are crowded and people are hustling to do their cross off their Christmas shopping lists, small business owners should take advantage of the season to grow their business.

Keep in mind, though, that you only have a small window of time to send your message across and reach your potential customers.

From decorating your store to offering special promotions and holiday giveaways, here are some great Christmas marketing ideas to expand your business in time for the holidays.

When the Christmas season comes, many businesses capitalize on the situation by offering discounts for their products or services, going as low as they can just to increase sales volume.

While true that this will definitely boost your income, it will only work for a short period of time. Consumers are always driven by price, and they will move to your competitors when your store can no longer offer rock-bottom prices.

Instead of focusing on how to increase revenue on Christmas, create a long-term solution by taking advantage of the holiday season.

The best way to do this is to show your customers that they are valued and appreciated through a Christmas video. Now that everything has gone mobile, sending your message to the public has never been easier.

Whether you want to promote a season sale, give away vouchers, introduce your latest services, or simply wish your patrons a happy holiday, make a Christmas video in a fun and creative way.

• Your Christmas themed video should spread awareness, goodwill, and generosity.
• Review your video and make sure that the objectives and theme complement each other.
• Give your customers what they truly want, just like WestJet Airlines do in their viral video.

The next marketing strategy you could employ is to boost sales of gift cards. Consumers spend on average $28 more than the value of their card, and the majority redeem it during the first 60 days after receipt.

This means that selling gift cards in your store is like hitting two birds with one stone; it entices customers to spend more in your shop, and it gives your business a nice jumpstart during the first months of the new year.

Gift cards are one of those holiday promotions that is always appreciated by the recipient, mainly because people want to receive something just as good as cash that they can personally spend in store.

To maximize the sales of your gift cards, make sure to display them in a prominent location, like checkout counters.

You could also:

• Consider selling virtual gift cards by signing up with programs such as Square Up.
• Display them in high traffic areas such as dressing rooms, waiting rooms, or store windows.
• Offer promotions like free small gifts, small discounts, or free item delivery upon purchase.

The next of these Christmas marketing ideas is all about beautification. Christmas decorations aren’t just made for physical stores and retail shops, your website and social media accounts should also embody the festivity of Christmas.

Decorating your online stores is a fun way to let customers feel the joyous presence of this glorious event. Use festive graphics with warm messages to welcome your visitors. Remember, various designs can be freely downloaded on the internet.

You could also switch to a holiday themed background to promote the Christmas mood when potential customers visit your website. And to complete the look, don’t forget to put small jovial vector graphics on your site such as candy canes, candles, star toppers, Christmas trees, and holiday stockings.

Special animations like blinking lights and falling snow further add a celebratory feel to your website. When it comes to your social media account:

• Customize your Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter buttons using holiday icons.

• Let your imagination run wild and dress up your social media avatar with Santa hats.

• If you’re using a logo, tweak it by adding Christmas elements to create a sense of festivity.

Included in our tips for Christmas marketing ideas to attract customers is to host a contest for your customers or employees. There are many competition ideas out there, but one that is creating a huge buzz right now is the ugly sweater contest, where the ugliest, tackiest, funniest, and most creative sweaters win a prize.

All you need to do is to invite participants, either your customers or employees, and state the rules on how to play.

If you’re not into ugly sweaters, consider putting on a holiday costume contest as an alternative form of Christmas marketing. Just like the previously mentioned game, make sure to figure out the rules before sending invites.

The key here isn’t actually the contest, but in this manner you generate a buzz within the community. You need to find fun ways to keep customers talking about your business.

• Make sure to take good photos and post them on your social media accounts.

• Keep prizes handy - they don’t need to be big but should be useful enough to be enjoyed.

• Consider hosting a special contest for your social media followers.

In line with your Christmas campaign, nothing could be more heartwarming than giving a Christmas gift to your loyal customers. Contrary to the usual fears with giveaways, giving away small gifts won’t devalue your brand.

Instead this will show your utmost appreciation and boost loyalty from new and existing customers.

Depending on your budget, this can either be a modest giveaway such as mugs, bags, umbrellas, or other small useful things, or it can be as large as winning a holiday getaway trip that will definitely keep the whole town talking.

When giving away gifts, remember that customers appreciate getting more rather than receiving price discounts. Here are some tips when it comes to giveaways and gift ideas:

• Free items should be attached to something with greater value.

• Make sure that your giveaways are useful and related to your business.

• Use gifts as a form of incentive for simple requests such as liking your Facebook page.