While the holiday season may be a few months out, you're better off starting your holiday marketing sooner than later. People often complete their holiday shopping earlier to get it out of the way and purchase items when prices are favorable. According to one survey, 40% of people plan to shop for the holidays early due to inflation fears.
If you're not sure how to start your holiday marketing this year, there are many channels you can try. Here we'll explore some easy marketing strategies for small business campaigns.
1. Start Early and Have a Plan
Starting early helps you get ahead of your competitors’ holiday marketing. Ideally, you should begin as early as summertime or in the early fall months.
Ensure you have a clear plan for your holiday marketing strategy. Identify all relevant marketing must-haves for your campaigns and gather the necessary resources. These steps make preparing your marketing easier before the holidays begin.
As you plan for holiday marketing, consider certain elements such as:
- Holiday promo materials to help advertise promotions and deals
- Specific audiences to target, along with when and how to target them
- Compelling holiday-themed messages to push
2. Leverage Radio Advertising
Local media advertising is crucial for holiday marketing, and radio is one of the best channels for this. Radio shows can attract the attention of people all across Northern Illinois. Depending on the types of audiences you want to target, consider targeting either AM talk shows or FM music shows.
Radio is a fantastic way to increase brand exposure and make unique connections with audiences. Radio ads also have staying power when approached properly, meaning people will more likely remember them. They may also supplement your other marketing efforts. Over time, radio ads can help increase brand recall and recognition while promoting holiday deals.
3. Use Paid Campaigns to Increase Awareness
You'll need effective reach strategies to boost brand awareness. One such strategy is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Develop and launch PPC ads with a holiday theme to connect with potential customers.
Targeted PPC ads can appear all over the web, getting people's attention and increasing awareness of holiday promos and sales you plan to offer. That includes retargeting ads to bring people back to your website after visiting. Through effective remarketing, you keep people aware of your brand, so they’ll turn to you when ready to do their holiday shopping.
4. Create Targeted Email Campaigns
Don't overlook email campaigns when developing your holiday marketing strategies. They have high potential as an effective strategy, and they're among the most cost-effective marketing strategies, as well. Just consider that the average return on investment for email is $36 for every $1 spent on these campaigns.
Start your campaigns by identifying your target audience specific to email marketing and determine who is most likely to respond to your campaigns. You can begin to build a long email list and send emails that disclose holiday deals, promos, and events. These emails will further ensure you have people's attention before the holiday season begins.
5. Advertise with Local Celebrity Influencers
As you explore how to get local customers, consider connecting with local celebrity influencers. Northern Illinois has plenty of influencers, including social media influencers, TV personalities, radio hosts, and many others. By building a relationship with the right ones, you can reap the rewards of influencer marketing.
Local influencer marketing is one of the best ways to connect with audiences since they know how to adjust their messaging to resonate with locals. They often have a loyal following that trusts influencers and the brands they endorse. Because of this, an influencer partnership can be invaluable for your brand and holiday marketing efforts.
6. Try Social Media Marketing
Launching a social media marketing campaign is another way to achieve results with your holiday marketing. You can use a combination of social media ads, text posts, videos, and more to reach audiences with your messaging. You can grow your following and gain attention from your existing followers ahead of the holidays.
Keep in mind that the best holiday social media campaigns target the right platforms. Determine where your audience spends its time and create posts exclusively for these platforms. That increases your campaign efficiency and stays within your budget.
Bonus: Make a Plan for Long-Term Success with Mid-West Family Northern IL
These holiday promotion ideas for small businesses can help your marketing efforts succeed before the holiday season starts. If you need help launching your campaigns, a media partner like Mid-West Family Northern IL can work with you. They can help ensure your campaigns excel and keep your sales high long after the holiday spike.
