Unwrap The Best Holiday Marketing Ideas For Your Small Business

1. Host a party for your customers and prospects

Since calendars tend to get crowded during the holiday season, try to incentivize your guests to attend your party or event. Consider inviting family members for Holiday arts and crafts, or hold a benefit for a specific charity. Alternatively, you can host your event in the morning before everyone’s day gets crazy.

2. Send holiday cards to your customers and prospects with a sincere thank you

Consider sending a treat, too. No office has ever complained about having received too many delicious food gifts! Another idea is to include a note alerting them you have made a donation to a local charity in their name.

3. Hold a faux “Black Friday Recovery” event

You can create some fun holiday-themed email marketing and social media posts to promote your sale, and hold it the week after the traditional Black Friday.

4. Pair up with a complementary business and offer a discount if people buy your services together

You can theme it as an end-of-year sale to start the New Year right.

5. Team up with other local business neighbors to hold a “block party”

For this idea, each business invites their customers who can then visit other nearby businesses to cross-promote. You can have food available and maybe even fun activity like holiday bingo where visitors get their card punched at each location to win a prize. Consider offering prizes at the door and discounts inside. Try not to forget to tag each other on social media to increase reach and boost brand buzz.

6. Use holiday themes in your social media posts

Visual content does well, so try to take photos or videos of your team decorating the office or holding your office party. Showing off the people behind your business can help “personalize” your marketing efforts.

7. Plan your social media calendar in advance so you don’t get overwhelmed during your busy season

Focus on promotions, but try not to forget to include other holiday themes, such as a survey on favorite holiday songs or pictures of your “elves” (employees) hard at work.

8. Make the most of popular shopping opportunities

You can market Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Free Shipping Day and Super Saturday by offering special promotions via email and social media.

9. Offer a service, such as free gift wrap or curbside delivery to harried customers

You can deliver their packages with a bottle of water and holiday treat.

10. Team up with a local influencer as a brand ambassador who uses or wears your product and posts on social media, tagging you

You can identify a local influencer who is willing to work with your brand, or who will use or wear your product and post on social media (make sure they tag you!). And don’t worry that you need to find a real celebrity. A local radio personality or prominent high school athlete could be a good choice to appeal to your hometown.

11. Partner with nearby businesses to host an event on Small Business Saturday or Super Saturday (the Saturday before Christmas)

You can offer refreshments, entertainment and discounts. Consider cross promoting on each other’s social media to increase reach. Try to make your store festive by printing banners and other holiday signage and offering small promotional items as gifts with purchase.

12. Drive repeat business by distributing coupons or discounts for future purchases

You might even consider entering shoppers into a raffle for a big-ticket item with every purchase.

Bonus tip:  Try to promote everything above on social media…but you already knew that, didn’t you?