Fall has hit and Halloween decorations are in full swing. It’s a fun, yet busy time of year. However, with that busyness, as a business owner, you have to find time to prep for the holiday season that lies ahead. Planning ahead will allow you to follow a strategic marketing plan, especially if the holidays are your busiest season.
If you follow a retail calendar, you would have had the holidays planned months ago. But for most of us, this type of planning isn’t a reality when you’re used to wearing many hats. Now is the time to roll up your sleeves and put together a plan for your business that will get you through January 1 of 2018. Here are a few easy tips to help you get started.
1. Start collecting customer emails for your holiday marketing plans
Give visitors to your website or store a way to opt-in to your newsletter communication. Let them know you will have specials and deals they don’t want to miss. These deals can easily be delivered to their email inbox so they are always in the know.
2. Follow a theme
What is going on in the last few months of the year? Search for monthly topics that relate to your business. An example being if your business is a bank, October is Financial Planning Month, so your monthly theme could surround financial planning, particularly over the holiday season when added expenses of gifts and holiday parties are added into the budget. Plan all content for social media, graphics and any print marketing around this theme. You’ll want to stay consistent to engage your customers. What they see in your brick and mortar would translate online as well.
3. Create specials specific to your business
If you are a retail location, start planning your Black Friday and Christmas deals now. You’ll want to start to give a sneak peek early for your customers to get their attention. You will also want to plan various specials to keep your customers engaged and coming back to your website or physical store location, so plan various sales throughout the month of December as well.
4. Mockup your graphics and newsletter templates now
Once you have your monthly themes and specials specific to your business planned, get your graphics and newsletter templates built. Knowing the look of your graphics and having a plug-and-play newsletter template ready to go will make the holidays that much easier for you to handle.
5. Plan your content and newsletter schedule in advance
Planning when you will send out correspondence will take a weight off your shoulders during the busy holiday season. Follow your calendar that you will have set up and schedule content and newsletters before your busy season hits or during the hours when it’s a bit slower.
If you are already feeling overwhelmed at the thought of the holidays, contact us for help! Let our team of content marketers help you get through the holiday season unscathed! We offer free, no-obligation consultations to start the conversation.
