6 Ultimate Holiday Marketing Tips

The holidays are a key time for retailers to reach new and returning customers and build positive relationships in the community. But they’re also a busy time for customers who will be bombarded by companies trying to get their business — making it even more difficult for you to stand out. To help make an impact, we’ve assembled our six top tips for levelling up your holiday marketing! 

---

Keep your ads fresh, topical and compelling.

This means updating them to indicate holiday and seasonal promotions. Even if you’re not offering a holiday promotion, updating the language in your ad copy to account for the season lets customers know that the promotion is current, incentivizing them to click. Offering a compelling reason to buy — like to avoid in-person shopping, find the perfect gift or support local businesses — can help ensure customers click through! 

Create a sense of urgency in your marketing.

Maybe it’s a holiday countdown clock on your website or limited-time deals shoppers can take advantage of. Holiday shopping provides a special opportunity to drive home the importance of purchasing *right now*, because everyone can relate to the way time moves at light speed between October and January! 

Boost away!

The holiday shopping season is a great time to test out paid social media advertisements to help get your message in front of a greater number of users. Your advertising budget can go far on social media. Just make sure your imagery and messages are relevant, timely and urgent!  

It’s not all about sales.

Well, it is for you. But your customer probably doesn’t want to hear the same “BUY BUY BUY” message repeatedly. Get your audience excited for your seasonal promotions and products by showing them what *you’re* excited about. Putting together some holiday bundles? Shoot some cell phone video of you doing that! Explain why products go together and talk about what makes them such great gifts. If you create amazing DIY kits, shoot some video that sells the fun experience of completing the DIY! If your customer can imagine themselves using your product — whatever it might be — you’re going to be successful. Share images and videos that recreate a mood, a feeling, a sensation — put your customer into the experience. 

Make it shareable.

Your organic social media audience is your bread and butter, your ride-or-die — but during the holidays, it’s important to expand your reach as much as possible and get your business and your products in front of as many people as you can! One way to do that is to create something that can be shared by your audience through social media. Humour is a great way to connect with your customers! Another compelling reason to share is an incentive like a giveaway or contest.  

---

Flagstaff Crafted Gift Guide

Have you heard of the Flagstaff Crafted Gift Guide? The first issue, released during the holiday season in 2020, saw almost all our participating makers selling out of the items listed in the guide, as well as many of their other products! The Gift Guide increases traffic to the sites of our Makers and encourages Albertans to shop local and find the perfect, unique gifts for their loved ones. 

Recommended Resources:

Building – Multichannel Selling: How to Decide on Sales Channels for Your Business and Manage them Effectively

Building – The Complete Guide To Selling At Craft Fairs