Special holiday offers and charity events top the list for best promotions during November to January.
December Holiday sales in 2018 are expected to pass the $700 billion mark in the U.S. with at least a 3.8 percent increase over the prior year, according to Retail Touch Points.
This spike is hot on the heels of a 5.5 percent increase from 2016 during the 2017 holiday season, the month of November and December. Small businesses should be doing everything they can to maximize their exposure to potential customers and driving sales throughout this period.
Fit Small Business tapped small business owners to find out their most powerful marketing and promotions during the holidays that nearly any owner can incorporate into their strategy.
Many events focus on creating scarcity and a sense of urgency through limited-time-only specials such as a 12 days giveaway that offers something new for one day only. This allowed social media marketer Proko to increase the daily traffic to their website by 20-30 percent each day as customers checked to see what was on display and boosted sales throughout the promotion and into January as well. Creating a product or two with a limited-edition holiday run can create instant demand among existing customers that don’t want to miss out as well as new customers intrigued by the offer. Suit maker Shinesty, for instance, creates 100 suit batches of a unique design that, once sold, will never make it back into their shop again.
A great way to tap into the giving spirit during the holidays is to avoid the overplayed Buy-1-Get-1 specials and create a Buy-1-Give-1 promotion that pledges to donate a product or a portion of the profits to a good cause whenever someone buys something. For traditional businesses with a local presence, doing good in the community can bring benefits long into the future by cultivating a positive brand image. Once all of the fun ideas are planned, don’t forget to ensure that there is enough product on hand to last through a busy sales period.
