The holiday season is the busiest and most profitable time of the year for many small businesses which is why it’s so important to be as efficient as possible with your marketing. We have compiled six do’s and don’ts when it comes to your holiday marketing to help you get started.
Do find a way to stand out
In the holiday season, everyone is competing for your customer’s attention. The solution? Find creative ways to stand out! The simplest way to start standing out and building recognition is by being consistent with your branding—your colors, fonts, and logo (all customizable within Ripl!)
It’s also no secret that almost all social platforms are favoring video content and taking advantage of that is sure to help you stand out. Try your hand at creating a Reel, hosting a Facebook or Instagram Live, or posting videos on Instagram Stories.
Don’t create false urgency
There’s a difference between building excitement and creating false urgency to get customers to shop. Simply put, customers can pick up when they’re being misled and it’s not worth sacrificing long-term trust for a quick holiday sale.
Instead, create an incentive to shop like limited time offers, free gift with purchase, or free shipping.
Do find ways incorporate authenticity
A surefire way to stand out is being authentic, no matter what social media platform you’re using for your marketing. One of the best parts of running a small business is the ability to be authentic and incorporate personal touches.
Highlight what makes your business unique, the personal experience customers receive, and the people behind your business.
Don’t make it hard to shop with you
After grabbing people’s attention, the next step is to get them to make a purchase with you. This can easily be done by doing things like being clear with sale details, double checking that links are working, and offering gift card options.
If in doubt, we recommend you err on the side of keeping it simple—this helps both you and your customers.
Do give back to your community
Spread more kindness and cheer this year. One of the best parts of the holiday season is giving back to your community or causes you care about. After a difficult couple of years due to the pandemic, customers love knowing their money is going towards greater causes to help others.
Here are some ideas to make a bigger impact this holiday season:
Give a portion of proceeds to charity
Allow customers to choose causes their passionate about to donate to with their purchase
Sponsor families in need with your business
Have a toy drive
Don’t rely on organic social media alone
Organic social media is the backbone of a good marketing strategy and while we love it, it has some shortcomings. Because it relies mainly on interactions from followers, it makes it harder for you to expand your customer base. In addition, with a combined user base in the billions across all platforms, there is increased competition and lots of online noise, all vying for your follower’s attention as well.
So what should you do? Let us introduce you to paid advertising. Paid ads allow you to get more eyes on your content and show it to people outside of your following. Get started with an ad today!
Check out other articles in our marketing do’s and don’ts series:
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