Christmas is approaching fast and whether you celebrate it or not, it’s an important time for most small businesses. This year proved extra challenging when due to a late Thanksgiving, the “official” holiday season was cut short by one week. It’s important to note that most shoppers might be unaware of this startling fact, as was I when I recently checked my calendar.
Here are some last minute tips that you can easily implement into your marketing plan to drive last minute sales.
Focus on Time
Time is of the essence right now. Urgency is always a key component to any marketing strategy and now that sense of urgency can work in your favor. Send posts to your social networks that focus on the time left. Try: “Only 10 Days of Shopping Left” or “Only 2 More Tuesdays”.
Snap Away
It’s a fact that visual content is more appealing and engaging. It can be hard to share on the fly during this season but I am guessing your phone is always nearby. Take pictures throughout the day, and take a lot of them. At the end of the day, pick your best ones and schedule to share over the few days.
So snap away. You can look, edit and add appropriate captions when you find a few seconds of downtime. The added bonus is it will help remind you of all the goods things that happen even in the midst of chaos.
Match Your Products with Types of People
Make your shop a one stop shop. Create a buyer’s guide by giving product suggestions for different kinds of gift giving. For instance: “For The Love of Your Life”, “For Your Best Friend”, “For The Teachers Out There” or “For My Hair Stylist”.
Think about your customers and for whom they are buying. Create displays in your store, take photos to share and create a shopping guide. Whatever it is, make it easy for people to run in and pick it up!
Short Videos
Just like sharing photos, sharing videos can have a powerful impact on getting your content noticed. I know making videos can be a little intimidating. What if I told you all you need is a 6-10 second video from your phone, would that make it better?
Take a quick, and I mean quick, video of a regular customer telling your audience why they love the product they love. You can also have an employee do a holiday countdown with gift ideas. People are looking for reasons to buy right now. Give them some!
Ask Your Customers to Check In
When checking people out at your register, ask people to check in on Facebook. If they have a smartphone and a Facebook account, they are probably logged on and this task can be accomplished in just a few seconds. Every checkin puts your store name in front of new people that might not have thought of your product for gift giving.
Service Businesses
Even if you don’t have a physical product, think of ways to get people to buy your service as a gift. Offer gift certificates, give your existing clients an offer to pass on to their friends or create a virtual six-pack. Buy 5 of “your service” for the cost of 6.
People will be short on money come January. We all know how slow January and February are for business, so it is important to get people to spend now. You have a short time left to capitalize on the busiest shopping time of the year. I know it’s probably hard to think of adding anything more to your day but just know you can rest in January.
Kim Yuhl, helps small businesses blog better at kimyuhl.com. She is also the creator of Project Inside Out, launching January 2014, designed to help small business owners create a thriving business and the life they want.
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