Holiday Marketing: 18 Santa-riffic Ideas

Why conjure up holiday marketing ideas from scratch when someone else has already primed the pump for you? Go refill your coffee, come back and peruse this list. Better yet, share it with your colleagues, then meet for half an hour to pick a few and talk about any ideas that this list inspires.

1. Make your Black Friday Specials stand out. If you're a brick and mortar shop, offer a discount for online orders. Consider placing staff or self-service internet-connected devices in your store to solve inventory problems or make online shopping easier. Offer price matches or free extras.

2. How much is lead generation worth to you? You can get a nice batch of new social media followers by hosting a live holiday party with interactive games or giveaways on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, or other platforms.

3. Publish holiday coupon codes like ELF1225 for $12.25 off select items or services.

4.  Create an email template that is way more festive than your everyday one. Yes, there are ways to create email stationery in gmail and other email client applications. Try emailbackgrounds for some ideas.

5. Optimize new content on commonly searched phrases like "Gifts for Wife," or "Stocking Stuffers" plus your location.

6. Free Shipping or some other freebie that you usually charge for is always a go-to.

7. Blast out a personalized e-card to hot leads and current customers.

8. Holidify (yes, we just invented a word there) your social media posts with graphics or charts with a holdiay theme. Also- greet your main page website visitors with a nice Christmas / Hanukkah / Kwanzaa etc. theme, or keep it simple and go with snowpersons and candles.

9. Promote flash one-hour deals through all your channels. Make a holiday marketing plan that you can test and use again next year.

10. Offer 2 for 1's with the idea of keeping one and giving away the other as a gift.

11. Take time now to make sure your website is optimized for mobile. A large percentage of your online customers are going to use their phones to make purchases, so do them a favor by making everything mobile-friendly.

12. Re-do your landing pages with holiday graphics and greetings.

13. Create a staff music video or a lip-dub featuring your offices, warehouse, etc.

     

14. Tap into customer reviews and ratings to increase  word of mouth traffic. HubSpot has a collection of links for Online Review Sites.

15. Scan last year's website and email statistics to determine what went well and what didn't. If you don't have the data, now would be a great time to get that set up!

16. Find out if there are any opportunities for inclusion in local gift guides or sponsorships you can buy (we're talkin' Christmas parades and Holiday 5K's here).

17. Do an Advent Calendar or Twelve Days of Christmas to showcase specials on your products or services.

18. offer bundles, such as package deal including your bed and breakfast room with a discounted taxi ride from the airport, or dinner at your café plus a half-price ticket at the nearest entertainment venue.

There are so many more great ideas out there. The point is, make the holiday season count! And since so many of your incipient customers are going to shop online, you've got to do more than a string of lights and a poinsettia in your storefront or reception area. Whether it's your social media channels, your main website or an email campaign, United WebWorks can help you navigate your online holiday marketing (and regular old internet marketing) like Rudolph on a foggy Christmas Eve! Contact us today.