How can your business tap into the holidays? Hint: It’s easier – and more profitable – than you think.
Regardless of what your business sells, offering seasonal-, holiday-, or event-themed promotions can help drive sales.
Your business can tap into the Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Black Friday, Cinco de Mayo, Chinese Lunar New Year, Back-to-School, Easter holiday promotion, and many other local, cultural, and regional holidays.
Why would you want to promote your business when you don't sell Valentine's candy or holiday decorations?
Because customers are primed to spend money for these holidays,
Even if you don’t want to add ugly Christmas sweaters or graduation-themed goods to your offerings, you can promote many unrelated products or services by simply referencing the holiday.
How do you do this? Create a holiday-themed marketing campaign.
Your outdoor gear company could have a selection of couple-themed hiking or camping gear for Valentine's Day. You can offer end-of-school summer vacation gear packages.
Prospects immediately understand that it’s a limited-time deal for a good reason. And you reach them during a peak buying period when they are more inclined to buy.
You could create a gift guide or product bundle.
Your auto supply company could bundle Father’s Day gifts, such as a car detailing kit or deep-clean detailing service.
Your health and wellness company might offer a gift guide or pre-selected gift baskets to make selecting the right gift easier and less confusing.
Suggest "gifts under $50" or "gifts your child's teacher will appreciate."
You can host holiday events.
Your restaurant might have a wine-tasting night to promote its exclusive new wine selections and prepare for all the upcoming holiday parties.
Your gift guide might also remind them that a six-bottle selection makes the perfect Christmas gift.
Offer holiday-themed packaging and gift wrapping.
Some stores turn gift-wrapping into charity fundraisers. This can be a win-win for you, your customers, and the charity.
You can create themed merchandising.
Decorate your sporting goods store Christmas tree with wool socks, compasses, and small impulse-sales items.
If you sell online, change the look of your website pages to reflect some holiday themes.
Promote gift cards.
This gives your business a nice cash infusion, and the reality is that some cards will never be redeemed.
After-holiday buyers can be very motivated to spend, too.
After-holiday sales can be huge, especially after the big holidays when people are often bored and looking to buy or do something.
This urge to buy is less about getting a gift for someone else and more about treating themselves to something they want.
They may also be looking to stock up on deals for next season.
Pay attention.
These are two very different buyers with two very different buying messages. One is doing something nice for themselves; the other is bargain hunting.
The treat-yourself buyer is looking to fill a need for themselves. If Santa didn’t bring them the sleeping bag, beauty products, or luxury handbag they wanted, they may buy it for themselves if you reach them immediately after the holidays.
This is particularly true with “after-Christmas” deals.
Bargain hunting for discount merchandise buyers are looking for steep discounts.
Unless you want to keep those Christmas trees until next year, now is the time to offer sharp discounts and clear them out.
Connect with customers who are looking for a bargain.
Stand out from your competitors by offering a product or service promotion that seems like a too-good-to-pass-up, do n’t-you-deserve-it deal.
Promote these holiday sales to your email or customer list.
If you have an email list, let them in on the deals – or even offer “exclusive, email-only” deals.
Send emails several times throughout the promotion, reminding readers of limited time or quantities.
Send two emails on the last day of the promotion with a “going, going, gone” theme.
This method will get you a lot of sales on that last day, especially during the last hours when customers know there’s no time left.
Pro tip: if you leave the web page for the promotion running just a little over the ending time, you will always get a few buyers who happily “game the system” by sneaking in after the door is closed.
There are many ways to capitalize on holiday sales, even when your business has little to do with any particular holiday.
Nothing about auto goods or hiking gear immediately sparks thoughts of Christmas or graduation. However, you can sell your auto products or hiking gear when you package and market the goods with a holiday or event theme.
Don't let your competitors have all the sales around the holidays.
Be creative in your thinking
Keep customers coming back after the holiday with future-use coupons times TWO.
If you really want to keep your customers coming back, include two future-use coupons: one for the buyer and one for the recipient.
The buyer's coupon can be for a future discount or free with purchase merchandise.
The recipient's coupon could be for related goods, such as discounts on sleeping bag pads for the Valentine's couple's camping package or bring-back-your-empty-wine-bottle, and we'll discount your next two bottles.
How can you market your business to tap into holiday sales?
Take Action! Download the worksheet: Christmas Sweaters and Valentines Hearts
Taken from: Profit-ize Your Business Book Three: Pricing and Affiliate Marketing
Like this post? It was taken from the Profitize Your Business series
