November Holiday Season Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

November can be quite the frenzy for all businesses alike with a number of back to back holidays. From Thanksgiving, to post-Thanksgiving corporate holidays such as Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, this is the time of year for businesses to attract customers and expect elevated sales by utilizing the holiday spirit. While corporate businesses and large retailers typically dominate November holiday promotions, small businesses can also thrive by establishing business through strategic and creative marketing. Check out the top 4 last minute ideas that small businesses can incorporate to achieve success during the holiday season!

Small Business Saturday

In the last few years, we have become very aware of the success that Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday can be for large companies. Do not let that discourage you if you are a local business owner and take advantage of Small Business Saturday on November 26^th, 2016! If your business has not participated yet, it is time to do so. Created by American Express as a corporate holiday in 2010, this particular Saturday is dedicated to small businesses and continues to flourish each year. Last year, over 95 million consumers participated in Small Business Saturday, while spending approximately $16.2 billion at independent retailers and restaurants according to a consumer survey by American Express and the National Federation of Independent Business.

One imperative way that Small Business Saturday has brought success is by using the power of community. For example, Rhonda Abrams, president and chief entrepreneur of Planning Shop stated how smaller businesses often compete with each other, but the size and community ties provide the advantage. Even with limitations of resources and money compared to larger companies, smaller companies can host in-store events, eliminate driving to the mall and competing with others in large and possibly violent crowds. With your small business, reach out to your local community. If possible, try organizing a community event or gather other small businesses near you to create local promotions together to appeal to consumers.

Social Media

In this day in age, social media is an important factor for success. Avoiding social media could mean that a business is missing out on all the potential online customers and word of mouth through the World Wide Web. Therefore, resort to the social media sites that are popular in use for consumers today—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and more.

A great way to incorporate the holiday season into your social media marketing campaign is by creating exclusive deals to your social media followers. For instance, share a special code word with followers on the holidays to reel in consumers to receive a special promotion for being loyal.

Do not forget that email is also a tool for social media! Email is an easy way to reach consumers with discount codes and deals. Plus, those who receive emails are likely to forward, share, or spread word of mouth of special deals with friends and family. Remember: The more targeted your emails are to a specific audience, the more personalized the message or deals in the email can be. Keep it concise and clear—customers do not want to read an essay of information.

Avoid trying to attract new consumers

A business should not put all of its time and energy into custom acquisition during the month of November. The reason being is that it is much easier to market to customers who have already made a purchase from your business in regards to an increase in sales.

As mentioned above, think about the customers that remained loyal and supported your business. Create special deals for these customers and explain how they are “VIPs” to your business. Utilizing social media and email to show gratitude will resonate well with your customers.

Connect with Customers Meaningfully

Whether interacting online or face-to-face, customer satisfaction should be a top priority. After all, thanksgiving is the holiday of giving thanks and appreciation. When interacting with customers, your response reflects not only yourself, but your business as well. With smaller companies, positive and genuine interactions with customers will create an emotional connection that will ultimately help build a positive image for a business.

For online audiences, try producing personal messages over social media to loyal customers. Create images, GIFS, or videos to show customer gratification and appreciation. However, avoid making a sales pitch. It is important to remain genuine and to show how your business is grateful for all of the support.

About Bigfin.com

Bigfin.com LLC is an industry leader in online advertising, SEO and custom web design. Our holiday promotional services include optimized Micro-Targeted Ads with built in retargeting technology, e-commerce web designs, as well as social media advertising on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social outlets. Looking for mobile website solutions or help with search engine marketing? Contact us online or by phone at (425) 822-8200.