Our Top 5 Do’s and Don’ts of Holiday Marketing

With the holiday season arriving at our collective doorstep, retailers should already have their marketing strategies honed and ready.

After all, if there’s any point during the year where there’s an opportunity to connect with your customer base, it’s now. But, if you haven’t yet nailed down on the details of this year’s promotions, consider these online marketing tips to make your holiday promos even brighter.

Ask yourself: How can I best utilize online promotions to effectively cut through the competition? What online tools should you I to showcase the value of our products and quality of my service, compared to other retailers?

First, consider the fact that most, if not all, retailers are utilizing online marketing strategies to some degree. Whether it’s through email blasts, newsletters, or social networking, retailers are alerting their customers to sales going into the holiday season, as well as additional markdowns after the fact. The key is to combine all these strategies into one cohesive marketing campaign. As you finalize the details of your holiday promotions, keep in mind our Top 5 Do’s and Don’ts.

Do:

1) Decide what your goals are:

Whether it’s more revenue, larger transactions, or new customers, you need to target your promotions to meet your specific goals.

For instance, if you want to grow your customer base, do a “refer a friend” campaign. Or, if you want larger transactions, bundle your deals (i.e. buy two shirts, get 20% off ties).

Focus on your goals, or risk a marketing campaign that’s convoluted and unfocused.

2) Integrate your email marketing:

Integrate social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the like) with your email blasts. Most, if not all, of your core customers are using some form of social media so take advantage of this fact, and connect with them on their level. It’s free marketing!

3) Call your core customers:

Don’t rely on social media outlets and email campaigns alone to alert your top customers. Instead call them, make it personal, and tell them what promotions you have planned.

4) Target last minute shoppers:

We all know they’re out there, so cater to them! Offer coupons with last minute purchases that they can redeem after the holiday season. This will give them an incentive to come back to your store during the slower, post-holiday period.

5) Embrace the spirit of season:

Pick a charity and donate a percentage of your sales. Keep track of the percentages you’ve donated and make that information widely available to the public. It’s good for you, and good for those in need.

Don’t:

1) Wait to make markdowns:

Don’t hold out while your direct competition is marking down or you could lose sales. Keep abreast of what your competition is doing, and make sure that your promotions are in line with customers’ expectations.

2) Under or over email

Don’t send out one single email blast and expect customers to respond, BUT don’t overmail. Chances are that if you’re overmailing your customers, your emails will eventually be considered as spam. Be strategic about when you send out an email blast; make sure that it’s targeted.

3) Do what you do every year:

Assume your core customers are looking forward to what new initiatives you have in store for this season. Yes, familiarity in a brand, storefront, and theme is a good thing, but don’t become lazy. Be fresh and innovative, or risk boring your customers and losing sales.

4) Limit your promotions to one day:

Keep it varied and spread across the season. Don’t limit yourself to one type of markdown or promotion. Give customers several reasons to come in.

5) Forget to measure your success:

Take note of what’s hitting and what’s missing with regards to displays, promotions and time of markdowns. Utilize this information to improve your performance next year.