Last Minute Holiday Marketing Ideas You Can Start Using Today by Janice Clark

It’s that time of year again and if you’re like a lot of small business owners, you’re probably scrambling to juggle family and business obligations.  The holidays can be one of the biggest sales periods for many entrepreneurs and if you didn’t plan in advance, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed right now.

Don’t worry!

Whether the holidays crept up on you while you were dealing with more pressing matters or you just didn’t know where to start with a marketing plan, these holiday marketing ideas are things you can do TODAY to begin bringing in more sales.

Before we get started, let me share that there are far more complex and detailed marketing campaigns we could be discussing. Maybe I’ll start posting about those next June. They take time and careful planning. The ideas I’m sharing below are literally ideas you can start using right now. No set up, no research and no learning curves (ok, maybe a small learning curve, depending on your level of expertise). The ideas I share below are short, sweet and to the point so grab a pen and paper and let’s get started!

Marketing Ideas You Can Use TODAY!

A. Live Video – this builds a one-one-one connection to your audience

1. Create a list of last minute gift ideas or budget friendly gift ideas
2. Review some of your favorite products
3. Solve a problem for your audience

1. B. Partner with someone
   1. Who else is in front of your audience? Do a Facebook Live with them!
   2. Cross promote to each other’s lists

1. C. Today’s successful marketing campaigns are all about communication
   1. Ask your audience to post their wishlist or a photo from their wishlist
   2. Ask them to leave a comment and share which of YOUR products they would love to receive and then tag a friend
   3. Ask for photos of their pets in holiday sweaters
   4. Listen to what they have to say and engage in honest conversations

1. D. Create a Pinterest topics board for your products
   1. Boards might include gift ideas, wish list, for him, for her, last minute gifts, etc.
   2. Invite Pinners to share their favorite gifts – DON’T POST AND RUN! INVITE COMMUNICATION!

1. E. Don’t neglect Instagram!
   1. Use a holiday theme for your profile
   2. Ask questions
   3. Invite your audience to show how they use your product
   4. Don’t forget video!

1. F. Do a Christmas countdown
   1. Use fun video software like JibJab or make your own
   2. Countdown 12 gifts, deals, etc. of Christmas
   3. Share fun facts in your countdown
   4. Offer a deal of the day

1. G. Encourage shoppers to buy for themselves
   1. In 2017 19% of consumers planned on spending some money on themselves while 40% were strongly considering it.
   2. Ask your audience what they would like for themselves this season
   3. Encourage self care products and services

1. H. Host a Contest
   1. Recipe contest
   2. Funny pet photo contest
   3. Ugly sweater contest
   4. Christmas decorations contest
   5. Dear Santa letter contest

1. I. Encourage your audience to fill in the blank on your Facebook page
   1. All I want for Christmas is…
   2. The movie I love most during the holidays is…
   3. The real truth about Santa is…

1. J. Create Urgency
   1. Black Friday
   2. Green Monday is on December 10 this year. It’s the 2nd Monday in December – it marks 10 days left until Christmas and is the biggest online sales day in December – It’s become the cyber Monday of December so don’t forget it
   3. Free Shipping Day – this year it’s held on Dec 14 th – On this day, consumers can shop from both large and small online merchants that offer free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve.

1. K. Know what your audience wants
   1. Early in the season, shoppers are looking for deals
   2. As we get closer to Christmas, they’ll buy what catches their eye

1. L. Run a giveback brand visibility campaign
   1. Humanize your brand and show people how you’re giving back each day
   2. Invite your fans to participate in the holiday cheer
   3. Encourage them to share a gif that makes them smile
   4. Ask them to share what or who they are thankful for
   5. Ask them to share photos of their holiday decorations
   6. Be funny, be kind – holidays are stressful

1. M. Don’t forget hashtags! These are just a few and there are lots more!
   1. #lastminutegifts
   2. #gift
   3. #christmasgift
   4. #giftcard
   5. #instagift
   6. #instachristmasgift

1. N. Help others!
   1. Curate content your audience might like
   2. Offer gift suggestions
   3. Point them in the direction of last minute sales or fun how to videos for the holidays
   4. Offer advice
   5. Show them how to do something

TAKE A BREATH! You want brand visibility? Stand out from everyone else. Do what no one else is doing. Invite your audience to share in 15 minutes of downtime with you, share a meditation, encourage them to put down the technology and enjoy some family time for a few minutes or just join you in a live video and enjoy a virtual hug and a little support.

There will be times this season when you’re being openly promotional. There should be other times when you’re simply showcasing your brand and yourself in a way that will encourage potential clients to do business with you. Ideally you’ll have a mix of both in your holiday marketing campaign. Remember to add value to their lives, make them smile and make them feel good. They won’t forget!

You’ve got this!

Ask how Janice Clark and BizMSolutions can help!

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Hiring Out Social Media Tasks: How to Get Help Without Losing Control

http://www.bizmsolutions.com/home/what-everyone-should-know-about-outsourcing-social-media.html

Facebook Live 101 http://www.bizmsolutions.com/Facebook-Live-101

The show where Janice discusses these ideas can be heard here.