Blog

by Jadrianne Smith

The busiest shopping day is just around the corner! Is your business ready for Black Friday?  Holiday shopping may look a little different this year for consumers, so make sure your marketing strategy is on point by following these helpful tips.

1. Have a great e-commerce presence – Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it should be no surprise that more consumers will be shopping online to avoid crowded stores this year. In fact, last year, with no pandemic, more Americans shopped online during Thanksgiving weekend than in physical stores, according to the National Retail Federation. 

So how do you meet this online shopping demand?

1. Have an e-commerce website that offers online orders. Use Shopify to build a quick and easy e-commerce site or reach out to your local website builder to get you set up.
2. Use social media shopping tools such as Facebook Shops and Instagram Shopping. With Facebook Shops, you can display and sell items on Facebook and Instagram, and target customers by location, age, and interests to boost your sales.
3. Email Marketing – If you aren’t collecting customer’s emails, you need to start now.  Consumers are looking for good deals in their inbox, especially this time of year.  Sign up for a free trial with email marketing platforms such as Constant Contact or Mail Chimp.  Remember to send emails your customers want to see, such as coupons, events, and industry news. 

2. Offer Early Sales – Due to Covid, consumers are looking to shop safely and early to avoid crowds and the stress of last-minute shopping. So offer your customers early or extended Black Friday deals.

3. Make shopping safe – inform your customers what steps your store is taking to make their shopping experience safe. For example, requiring masks, offering curbside pickup, having hand sanitizer, allowing a certain number of shoppers at one time, or offering private shopping times.

4. Note Important Dates –

Thanksgiving Nov 26th

Black Friday Nov 27th         

Small Business Saturday Nov 28th

Cyber Monday Nov 30th

Giving Tuesday Dec 1st

Super Saturday Dec 19th

Christmas Dec 25th

New Year’s Day Jan 1st

Inform your customers about other important dates such as the last day they need to order to guarantee shipping by Christmas, when they need to book their holiday parties by, or when they need to get their food catering orders in.  

5. Blast on Social Media – Use the power of social media marketing to get your message out. Your customers are looking for a Black Friday deal and will turn to your social media profiles.  Increase sales even more by boosting your posts and events to your target market. 

6. Along with promoting your holiday specials, mix in some fun and charitable giving with your marketing campaigns. For example: Hold a contest such as a picture or recipe contest, do a giveaway for the 12 days of Christmas, or giveaway a free turkey dinner for Thanksgiving.  Host a ladies sip and shop night.  Hold a toy drive or have your entire staff volunteer at a soup kitchen.  The possibilities are endless.

The holidays are right around the corner.  It is not too late to incorporate these six tips into your holiday marketing to boost sales.  So get out your calendar, sit down with your staff, and put on your creative hats.