‘Tis the season for businesses to brace themselves as the mad dash towards the winter holiday escalates. Between efforts to wrap up projects, evaluate the year’s performance, close the fiscal year, and to prepare your business for the upcoming year, these final months can feel particularly frantic. Effectively marketing your product for the fourth quarter is especially crucial for small businesses, who see an uptick in sales during the holiday season. Studies show that one-third of small businesses in America report that Q4 is their most profitable time of year. Whether your business is big or small, there are many marketing tactics that you can leverage to unleash the holiday hustle. Get ready to sleigh the season with our merry tips to help navigate the festive frenzy and make this holiday the most successful for you and your employees.
Optimize User Data for Growth. Plan your holiday marketing strategy ahead. Leverage user data from your CRM system to understand customer behavior, evaluate what messaging resonates most, understand the products and services your most loyal customers seek, and identify industry trends and best practices. Once you review the data and understand your customer’s needs, adjust your strategy so that they have a clear goal based on value generation. Clearly communicate these goals so that your team understands them and that they can be executed seamlessly. Map out the channels to best reach your audience. Consider all of the places that your brand has a presence and how you can create an ecosystem that communicates the ways that your product adds value to potential customers. Be sure that each piece of content is best suited for the platform you’re using and that there is a measurable KPI that aligns with your overall marketing objectives. Reviewing existing data will help you identify strengths and weaknesses and help identify opportunities to drive success. If you aren’t leveraging paid media, now may be the best time to do so, especially if you’re offering special deals or services for year end. Paid media efforts can help garner awareness around your product or service and generate sales to a broader audience.
Prioritization. With so much to do at year’s end, it’s important to communicate priorities early on so that everyone in the organization is on the same page and can plan their time and resources accordingly. Determine which projects will have the highest return on investment (ROI) and focus your resources around those initiatives. Consider shifting attention to smaller projects with quicker outcomes to maximize your ROI. If your organization is required to meet compliance standards, ensure you’re allotting enough time to access your systems to ensure they meet compliance readiness standards.
Spruce up your website and communications. You’ve reviewed your data and have developed a multichannel marketing plan that targets your existing customers. Now’s the time to ensure your website and customer communications are concise, functional, and user friendly. Make sure that the most popular products are easy to find on your website. Consider leveraging your newsletter, social media, and other communications to promote best sellers. Now is a great time to use testimonials to communicate the value proposition of your services. Consider having someone less familiar with your website and communications give them a once over to ensure you haven’t missed anything.
Show me the money. Pay special attention to the point of sales ensuring the check out process is seamless and that your discount codes are functional. If you’re shipping products, it is crucial that you clearly communicate holiday shipping deadlines to ensure the utmost customer satisfaction. Check your shipping provider to understand their holiday shipping deadlines to help determine yours. Increased shopping also means increased returns, exchanges, and customer support needs. Clearly state your return policy to customers with any holiday policy changes clearly communicated. The holiday season has the potential to make or break your brand’s reputation. Be responsive, over communicate, and provide customers with friendly, white glove service to ensure return customers.
Go Team. Your team is feeling the pressure of the holidays as much as you are. It’s important to check in to make sure teams feel supported to avoid burnout and maintain optimal service for clients and customers alike. End of year can mean difficult conversations about downsizing or unmet goals on an individual or organizational level. Honest, concise, and timely communication are crucial to maintaining trust within your organization while staying focused on end-of-year initiatives and client satisfaction.
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