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Your Go-To Guide for Holiday Marketing

Your Go-To Guide For Holiday Marketing

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It’s the most profitable time of the year!

With Halloween in the rearview, now’s the time to get serious about your company’s holiday marketing strategy. Of course, you already know the big boys, but your holiday marketing plan should go well beyond Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions. 

Lucky for you, we’ve put together the ultimate list of important holiday marketing dates. Read on and get ready to have your most productive holiday season yet!

DOWNLOAD THE 2019 HOLIDAY MARKETING CALENDAR

Starting Up 

November 21st-27th
The week before Thanksgiving is usually when companies begin promoting the deals they will be running the following week. This is the perfect time to start drumming up hype for your Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions. 

Thanksgiving Day

November 28th
More and more companies now begin their Black Friday promotions on Thanksgiving Day. As the gap between the two days narrow, it’s important to consider Thanksgiving an essential date in your holiday marketing plan. 

Black Friday

November 29th
The granddaddy of holiday marketing, Black Friday is the single busiest shopping day of the year. Your Black Friday promotions should be promoted heavily for a week or two before the actual date. Some businesses choose to extend their Black Friday promotions into the weekend, then head right into Cyber Monday.

Small Business Saturday

November 30th
Small businesses can keep the Black Friday hype train right on rolling into Small Business Saturday. This holiday is a unique opportunity for small businesses to get their holiday sales off to a strong start. If you’re marketing for a small business, be sure to tap into the excitement both online and in person. 

Cyber Monday

December 2nd
Another behemoth, Cyber Monday is the biggest day of the year for online shopping. In 2018, consumers spent over 6 billion dollars on Cyber Monday in the U.S. alone. Much like Black Friday, you should start promoting your Cyber Monday deals at least a week or two beforehand. 

Green Monday

December 9th
This is when the holiday season really gets into full swing. Green Monday is the 2nd Monday of December and is typically the best online sales day for the month. Though it’s lesser-known than Cyber Monday, it’s still an excellent opportunity to drive online sales with relevant promotions. 

Free Shipping Day

December 14th
For the last several years, retailers big and small have teamed up to promote “Free Shipping Day.”  Consumers will hear all about this on social media and from the news on radio and TV. Make sure that your online store is ready to compete with your own special offers. 

Expedited Shipping Promos

December 12th – 19th
Though specific dates may vary among businesses, it’s important to consider the time period where you are able to guarantee delivery by Christmas. This is an excellent time to run promotions on shipping.

Super Saturday

December 21st
The procrastinator’s favorite holiday! Super Saturday (sometimes referred to as “Panic Saturday”) is the last Saturday before Christmas Day. It’s a good idea to think about running a one day sale specifically tailored to last-minute shoppers. 

Christmas Eve & Christmas

December 24th & 25th
For the master procrastinators, this is their last chance to purchase gifts for friends and family.

New Years

December 31st – January 1st
Ring in the new year with promotions for both New Year’s Eve and New Years Day. Then pat yourself on the back for executing another successful holiday marketing campaign!

 

Time to Expand? Learn from Other Small Business’s Mistakes

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Company growth can be a very exciting time for any business owner. As demand increases and revenue starts trickling in regularly, it can be tempting to beef up your staff, equipment, and space ahead of the curve to compensate for increased projections. What if that demand suddenly stops? What if you hit an unexpected lull? Now you’re overhead operating costs outweigh your revenue and you’re forced to either make drastic cuts to stay afloat or to close your doors altogether. Unfortunately, this can be a common series of events among small business owners. You have the opportunity to observe and learn from the missteps of others to help guide you on your own path of growth. 

There are a few key elements that need to be in place for your company to avoid major growing pains. Company culture can be a major factor when things get chaotic during periods of unexpected growth. Ensure that the core values of your company remain unwavering and show them off everywhere for your employees and customers to see. This will help build relationships between you and your staff as well as your customers. These relationships can help build better brand recognition and loyalty, which will help keep your company growing. 

Hiring the right people will keep you on the right track. The right employee will uphold the values established by the company culture and contribute to growth by providing excellent service either directly to the consumer or by fulfilling their role to the absolute best of their ability. Between a good work ethic and a positive attitude, or whatever other qualities you value in your employees, the right people will keep the company on the right path and work as a team should a misstep occur. 

The Cashless Revolution and You

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Cash is falling by the wayside as credit card and mobile pay transactions forge ahead. Despite the appeal of holding a crisp dollar bill in your hand, most people aren’t exchanging their digital transactions for the real thing anymore. As a business owner, the time has come to seriously consider where you stand in the cashless movement. 

Take into consideration the efficiency associated with credit card swipes and mobile transactions. There’s no fumbling around for wallets or counting out exact change while a line of increasingly impatient consumers waiting to purchase their product continues to grow. In some cases, should the wait be too long, customers will abandon their purchase altogether and move on to the next retailer. Moving away from cash would essentially resolve this issue or, at the very least, work to minimize it. 

Another aspect to consider in favor of moving away from cash transactions is the security that credit and mobile transactions provide. The risk of being robbed in a cashless environment decreases dramatically, not to mention the added benefit of knowing that employees are less likely to skim from the register. Additional peace of mind comes from the knowledge that each element of the transaction is logged digitally, making reconciling your register each day easier and more accurate. 

As the owner of your company, you know what’s best for your business and what your demographic is willing to adapt to. With trends consistently showing a deviation away from cash transactions by consumers, it’s vital that key decisions about where you and your business stand are made sooner rather than later.