Holiday Season Marketing Planning
It may only be September, but the most wonderful time of the year is fast approaching! The last few months of the year are undeniably the busiest ones. With so many holidays and memorable occasions occurring, your business is bound to celebrate a little bit with special products, sales, or events. However, before diving headfirst into the holiday season, it’s best to begin prepping now, so you’re not too overwhelmed when the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping begins. We’ve laid out a few steps you can take to begin preparing for the next few months to ensure you’re ready for the holiday season!
Take a Look at the Calendar
One of the first items on your todo list when preparing for the busy shopping season is to look at the calendar and determine which holidays you want your business to participate in. So many special days occur between September and January, it can be hard to celebrate all of them. This is why it’s best to single out the ones that will be most prosperous for your business and will appeal to your customers. In addition to national holidays such as Halloween and Christmas, many other special days occur throughout these months. Events such as Shop Small Saturday, Black Friday, Giving Tuesday, and more are great days to consider celebrating.
Take Stock of Inventory
Before you begin creating a holiday marketing plan for the coming months, it’s best to take stock of your store’s inventory both in-store and online. Determine if you have enough inventory to last you through the holiday season. You may need to restock items that are low or order new items specific to the upcoming season and holidays. Once you’ve sorted through your inventory, see if there are any items you can bundle together and sell as a unique package for the holiday season. In addition, find any products that can be marked as seasonal or celebratory. Marketing these bundles and products specific to various holidays or as gift items is a great way to increase their interest.
Create a Marketing Plan
Once you’ve decided on the holidays you’ll celebrate and the applicable inventory to market, it’s time to start creating a plan around your seasonal goals. This can be to draw customers in-store or to your online store. Focus on which date is the closest and begin drafting a campaign specific to that day and then move on to the later holidays. This plan should include marketing efforts such as email newsletters, social media campaigns, digital ads, in-store and online events, and more. Once you’ve gotten all of this completed, go ahead and schedule your digital media out. After you’ve eaten all of that Halloween candy, it can be hard to remember which day you were supposed to schedule that new sales graphic. For this reason, it’s best to have all of your social media posts, emails, and online ads already scheduled.
With so many important days and special occasions approaching in the next few months, your business has many opportunities to grow and sell! We hope you’ll take advantage of the time you have to begin working on a holiday marketing plan. If you still need help figuring out how to make the most of the holiday season with your marketing, reach out to us with the link below, and we'll be happy to help you reach your business goals!