Whether you’re a fan of Christmas or not, there’s no doubt that December is the most profitable time of year for many small businesses with a huge influx of customers shopping both online and in-store.
However, plenty of these small business’ will likely see a decrease in sales when the new year rolls in, with customers being more frugal with their spending, so it’s important to get a marketing strategy in place to prepare your business for the ups and downs of the winter season.
Visibility is key during the winter months and a well-crafted winter marketing strategy is crucial to engaging potential customers. Now is the perfect time to focus your marketing efforts and make the most out of the gifting season. Below are some of our winter marketing ideas you need to try, especially if you are product-based!
Reimagine your social media content
Keeping social media posts topical and relevant to events and themes is a great way of increasing engagement. With Christmas being the most popular time during December, it is a good idea to tailor your social media posts to reflect this occasion and the excitement that surrounds it. It is a good rule of thumb to tailor your content to current trends and themes, to make your business appear as clued up as possible.
During the festive period, try showcasing your products and/or services as the perfect gift. Create new images, graphics and captions that reflect the needs and wants of customers who are on the hunt for the perfect Christmas presents. Some of our suggestions include;
- The perfect gift for him/her
- The ultimate stocking filler
- Last minute Christmas gifts
- Secret Santa gift ideas
- Presents for those that are hard to buy for
The possibilities are endless. These titles are instantly engaging and will likely resonate with a large portion of your social media following.
During this festive period, be sure to keep things light-hearted and fun. Amongst the promotion of your products be sure to include posts that engage and encourage conversation amongst your followers.
While Christmas is widely celebrated and often a focus of the winter period, it’s important to remember that it is a religious holiday. If your audience includes people from different cultural or religious backgrounds, ensure your festive messaging remains inclusive and appropriate. Religion-specific campaigns or offers should only be used when you’re confident your audience is aligned with those beliefs.
Host a giveaway
This next idea ties in perfectly to the season of giving and involves your business hosting a giveaway, where one lucky participant will receive your product(s) or service(s) for free. Running a giveaway provides the opportunity for your business to give back to your customers, a unique way of rewarding brand loyalty and is a fantastic way to organically grow your social media following.
Giveaways are commonly hosted and promoted across the social media platforms Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. The platforms you decide to use should be specific to your businesses aims and target audience. It is also possible to host a giveaway across multiple platforms at the same time.
An example of a successful competition is Boots Opticians, who ran a giveaway for a pair of sunglasses, exclusively on Instagram. To enter, the participants were required to follow the Boots Opticians Instagram profile, like the post and tag their friends in the comments. These 3 requirements are a sure-fire way to instantly boost social media engagement.
Other giveaway requirements could include
- Sharing to your story
- Sharing to your feed
- Commenting on the post
- Tagging multiple friends for multiple entries
Be aware that whilst engagement is key for your business, you don’t want to ask for too much from participants, otherwise they may be deterred from entering your winter giveaway.
It is also important to be aware of the Terms and Conditions of hosting a giveaway, this article outlines the importance of giveaway T&C’s to ensure yours runs as smoothly and successfully as possible!
Rent a pitch at a winter market stall
There are very few pleasures in life greater than walking around a winter market with a hot cup of mulled wine or hot chocolate. Why not get in on the action and hire a stall to display and sell your products? Hiring a pitch at a winter market event will often require a considerable amount of preparation and research. However the opportunity to speak directly and connect with potential customers is one that shouldn’t be missed.
Winter markets are fantastic at attracting paying customers and often host a variety of small businesses selling all kinds of products, ranging from edible goods to jewellery. Items that are unique are often welcomed; we’ve seen gifts such as converted spirits bottles and personalised wooden chopping boards amongst charity tombolas and raffles.
Sign up to hear news on winter markets both locally and further afield, the process for assigning pitches for businesses often occurs far earlier in the year, so it is important to keep an eye out for updates and news.
As customers will be seeing the face behind the business they’re buying from, be sure to be confident, relatable, welcoming and memorable in an effort to create a lasting impression on your customers and encourage repeat sales.
Overcoming the new year slump in sales
With the excitement of Christmas and the new year celebrations coming to an end, it is time for the inevitable decrease in sales in the new year. January is littered with discounts and promotions so it is crucial to be proactive during this time to ensure your business doesn’t get lost in the sea of new year sales from other businesses.
Why not try introducing a loyalty scheme to reward those who purchase goods from your business – the goal being to convert one-time customers into loyal, returning customers.
There are a variety of loyalty programme models out there, including points-based, tier-based and subscription based – all of which are used to encourage customer loyalty and retention. It’s important to do your own research, as your target audience and business model will all be a factor in which loyalty programme will be most effective for your business.
If you feel a loyalty programme isn’t suitable for your business, you could join in with the new year discounts and promotions. It can be a great way of attracting new customers whilst simultaneously clearing old inventory to make space for new products. Just be sure that you can and want to offer lower priced items as it can become an annual expectation. Another option is to offer ‘add-on’ sales at checkout to increase the quantity of items sold to individual customers. An example of this would be:
A customer places an order for 3 x product packs at full bundle price
At the point of payment during checkout, the customer is presented with an add-on option.
The customer can add another 2 x product packs at the reduced, limited time price of -15% or similar.
In most checkout systems, it will require two payments to be processed but all 5 items would be dispatched together.
If you have the relevancy, you can also tap into the theme of new year’s resolutions. Persuade potential customers that your goods or services will be a fantastic addition to their new year, self-improvement journey and put a scarcity effect in place.
To sum up
The winter months can be hilly in terms of sales for your business, which is why preparation is key. It is crucial to be proactive in your marketing and pricing approach – this will mean preparing a winter marketing plan far earlier in the year. The Christmas period is the perfect time to showcase your products and harness the influx of customers who are prepared to splash out on goods and services.
We hope these winter marketing ideas will inspire you to make the most of the winter months. If creating and managing a marketing plan is something you feel you need assistance with then get in touch with our team at Shake it Up Creative.
Charlotte Abbott for Shake It Up Creative
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