It’s that time of year when each day, we get a pile of postcards and greeting cards, some personal, but mostly promotional, each with a coupon or enticing offer of some sort. And never mind all of the humorous and catchy television and radio commercials compelling you to take part in the spending frenzy of the season. They’re endless!
During a season of such intense competition, how do you stand out? What steps do you take to ensure your business is front of mind for your customers? Even with all of the special promotions and offers, you need to go the extra mile to really grab your customers’ attention. Having said that, we’ve gathered our top marketing tips for going above and beyond this holiday season.
1. Get into the Spirit of Giving
Black Friday, Cyber Monday and before and after Christmas day are the biggest sales of the year, and consequently, the time when consumers shop the most. Everyone’s looking to find the best products at the best prices during the holidays, so it’s a great time to announce new promotions.
But if you can’t splurge on any new promotions, at least reward your customers in some other way, such as offering points towards a free gift or a complimentary service. Or, why not introduce new products to get them interested again?
It’s always important to remind customers about your business to ensure your name stays fresh in their minds. Whatever it may be, it will help you stand out and create (or keep) a loyal following.
2. Be Clear (And Compelling)
With all of the promotional catalogs and commercials and ads customers see and receive in any given day, it’s even more important to make everything simplified for the consumer. Customers may not always know exactly what they want. Perhaps they haven’t formed a decision and a few words of advice or an explanation of the different options available can help steer them on the right path.
One way to do this is to make sure your product descriptions are informative and descriptive, to ensure they have a clear image of how your products can benefit them. Furthermore, the most compelling product descriptions are often the ones that convey an emotion, so get creative and don’t get bogged down in trying to be too proper or trying to say it all.
3. Be Reachable
Everyone’s in a hurry, so make it easy for your customers to contact you. Your phone number and address should be clearly visible on your website and promotional pieces, and your customer service should be reachable, without all of those annoying routing messages and long hold times.
Each year, there’s an overall increasing percentage of online and mobile browsing and shopping, and it’s just going to continue to grow. It’s a great idea to invest in a quality app that they can use to browse products and place orders, especially during the busy holiday season when everyone’s on the go. This way, you can ensure customers can shop or browse for products, even while they’re standing in a long line at your store.
But most importantly, you need to be consistent with all of the tactics above. It’s not enough to have a great strategy one season or year, only to fall short the next. Customers look for brands they can trust and can form a relationship with, and inconsistent behavior isn’t very trustworthy, and may make you lose some customers. So don’t fall off track, keep your strategy (with of course, the necessary tweaks and changes) and you will see results eventually.
