For some businesses, it seems the holidays have been in full swing since before Halloween. Just as with holiday shoppers, though, there are always those marketers who wait until the last minute to promote. And some may need a last-minute boost to get year-end numbers where they need to be. Here are three tips for the marketing stragglers among you.
• Think digital—Because digital campaigns can be implemented so quickly—particularly pay-per-click search marketing campaigns like Google AdWords—digital advertising can be a great solution for last-minute sales help. Online search traffic peaks in early December as people look for deals and gift-giving ideas.
• Social-ize—Facebook remarketing offers tremendous opportunities for impromptu promotions at any budget level. Through the platform, you can set your spending level and micro-target your advertising to the people you most want to reach. Feel like you’re missing a certain customer segment? Create a custom audience to hone in on a very specific demographic by age, location, gender and interests. The beauty of Facebook advertising is that you set the spending level where you need it to be, and you can start or stop a promotion at any time.
• Connect at a personal level—Especially for businesses that don’t see a holiday spike in activity, the end of the year can be a perfect time to connect more personally with customers, to thank them for loyalty and show your appreciation. Share some holiday cheer over lunch or open-house gatherings. Give your best clients a small holiday gift. Use your social media channels for non-commercial messages—share office celebrations or employee holiday anecdotes that show the people behind the business, and the values you as a company stand for.
Here’s to a dazzling year-end finish. Merry marketing and happy 2017 planning!
