Last Minute Marketing

We’ve all been there.  We think we’re right on track, we have plenty of time, and then suddenly it’s December 1^st and the holiday rush is upon us and we have no idea where all that time went. While most of your holiday marketing plans should be in place already, there’s still time to make those big sales if you’ve floundered a bit up to this point.

Gift Cards, with a twist:

Sell a $100 gift card for just $75, or give the gift card an added bonus with a special perk but shorter expiration date. For example, a $100 gift card with $115 of value ONLY if used in a certain date range.  And push these offers on all of your social media and email channels.

Promotional material:

Consumers have far more tolerance for promotional material right now that at any other point throughout the year.  Now is your chance to send lots of emails, media blasts, and direct mail flyers.  Even if your product doesn’t make an obvious holiday gift, people always buy a little something for themselves while out shopping.

Engage directly with people:

Adding extra staff is a great idea as well.  You need to have someone available to answer customer support questions on the phone and in person, and you should keep an extra close eye on your social media and be ready to respond to comments and questions in a timely manner.

Also consider going where your target audience is.  Post valuable informational flyers in niche communities.

Focus on what you do best:

If you’re great at Facebook Ads, do more!  If email marketing has always been a home run, ramp them up!  Now is not the time for testing new ideas.

Don’t forget mobile:

Mobile sales accounted for over $1.2billion on Black Friday alone last year.  This is not a channel you want to overlook.

Shipping perks:

Speaking of mobile sales, don’t forget about shipping discounts.  Completely free, free shipping threshold, a free item with rush shipping, etc.  Take advantage!

Build your email list for next year:

This is the simplest way to grow leads for next year.  And while you’re growing your list for next year, don’t forget about the list you already have.  Add an email pop-up, put together a schedule for your batch emails, and focus on triggered email sent based on a shopper’s actions, such as abandoned carts, welcome emails, confirmation emails, etc.

Dare to be different:

Make your site memorable.  Remember, every other company is trying to do the same thing, so you have to stand out.  Use humor, messaging, timing, etc.  Take a risk and do something no other company will do.  You will be sure to stand out.

To get on track, and stay there, for next year, give us a call at 800-538-0669.  Our marketing team will develop and implement a plan to make sure you have an amazing 2018.