5 Tips to Get Your Holiday Marketing Ready Ahead of Time
If you're like most of us, you simply cannot stand that holiday displays come out earlier every year. But there is a reason why stores sell Christmas trees in September – It is important to get your efforts out ahead of the game. Even though there isn't a turkey in the oven or snow on the ground yet, you need to get your holiday marketing ready ahead of time – and here are 5 ways that you can do just that.
1) Review Your Customer Lists (And Check Them Twice!)
You should be in contact with your past and present customers on a regular basis. Like we've said before, it costs more time and money to get new customers than it does to retain your current ones – so it makes sense you would want to maintain regular contact with your entire customer base.
If you're like most companies, you 1) haven't collected that information in an easily sortable way or 2) haven't specifically asked which members of your client base have specifically opted in to your online marketing messages (which is incredibly important for email marketing specifically). If this sounds like your situation, be sure to develop your own internal methods for capturing and maintaining such records.
Ensuring list integrity is important – when you communicate more frequently with your customer base, you know when people move or when their needs change. If your contact list is gathering dust, you'll likely waste some of your marketing efforts via attrition.
Now is a great time to make sure your list is still valuable, especially if you are in a home improvement industry that tends to struggle during the colder months. Make sure that you are spending a little extra time on your business if you are not out in the field as much.
If you have been keeping these records, it's time to put them to good use!
2) Get Custom Greeting Cards to Make an Impression
Holiday postcards and greeting cards are simple wins with clients who have well curated contact information. Instead of generic cards from big box stores, consider branded thank you cards and/or branded Christmas cards.
It sounds expensive, but you'd be surprised how little custom greeting cards can cost. At FootbridgeMarketing.com, for example, you could get 2500 greeting cards and envelopes (including design and shipping to your office) for $550 or $0.22 per piece. While you still need to consider the time it will take to address and sign your cards, as well as the postage cost for mailing, you can reach all of your client base quickly and cheaply with holiday cards.
The trick is to order early and start signing and stuffing cards now, so that you can mail them out by the beginning of December.
3) Get Your Holiday Specials in Order
You should always get your seasonal marketing materials together well in advance of when you need to pull the trigger on promotions. By working ahead, you can get a cohesive marketing plan together – with your direct mail, social media, and website graphics all delivering the same message.
Plumbers know that they need maximum top-of-mind awareness in time for Thanksgiving – so plan your EDDM cards accordingly. HVACs know that heating tune-up cards should be going out early-to-mid Fall to try to fill your calendar early and generate a longer busy season. You could even create some sales with a "Black Friday" home services promotion, regardless of your industry.
4) Plan How You Will Portray Your Business During the Holiday Season
While most of you don't have a storefront window that you'll be decorating for the holiday season, it is still important to take some time to consider how you will portray your business during the holidays.
Do you plan on throwing a Christmas party for the office? Share some pictures of your technicians with elf hats? Have a tree, menorah, or decorated holiday space as prepared by your staff? Let your customers see! Using social media, email newsletters, and website can be great ways to share that content.
You can also update your website's banner images or your social media profiles and covers with holiday-centric imagery for the winter if you wish. Just make sure to have a plan for how you'd like others to see your company and your employees – and the specific methods you'd like to use to portray the image of your business.
5) Get in the Spirit With Giving
Tis the season for giving! The holidays are a season where many share of their time and resources to help those who may not be having a very Merry Christmas. Doing good deeds first and foremost helps fellow members of your community; but as a pleasant side effect, your company's name is associated with good works and you can even earn some extra business out of it.
There are a variety of ways to give back to the community without writing a check. You can have employees provide volunteer work on a specific day while on the clock with you – be it a soup kitchen, a food bank, or any other local charitable events.
By partnering with a non-profit organization, you can tie donations to activity with your organization. We've previously talked about how a plumbing company utilized social media and joined forces with non-profit partnership. Through their social media campaign, they were able to raise $1500 for a local animal shelter. In the process, the plumbing company paid cost $120 in Facebook ads to promote the good cause in addition to the $1500 they donated to the animal shelter – but the social media campaign yielded them over 1500 new Facebook likes and over $3000 in revenue from leads directly related to the exposure from the campaign.
Getting Ready for Holiday Marketing Begins Yesterday
Your company is always fighting the calendar and the ticking clock. By preparing for your holiday marketing well in advance, you make sure you are positioned to get the job done effectively. Don't let poor planning and last minute emergencies force you to miss a good opportunity to communicate with your clients and create additional chances to promote your company and earn more jobs.
About Chris Lonergan
Chris Lonergan has over 12 years of contractor marketing experience with Footbridge Media. With a background in web design, print design, content creation, and online marketing, Chris is focused on providing quality marketing and business solutions in the construction and service industries - helping small business owners to more efficiently manage their companies and grow their operations.
Chris Lonergan has previously contributed to and/or been featured in PM Magazine (Plumbing & Mechanical | Contractors x Engineers), theNEWS (ACHR - Air Conditioning | Heating | Refrigeration), Service Roundtable's blog, inPAINT Magazine, the SMB Marketing Agency Show, and the Green Industry Podcast. Chris is also a past SGI/CertainPath breakout session presenter.
