If you are finding yourself uninspired or worse, scrambling, as the holidays are fast approaching, don’t fret. Here are nine creative and simple ways to expand your business and boost sales this year.
1) Reach out to Current Customers
Send a greeting card to let your customers know you care. It’s optional to include a discount, but keeping a relationship with them will get them to buy and to stay engaged in your brand. Surprisingly, according to the USPS, millennials love receiving print, with 82% viewing it as more trustworthy.
2) Contact Local Businesses
Team up with local businesses to see what you can do for the holidays: a cross-promotion, an event, or a shared social media campaign for example. You’ll gain new customers and make friends with your neighbors.
3) Utilize Door Hangers
Create fun door hangers for nearby restaurants and homes to wish them a happy holiday season. Announce special deals you have going on or that you have just the right gift for them.
4) Hold Special Hours During the Holidays
If you’re a brick-and-mortar business, hold special hours and announce them to local businesses and homes. This caters toward the last-minute shoppers for a boost in revenue for you. Be sure to announce on social media, email and include signage at your storefront.
5) Create a Special Holiday Event
People love parties. Entice current or potential customers with a holiday-themed party, donating drive or a coffee and donuts social gathering — get creative! This brings the community together where people will get to know you and your brand better.
6) Help out a Local Charity
Find a charity you connect with and offer to help. You can do this by matching pledges and donations from customers, employees and other participating local businesses, or by donating time and expertise. By doing this, you’re helping your community and those in need while raising your brand’s profile.
7) Sponsor Local Artists
Reach out to local musicians and artists and offer space in your store for a concert, display or reading. This creates a great place for a venue where new potential customers will discover you.
8) Give Your Customers a Small Gift
Give a small gift certificate and/or a magnetic calendar so they’ll never forget you all year long. This strengthens relationships and treats your customers like a person, rather than a dollar sign.
9) Send out a Catalog
For those with the resources, a holiday catalog is a beautiful display of your brand that customers and potential customers will love receiving. Catalogs might be the single best investment you can make all year: with one major retailer in 2014 grossed $262 for every single catalog they sent out.
This article is excerpted from UPrinting, 9 Ways You Can Be a Holiday Marketing Wizard.