Marketing Firms in Toronto: These final months of the year are paramount for establishing your brand, connecting with customers and driving sales!
Although retail is very much open, ecommerce continues to dominate–with social channels including Instagram further developing themselves as market places.
We get it: there’s A LOT of pressure to stand out during the holiday season. So you’re probably asking, How can I make the most of my client’s holiday budget? Look no further: we’re here to unwrap the secrets to success with the following five tips!
1. Create a Holiday calendar
A common question we hear is when is it too early to post?
Your target audience likely won’t buy your product if it’s their first interaction with your brand. However, non-holiday related content prior to the holidays is ideal for easing your audience through the customer journey–and creating an enticing holiday sales funnel.
Furthermore, when planning early, consider the following:
Audit last year’s holiday campaign: what social channels are you using–and which content sparked the most engagement/conversions?
Fine-tune your objectives: have your previous campaigns lacked focus? The more specific your goals are (more sales, increase awareness or plan for the year ahead) the smoother your sales funnel can transition.
Define your target audience: the more you understand your audience, the better you can define your customer journey. Additionally, a highly targeted audience results in a more efficient ad budget.
2. Assess your audience’s needs
Toronto marketing agencies: By now, you’re asking “shouldn’t I always post relatable and valuable content?”
The answer? A hard yes. But remember: consumers are overwhelmed during the holidays–as brands are fighting endlessly for their loyalty.
Before the holidays start, consider making a customer feedback survey to identify what content your fans would like to see this holiday season!
Simplify surveying by using Instagram. Add polls to your stories to effortlessly harness valuable statistics! Additionally, use stories to link to newsletters, exclusive offers and even feedback forms to create better customer segmentation.
3. Provide exclusive content
Customers follow you because they love your products, services and stories! However, if they’ve joined a mailing list, they expect special promotions.
Inform your target about upcoming holiday promotions, and offer sneak peeks plus new products to build anticipation for holiday shopping.
Sponsored ads are an excellent way to build your mailing list: promote time-stamped holiday offers that create urgency to join.
4. Don’t post too much too soon
Truthfully, most customers feel overwhelmed by the impending holiday shopping season. Larger corporations start rolling out holiday promotions well before Halloween–and it’s largely met with negative publicity.
Pro tip: Instead of mentioning the ‘holiday season’ or ‘Christmas’ promote events such as Black Friday earlier on. This gets customers mentally prepared without overwhelming them with holiday buzzwords.
Give your audience a chance to ease into holiday shopping–instead of forcing them into the mindset.
Toronto marketing firms: consider allocating your promotions in terms of percentages. For example, you can start a sales funnel (roughly 30%) between the end of September and October. As previously mentioned, early promotions can be non-holiday related content that keeps your brand present in your audience’s mind. The remaining 70% can be distributed evenly between November and January–especially as you’ll want to consider post-holiday sales for your clients.
5. Launch post-holiday sales
After the holidays, you will experience an inevitable downtown in sales. Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate this ‘post-holiday slump’ and drive one final wave of sales.
Some post-holiday sales ideas include:
- New year bargains: this method is particularly effective if your product aligns with New Year’s resolutions.
- Winter clearance sales
- Bulk discounts
This is also an excellent time to retarget ad campaigns– keeping your brand at the top of your audience’s mind to ensure a prosperous year to come!
At Brand & Mortar, we know that transparency is non-negotiable–and that strong communication is the foundation of any great relationship.
The connections we can foster this holiday season remain true throughout the year. Learn how we can elevate your marketing strategy and improve your bottom line through a free consultation today.
