Now Is the Time to Plan for Your Holiday Sales
The countdown has begun!
Don’t blink! The “lazy days of summer” will soon be over. But while they are here, this is the perfect time to prep your holiday marketing strategy.
August often means out-of-the-office messages and a general slow-down. Take advantage of this opportunity to finish the year strong by creating and scheduling your holiday marketing now. Once the kids go back to school, other routines also begin and you’ll soon be too busy to do your best preparation. Here are some tips to get started:
Sales
If you are having sales events or offering gift certificates, get those on the calendar. Count back on when you want to announce these events and when they will end. Calculate shipping dates, if appropriate, and early bird times and prices.
Graphics
Take the photos you’ll need now and create the accompanying graphics for any marketing. Having a folder of all your images ready to go means you can just quickly plug them into your emails and social media in the months to come.
Content
Note all the details of the products or services you will be featuring. Write up descriptions and advertising copy. Put together a content calendar for all of your social media platforms that will use these notes with appropriate tie-ins. For instance, you could create posts such as “It’s #ThrowBackThursday – and our prices are the same as last year!” Or the obvious “21 days until Christmas! Buy now!”
Website
If you’ve been meaning to update your site or at least clean it up, do it now before you get even busier. Check that your buyer’s journey is clear and pleasant. Add abandoned-cart reminders and email follow-up. Start a landing page about holiday gifting now to start building links. And be sure your website is connected properly with all of your social media so that customers don’t get lost.
Analyze
Really the first thing you should do is look at what happened last year. Of course, there was nothing normal about last year, so maybe look at 2019 as well. What would you like to do differently? Check your website and social media statistics to see where your strengths and weaknesses were. Look for unexpected traffic sources that could be duplicated and cultivated starting now. Put together a buyer’s persona so you can better target your advertising.
Right now, it feels like the holidays are far, far away and you already are plenty busy. But you know it’s going to get busier. This is your message from the universe! Start your holiday marketing now! The Sprocket Websites team is standing by, ready to help you, so give us a call.
Photo by Skylar Kang from Pexels
Kate Gingold
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
Other posts by Kate Gingold
Contact author
Full biography
Full biography
I have been writing a blog with web marketing tips and techniques every other week since 2003. In addition to blogging and client content writing, I write books and a blog on local history.
x
Linked In
Google Plus