During the holiday season, your challenge as a local business is to get people shopping local. And, let’s face it, this time of year, everyone is looking for the deals. In fact, if you’re not offering some kind of deal, then people are just moving on.
During my latest Brown Bag Marketing Facebook Live, I walk you through the steps of creating a Facebook offer post and a Google My Business offer post, and share other insider tips for holiday marketing. Here's a brief recap:
Christmas Marketing Tips for Local Business
- Draw attention to your sales by creating an offer on Facebook. Both online and offline store can take advantage of Facebook’s offer feature. Offer something that will grab people’s attention and make them want to visit your store. For example, you could offer a small discount on their entire purchase; or a free gift with each purchase (limit one per customer), such as a key chain or a coffee mug. Your offer doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money. People just love knowing that they are getting a little something extra. The holidays tend to put people in the mood to spend their money. They feel that if they don’t take advantage of the specials now, they’re going to miss out on deals that aren’t available during other times of year. Use this to your advantage by offering specials.
- Don't forget to boost your Facebook offer, or better yet, create an ad with it! With the large amount of marketing going on during the holidays, organic (free) reach is VERY low. You’ll HAVE to pay Facebook to show your stuff, or very few will see it!
- Create an offer in Google My Business that people will see when they search on Google. Google My Business has an offer feature that is similar to Facebook’s. What's the first thing people do before visiting a local store? Google for their hours...which means they see your Google business listing. Your offer will display along with your other information.
- Update your holiday hours on Google My Business. This is one of the most important things you can do as a small business. Most people will Google your business to find out when you’ll be open, and they’ll be disappointed if they show up to your store and you’re closed even though your Google listing showed that you’d be open. Updating your hours on Google is simple and can even be done on your phone through your Google My Business app. You should also update your hours on Facebook, just remember to switch them back after the holidays when you go back to your regular hours.
Give the people what they want.
The important thing to remember is that during this time of year, everybody is looking for a deal. Every single type of business out there can come up with some kind of deal to either get people into your store or get them to your website to see what you offer. Capitalize on the fact that people are out there hunting for bargains and deals by offering some bargains and deals!
You can...do it!
Elizabeth Collins
The biggest mistake a small business can make is to think like a small business.
Aruna Bhayana, Lawyer & Digital Marketer