Christmas crackers for your business

Glorious goals – you will already be seeing the results of your carefully planned marketing strategy for the busiest quarter of the year. However, there’s still room for some tactical additions if Black Friday and Cyber Monday don’t quite deliver the results you expect. You can add some mini campaigns to fill the gaps if you’re a little behind on your planned targets, or even if you just want to be part of the seasonal good will. 

 

Make sure you set realistic goals and don’t be afraid to be a little bit adventurous. If you’re not sure where to start, you can look back on last year’s top performers. It’s always worth checking on your competitors to see what they’re doing too. 

 

Festive fun – you can engage your customers with some games and competitions which can be set up easily and shared on your website and social media channels. 

 

You could include: 

• a lucky draw for a voucher or discount in the new year 

• colouring competitions (not just for children) 

• treasure trails to find Santa’s little helpers on your website 

• ‘spot the difference’ pictures that are relevant for your business 

• photography competitions. 

 

These can all be created quickly at very little cost and people will be happy to take part in things that are relevant and seasonally themed. 

 

Presents – everyone likes to receive a gift, especially at Christmas. To encourage people to make those last minute purchases you can offer free shipping for online orders (as long as it doesn’t affect your profits too much). More than eight out of 10 shoppers prefer free shipping over fast shipping according to this year’s retail holiday survey. Alternatively, you could offer an extra free gift with orders over a certain amount. If you’re planning a last-minute event you can offer people a gift to encourage them to come along. 

 

Packaging – depending on your market you can add a little festive cheer with your packaging and, if you sell luxury gifts, you could offer a gift wrapping option for those last-minute purchases. However, it’s good to think about using recyclable materials wherever you can. 

 

Last-minute ideas – there are always some people who want to add a final special gift under the Christmas tree. Help them out with beautifully designed vouchers and envelopes for treats and services that can be redeemed in the new year. For people who leave their shopping until Christmas Eve you could even provide an attractive animation or video to explain a gift that can be shared with a quick response (QR) code on Christmas morning. 

 

Seasonal sustainability – you could even offer to help people reduce their carbon footprint this year with helpful suggestions relevant to your business. Or, you could offer to support environmental charities for the whole of 2023 if you sell enough of certain items. 

 

Supporting new year resolutions – to carry the good will into next year you could also offer some creative ideas to reward people who keep their resolutions. If you sell healthy food boxes, for example, you could encourage customers to change their eating habits by offering them a discount or extra items if they buy for the first three months of the year