Holiday season is always prime sales time for many small businesses, and the strong economy has doubled down on that tradition. The National Retail Federation found that between 2016 and 2017, holiday retail sales grew 5.5 percent. This year, with its still-booming economy, could lead to even greater gains.
A holiday-focused marketing push can capitalize on this. New or revamped print marketing materials can help your business stand out, and creating these resources doesn’t take long to accomplish.
Learn how small tweaks to your print materials can make a big impact on your small business’s holiday success.
Create Festive Gift Certificates
Whether someone wants a holiday gift for a friend or an end-of-year token for a professional connection, they want it to look special. Add a holiday-themed design to your gift certificates to emphasize that they’re a good seasonal gift. This design will also make the gifts more “giving ready,” requiring less wrapping on the part of your customers. Add flair with a non-denominational holiday picture, image or seasonal phrases.
Don’t forget envelopes — a festive image on the outside can entice busy customers looking for an easy-to-give gift. Be sure you provide several gift certificate options for customers to choose from. People celebrate the holidays differently, so use a variety of designs and message to ensure you have a wider reach.
Make Signage Merry
Signs help send a strong message that your store is a go-to holiday shopping destination. Use signs such as fliers, banners, posters and cardboard displays, that advertise your seasonal offerings. The signs you put up throughout your store can have a significant impact — more than two-thirds of customers bought from a business because its signs caught their attention, according to FedEx.
Themed fliers posted throughout your business’s surroundings can notify prospects of your offerings, deals and discounts and entice them to visit your store. Holiday window signs can draw in new customers, and signs throughout your store can direct them to various sections and provide gift ideas.
Jazz Up Seasonal Offerings
The materials you currently use can draw in new customers and boost sales. All you need to do is touch them up with a bit of holiday cheer.
For example, if you have seasonal menu offerings, create and print new menus that include themed images and descriptions of each item. If you have product sheets that you give to prospects, print up new ones that feature holiday-inspired pictures, descriptions of the item’s features and details on why it would make the perfect gift. Brochures and catalogs can be revised to fit your holiday theme — be sure to put your seasonal offerings or discounts front and center on these materials to boost your sales efforts. Holiday colors, like red and green or blue and white, can add extra flair.
Use Your Store Floor
Your holiday materials don’t all have to be eye-level and above to catch your shoppers’ attention. Using seasonal floor decals can help guide your customers throughout your store and boost sales.
A floor sign display can welcome people when they arrive, and arrow-shaped floor decals can direct shoppers to certain areas. For example, if you have a seasonal section, these decals can easily flow traffic to these products. Floor signage can also be used to guide customers to cash registers, gift wrapping stations, customer assistance and other important areas.
Reach Out with Direct Mail
Outfitting your store with printed materials can help during the holidays, but you can maximize your efforts by using direct mail resources to bring in new business. Research from InfoTrends found that more than half of consumers visit a business’s website or storefront after receiving direct mail.
Direct mail can be used to advertise a variety of holiday-focused information, such as extended hours or end-of-year deals. Consider including a discount code on the mailer or an early-buying special for current customers. If you’re offering new products and services or gift bundles for the season, put images of these items on direct mailers to help tell your story.
Putting these holiday marketing ideas into action may be easier than you think. You can modify or design materials yourself, ask an employee who wants to display their creative chops or work with a graphic designer. To quickly bring your designs to life, use a print provider that is accustomed to turning quality materials around quickly.
