You’ve set your holiday sales goal. You’ve decided on the promotions you’re going to be doing. Now what?
It’s time to start marketing.
Or does the thought of marketing make you feel more like this?
Here are some tips that will hopefully eliminate some confusion. And if you really need help, make sure you check out my marketing plan services.
1. Announce early
Even if you’re doing a Black Friday sale that only lasts a few hours, you still want to let your customers know well in advance so they know to come to your business at the right time.
So that means that you should email your list and start posting on social media that you’ve got a big sale/promotion coming up and to stay tuned.
If you’re posting on social, make sure to direct them to your website so they can sign up for your mailing list to be notified first. (If you have neither of these things, you need them. Now.)
2. Post consistently
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I posted about it and nothing happened, so I guess social media marketing just doesn’t work.” After doing a little digging, I find that most people just post once.
Now, I want you to pull out your phone and go to Facebook or Instagram and start scrolling for a minute. I’ll wait.
Okay, do you remember what the first post you saw was about? Did you see a post from every person you follow?
The answer is likely no because that’s how social media works.
It tends to show you stuff from people that you interact with a lot (but definitely not everything they share).
It also will pop up stuff from people you followed recently (but again, not all of it).
And how often do you see posts that someone shared days ago at the top of your feed, and not their latest one?
The mighty social media algorithms decides what we see. So what we post often doesn’t get seen by any but our most loyal fans.
Don’t let that dishearten you, though.
Because the more you post high value content that people engage with, the more likely they are to see what you share. Which is why you must post frequently when you are promoting something.
3. Keep selling to a minimum
Wait, what? Isn’t the point to get lots of holiday sales? It is. But I believe in doing that by building trust and providing value. So if you’re gearing up for some big promotions the weekend after Thanksgiving, now is the time to start posting stuff that will help your customers.
Do you have some tips that will make their life easier in regards to what you sell? Share them.
Do you have some testimonials from happy customers? Share them.
Do you have some gorgeous new products that will be available soon? Share some sneak peaks.
Do you have videos of you behind the scenes making products? Share them.
4. Follow through
You’ve been sharing valuable content and the big sale is tomorrow. Don’t leave them hanging. They should have an email in your inbox that it’s tomorrow, as well as a post on social. And you need to send out a few emails (and posts) in the morning with reminders.
Pro tip: Schedule all this in advance so you’re not working on your holiday.
Is it overkill? It might feel like it to you, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had clients express regret that they missed a big promo because they saw it too late. Or they had planned on buying but forgot.
People will be busy. And possibly hungover. Make sure you send them reminders.
Need help with your marketing plan?
My online business is old enough to have a driver’s license. (Yikes!) And, as with parenting, I’ve learned a thing or two (or 100) in the last 16 years.
Especially when it comes to social media.
Nowadays, I love working with small, local businesses who want to make more of an impact online.
Which I do with my social media marketing plan.
It’s what you need if you’re tired of trying to figure out all the marketing stuff on your own and just need a plan to follow (or better yet, delegate to someone else).
Check it out here. I have a few openings left for the month.
