8 ways retailers can maximize their holiday sales

The holiday season is just around the corner and it’s about to be a very busy time for everyone, especially retail business owners.

We’re here to help by giving you marketing tips and ideas that will help you stay ahead of the market and benefit from the holiday sales rush–from Halloween and Thanksgiving to Black Friday and Christmas–without exhausting your time and marketing budget. 

1. Create your marketing plan

Having a solid plan will help you stay on track amid the chaos. When creating a marketing plan for holiday sales, your first step is to understand who you are selling to and why they might want your product. What is special about it? And what is the best way to communicate that with the world? 

One way is to create advertising campaigns that emphasize your strengths and highlight those special attributes. If you run a physical store, dressing up your storefront with holiday decorations or handing out festive flyers might be the way to go. On the other hand, if your business is online, you will need to focus more on online advertisements and your social media presence.

Determine your target audience and run your advertisements on channels that cater to that demographic. Consider what platforms they are likely to engage with you on and what products are most likely to capture their attention.

2. Make a holiday gift guide

Everyone knows who the people on their gift list are. It’s deciding what to get them that is hard. Make this process easier for your customers by creating a holiday gift guide that suggests gift ideas that will be perfect for their friends, family members, significant others, and more. 

You can share your holiday gift guide in a festive email, in a listicle on your blog, in your ads–or all three.

3. Draw in new customers with a festive storefront

If you want new customers to enter your store, the first step is to capture their attention. A great way to do this is by creating an eye-catching storefront display. Your windows and entrance are the first thing people see. Be sure to make a good first impression by selecting items and decorations that complement your brand image and the environment you want to create, whether it be whimsical or minimalist.

If you don’t have an eye for design, hiring a professional can be a huge help. However, if that is out of your budget, simply putting up artistic posters is a great way to spruce up your store and advertise your latest promotions and holiday deals. PosterMyWall is a helpful and affordable resource that makes it easy to create professional looking ads and posters. With PosterMyWall, all your work is cut out for you – simply browse through the gallery, pick a template that suits your purpose, and customize it to reflect your brand. Display your posters prominently and watch the foot traffic roll in! 

4. Keep your employees smiling

It may seem obvious, but employee satisfaction is essential to ensuring a pleasant customer experience, especially during the holiday sales when most employees are working longer hours. When your employees are happy, it shows in the way they interact with your customers–which in turn helps to reinforce your brand image. 

So be sure to listen to the opinions of your employees. They are a crucial source of feedback and may have valuable ideas that can help your business. And you can make them feel even more appreciated by presenting them with festive goodies or even a holiday bonus to sweeten up their holidays.

5. Use Facebook Ads

Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes showing content created and shared by the user’s friends. Unfortunately this means that only a small percentage of the people who’ve liked your Facebook page will see your posts.

Fortunately, you can still reach a huge audience on Facebook through Facebook ads. They are affordable and come with great analytics that show you who your ads are reaching and who is engaging with them. This helps you to measure ROI and better target future ad campaigns towards that specific demographic.

If graphic design isn’t in your skillset, but you need enticing graphics for your advertisements, PosterMyWall offers attention-grabbing Facebook ad templates that help you easily create professional-looking graphics far more affordably than hiring a professional designer. Just pick your desired template, customize the text–and you’ll have a stunning digital ad ready to go.

6. Create a festive Instagram presence

With over one billion active users on the platform, Instagram is an effective and affordable way to showcase your business and engage with an audience. Post whatever you’d like, so long as your posts reflect your brand. 

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups does a great job of using their Instagram content to not just reflect holiday themes but also their brand’s playful personality. The company uses social media to show off the many ways their customers can use their product in cookies, cakes and other creative recipes, while using an orange palette and spooky imagery to get their followers in the halloween spirit.

To highlight your own holiday specials and get people hyped up for seasonal festivities, you can use seasonal themes in your Instagram posts. For example, use orange and black for Halloween, and green and red for Christmas. Don’t overlook Instagram stories either. This feature provides additional creative ways to interact with your audience like opinion polls, question forums, countdowns, and more. Because Instagram stories are temporary, you can maintain a casual tone and experiment with your posts–or you can add a story to your highlights so it will show up permanently. Check out PosterMyWall’s customizable templates if you need help creating content for your Instagram.

7. Establish a clear brand

Every successful business has a different brand image and message that makes it unique. Establishing a brand image can be tricky, but it’s worth taking the time and effort to create a unique brand because this will set you apart from your competition. 

Having a logo that captures your unique style is a great way to do this. If you don’t have a logo yet or need a fresh, new one, PosterMyWall offers thousands of logo designs for all kinds of businesses. Pick out your favorite and customize it to your liking to create a distinct look that customers will remember.

Once you have your logo, you can introduce your brand to the public by creating promotional content. This can include announcements about new items, sales, campaigns, or anything that spreads the word about your business. PosterMyWall can help you create all kinds of promotional materials, but if you want a special advertisement for the holiday season, you can check out its Christmas themed retail templates or do a quick search for whatever holiday you’re looking for.

8. Create urgency with limited offers

By using the right language, you can create a sense of urgency that will make customers more likely to buy on impulse. Or display a countdown to mark the end of your sale–it’s more dramatic than simply using a date. You can also make repeat announcements on your Instagram story to update followers in real-time.

Summing up

The holiday sales are a hectic time for everyone, especially businesses, but with the right marketing approach and the right tools to help you implement it, you can ensure a successful season for your store without overworking or going over budget. Start putting these ideas into action today and in no time, you will be breaking your own holiday sales traffic records.