The holiday season of 2020 is finally upon us. As we head into November, your marketing plans for the holidays are surely kicking into gear.
But like just about everything else we’ve been doing in our lives since March, those plans are probably looking a little bit different than they normally do. If you’re running a small business, you’ve surely been spending a lot of time figuring out how to make things work. There’s a lot to consider, particularly because it’s so hard to gauge what the holiday season is going to look like this year.
Of course, that’s what we’re here for today. Whether your holiday marketing plan is set in stone or you’re still trying to figure things out, here’s how your small business can compete in 2020.
Black Friday Month
First up to the plate: Black Friday. The perennial shopping extravaganza is perhaps one of the most impacted parts of the 2020 holidays. Because for the first time in ages, it’s not going to be quite the same extravaganza that it usually is.
Retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy recently announced that they won’t be open on Thanksgiving at all. USA Today reports that this is the first time Walmart’s been closed on Turkey Day since the 1980s. That’s certainly what I would classify as historic.
So what does that mean for you? Well, it means that 2020’s Black Friday has already started. Retailers will be posting sales online and offline all month. If you haven’t prepared a set of “Early” Black Friday deals, now is the time to consider doing so. Oh, and don’t forget about Small Business Saturday.
The Online Battle
Prior to Covid-19, brick and mortars were battling online giants like Amazon mostly on the grounds of convenience. Why waste time heading out to a store when you can do all of your shopping comfortably from your own home?
But now, thanks to the pandemic, shopping at a brick and mortar presents safety risks many consumers might not want to make. That’s reflected in a recent survey from Deloitte, indicating that consumers intend to allocate 64% of their holiday budgets toward online shopping compared to 28% in-store.
People want to avoid stores for all the obvious reasons: crowds, comfort, convenience. These factors need to be kept in mind as you market throughout the holidays. Refining your experience with services like easy curbside pickup and personalized gift recommendations will help convince your customers to continue doing business with you, rather than turning to an online competitor.
An opportunity identified in Deloitte’s survey may be to place a marketing focus on non-gift purchases such as holiday decorations and clothing. With less consumers traveling this season, there’s more money for other purchases, even in light of economic difficulties.
Engagement Matters
As your small business promotes its offerings over the holidays, customer engagement will be more important than ever. Your customers need to know what you’re doing to make their in-store experience safe, convenient, and even a little bit festive.
When competing against the retail titans and online shopping, you’ve got to highlight what makes your in-store experience unique. Whether that includes products that can’t be purchased anywhere else, loyalty incentives, free gift wrapping, or something else entirely – demonstrate to your customers why they should be choosing you this holiday season.
If 28% of holiday budgets are going toward in-store purchases, that’s still revenue you need to fight for. Appeal to your most loyal customers however you can through each of your marketing channels. Their support will mean all the difference as you head through the holidays.
Holiday Marketing With CoGoBuzz
This holiday season, give your holiday marketing campaign the digital boost it deserves. Get started with CoGoBuzz, our state-of-the-art marketing service. Leveraging advanced WiFi, SMS, and Email solutions, CoGoBuzz promotes your holiday campaigns (and so much more) automatically.
Our service works both in-store and out. When your in-store customers connect to your HotSpot, they’ll login via social media, phone number, or email. We then develop a full customer profile for every login. After that, customers are taken to your business’s custom landing page, where they can be incentivized to follow you on social media in exchange for a deal. Our service also comes packed with a fully digital SMS-based loyalty program, simplifying engagement to a simple text message, allowing you to engage and communicate with your customers wherever they go.
Click here to learn more about CoGoBuzz!
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What are your holiday marketing plans? Sound off in the comments!