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Ho-Ho-Holiday Marketing

By Ashley, Wednesday, 19 November 2008

Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us, poking its festive little head around the corner. This year, The National Retail Federation expects total holiday retail sales to increase 5 percent over last year for a whopping $435.3 billion in holiday spending.

The time period from Thanksgiving to New Year's is a strategic and important time for many companies, including small businesses. It's a great time to bump up your marketing efforts and reach out to new customers.

Here are a few holiday marketing mistakes to avoid this year (from Microsoft Office Live Small Business):

- Counting on deep discounts to boost sales: price accordingly, but make sure you're turning a profit.

- Being too casual about email marketing: emails are a great way to get more shoppers to your website.

- Assuming your site and shopping cart can handle the holiday load: more shoppers go online each year, so make sure your site is easy, up-to-date, and user-friendly.

- Overlooking customer follow-up: top-notch customer service is a great competitive advantage for many small businesses.

- Ignoring the last-minute shopper: take special steps to lure tardy shoppers (send a late email blast, offer a last-minute special, ship gifts for free, etc.).