How to Prepare Your Retail Site for the Christmas Holidays

It’s hard to believe that 2018 is almost over. The holiday rush is among us and we are going big on gifts, parties, and more. For online retailers,  it’s the perfect time to redesign websites with holiday-themed banners. Holiday specials and promotions are everywhere and every business out there is doing the same plan of action. In order to get your business noticed, here are 3 tips for websites this joyous holiday season.

• Tip #1: Start Planning Early.

  • October is the ideal time to start the drafting the holiday game plan. Whatever your business may be, it’s important to prepare early. Holiday campaigns need time to disseminate. Even with the help of the internet, sharing pertinent information takes time. Aside from that, people need time to earn enough money, share the news on social media, and tell their friends.
  • Plus, if you don’t start early, other businesses have already started with their own promotions, and sitewide sales. You’ll be left with only a few potential customers. It’s important to reach out to your target customers before the other websites do.
  • Online retailers should notify about their sales a week or two in advance. They should start spreading information about it in the different social media platforms. Big events such as Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Christmas should begin marketing 3 to 4 weeks earlier. You can’t expect tons of customers to visit your online store if you just promoted your sale a few days before.

• Tip #2: Use Custom Images to Advertise Sales.

  • Since it’s the holidays, incorporate Christmas trees, reindeers, and snowflakes to your marketing ads. Text promotions look bland without adding relevant images. Each time you have a special sale make it a point to add timely and vivid photos with your ad.
  • There should be a certain template that you should follow. The individual ads, the holiday website banner, and the social media photos should be uniform. All the marketing materials should contain a watermark of your logo, links to your official social media accounts, and of course, the website.
  • Some  businesses even add a unique hashtag to add a personal touch to the current promotion. So, people online can easily identify the products and services that are currently on sale.

• Tip #3: Spread the Word Through Giveaways.

  • It’s the holidays so naturally, people are going to purchase and hoard different items. Sometimes, you don’t need to stress about marketing and convincing others to visit your site. You let your customers do the marketing for you. By doing giveaways on social media, people can just easily share your current promotions.
  • Whether your audience is on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, you are can do a “like and share” giveaway.  Anyone interested can just repost your status update on your social media accounts. You might be giving out a handful of freebies to lucky participants, but then, the ripple effect of your social media promotion remains unparalleled.
  • Another piece of advice: it does not have to be a social media giveaway at all times. You can just even offer FREE gift to any customers who spend a minimum amount on your website. Remember that during these times, every business is thinking of a unique marketing strategy.  If everyone is doing a 10% off, why not make yours 15%? When every business is offering the same promotion, it’s not much of sale anymore.