5 Holiday Marketing Mistakes You Should Avoid

The holiday season is just around the corner. And while it's the most wonderful time of the year, it can also be busy and stressful. We may not see flurries of snow, but there will be flurries of holiday marketing campaigns competing for consumer attention and sales.

Here are some holiday marketing mistakes to avoid so your business can get the most out of your holiday marketing efforts this year.

1. Lack of Promotion on Social Media

You’ll get lost in the snowstorm of your competitors’ messages if you don’t post enough on social media. Did you know that over 50% of users say a brand’s social media presence influences whether they’ll do business with the brand during the holidays?

To avoid this mistake, increase your social media activity. Create engaging posts that your followers will want to share! Use these ideas to inspire you:

• Publish holiday-themed posts.
• Use different promotion styles to build urgency and expectation.
• Ask interactive questions about the season to engage your followers.
• Use strong visual elements in your content.
• Run contests and giveaways – ask followers to tag their friends to win.
• Offer exclusive gifts to encourage referrals through your social channels.
• Include festive holiday hashtags to help get you noticed.

2. Not Staying Local

If you’re a small business, don’t underestimate the power of local marketing. Take advantage of local SEO. Include your address and location on every page of your website and update your holiday hours. Focus your ads on local audiences so you can effectively reach your target audience.

Are you already using geofencing? If not, now is a great time to give it a try! Geofencing is a type of location-based marketing that works by setting up a designated geographic area related to your business. It lets you connect with smartphone users in this imaginary digital boundary, such as a store or restaurant, through mobile webpages or apps.

Geofencing is compatible with 92% of U.S. smartphones, so you can reach your target audience based on their location and boost your profits. Create a boundary around your business and motivate shoppers with ads for your store. If your restaurant is near a large shopping area, entice customers with a coupon to use when they finish shopping.

3. Complicated Checkouts 

Even when shopping online, customers are usually in a hurry. A tedious and time-consuming checkout process will only lead to increased cart abandonment.

Here are some practical ways to avoid this mistake:

• Minimize the number of fields on your checkout form.
• Allow customers to buy without creating an account.
• Prevent slow-loading checkout systems.
• Show progress bars, so customers know they’re almost finished.
• Provide an express checkout option.
• Offer short delivery times.

4. Failing to Offer Free Shipping

One of the most powerful promotions available is free shipping! 93% of consumers say free shipping encourages them to buy more, and 58% say they add more merchandise to their carts if it means they get free shipping.

So, even if you have to offer lower overall discounts on some of your products, you may want to offer a free shipping promotion during the holidays.

5. Lack of Live Support

Especially during the holidays, people are in a rush to find and purchase gifts before sales are over. If they can’t get their questions answered immediately, they may not buy from you at all.

To succeed online, you must be highly responsive. Quick and easy access to customer service is a top priority for your customers. To meet this need for customer service, you may want to provide live support – at least during the holidays. Instant access to qualified representatives who can answer their questions will encourage consumers to buy from you.  

Bottom Line

Don’t make the mistake of trying to handle the holiday season on your own. High-quality designs, graphics, landing pages, and promotions will enable you to stand out above the other holiday marketing campaigns and attract customers. Contact us today and let us help you get your marketing message in front of your target audience – from web design and development to SEO, PPC ads, and geofencing. Not only can this be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also be the most profitable!