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Website and Social Media Holiday Marketing Strategies

Holiday Marketing Strategies

How do you stand out during the holidays?

What holiday marketing strategies work?

Deer and sleighDuring one of my trips to our local Costco store, I spotted the perfect addition to our home’s outdoor holiday decoration scheme. I snapped a quick photo of the 41” tall LED Baby Deer and Sleigh with my iPhone and sent it to my husband.

When he returned from his business trip, we headed on over to Costco. We were excited to see that the deer and sleigh’s price had been slashed by 40%. We loaded the huge box on a flat cart and headed for the checkout.

At home that night, we put the deer and sleigh together and tested the lights. The deer was adorned 140 white LED lights and the sleigh, 120 red lights. We carefully placed the deer and sleigh in front of the multi-colored light covered bushes in front of our house.

As we walked toward the street to see how it all looked, it hit us. The red lights of the sleigh were lost in the sea of the multi-colored lights on the bushes. You couldn’t even tell that there was a sleigh there at all.

In the same way, our holiday marketing efforts may be getting lost in all the barrage. How can you help your website and your marketing stand out in the vast ocean of holiday marketing competition?

10 Holiday Marketing Strategies to Help Your Website and Social Media Marketing Stand Out

  1. Make Sure Your Website is Up to Date
    Have you ever visited a website and noticed upcoming events that have passed and are no longer relevant? Or that the copyright date on the bottom of the pages hasn’t been updated to the current year? Or, getting a 404 page after clicking a link?

    Ensuring that your website is up to date is a crucial step in credibility and professionalism. You have one chance to make that first impression on the potential clients that visit your website. Make it count.

    Action Plan:

    • Check internal links on your website with an online tool like Broken Link Checker.
    • Review your site’s content to make sure it is still relevant. Rewrite and update content if it is not.
    • If you use a content management system like WordPress, be sure that it and all plugins are updated. For more, please see Top Reasons You Need to Update WordPress.
  2. Give the Gift of a Mobile Optimized Website
    Example of mobile-friendly website - Michigan Santa Claus LLC
    Example of mobile-friendly website: Michigan Santa Claus LLC

    Providing your website visitors with a mobile-friendly experience is critical. In April of 2015, Google expanded the use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal in mobile searches.

    The following May, Google announced that “more Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries, including the US and Japan.”

    Having a mobile-friendly website is no longer an option if you want your potential clients to find you in search results. Give them the gift of a mobile-friendly website.

    Action Plan:
    If your website is not mobile-friendly, make this a top priority.

  3. Spice Your Website’s Home Page or Top Banner
    Your website is your “home” on the internet. Do you decorate your house for the holidays? Why not spice up your website with some holiday cheer?

    R & R Web Design LLC's website decorated for the holidays.
    Example of R & R Web Design LLC‘s home page “decorated” for the holidays.
     

    Again, first impressions are critical. We have seconds to grab the attention of those visiting our websites.

    Action Plan:
    Consider tastefully “decorating” your website.

  4. Spruce Up Your SEO
    Do you have a holiday special that you are promoting? Sprucing up the search engine optimization of your website to reflect current promotions is a great way to promote and capture the attention of Internet searchers.

    Action Plan:
    Include your holiday offer in the META title, description, and the page h1 tags of your website.

  5. Create Holiday-Specific Blog Content
    Your blog is one of the best vehicles to drive traffic to your website. By creating holiday-specific blog posts, you reach not only potential clients but your current ones as well. Here’s an example of a holiday-specific blog post:

    Holiday blog post

    Action Plan:
    Include holiday-related blog posts in your marketing plan this season.

  6. Deck the Halls of Your Social Media Pages
    Adding holiday cover photos on your social media pages is a fun way to show that your brand is relevant. Here is an example of Facebook page’s cover photo:
    Facebook Holiday Cover Photo
    ME Marketing Services, LLC Facebook holiday cover image

    Action Plan:
    Consider adding holiday-related cover photos to your social media pages.

  7. Post Holiday Social Media Posts
    If you have time-sensitive promotions, post them throughout the holiday season on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

    It is also a great time to post holiday posts from others that provide value for your readers. Here is an example of a Facebook holiday post by Roadrunner Florist:

    Roadrunner Florist holiday post

    Action Plan:
    Post holiday-specific social media posts and your various channels.

  8. Send a Holiday Email Newsletter
    Inboxes are inundated with holiday offers. How do you stand out in the sea of email promotions?

    Email newsletters are a great avenue to reach out to your current customers and reach potential clients with your promotions. They can also be a challenge, from finding the right power words for your newsletter’s subject line to not sounding too salesy.

    Create holiday-specific newsletters to promote your holiday specials. Include power words in your subject line and carefully craft your copy.

  9. Give the Gift of Special Discounts or Free Incentives
    Do you have new products or services that you are promoting? Providing special discounts or free incentives for your existing customers will inspire loyalty. It will also make them feel special and show that you value them as customers.

    Action Plan:
    Include special discounts or free incentives in your email newsletter, social media posts, and traditional marketing materials.

  10. Happy holidays traditional greeting card
    Traditional greeting card

    Reach Out With Traditional Holiday Greeting Cards
    A handwritten thank you is a great way to show your most valued clients and business associates that you care. A personal handwritten note letting your clients know how grateful you are for their business may make a lasting impact.

    I’ll never forget the handwritten holiday card that my husband and I received one holiday from his boss years ago. He made it a point to include my name on the card and thanked my husband for all his hard work over the past year. It must have taken him hours to write these had written cards to all of his employees, but the effort was well worth it and has made a lasting impression.

    Include your business card as a subtle reminder that you are there for them if they need your services or products.

    Action Plan:
    Send out handwritten holiday cards thanking your clients and business associates for their business and support.

Bonus Tip: Go the Extra Mile

Go the extra mile with your website and social media marketing strategies during the holiday season to help your business stand out.

  • Always put your customers first.
  • Determine your customers’ wants, needs, and desires.
  • Then deliver it cost-effectively and fast.

Takeaway

The holidays are a great time to reach out to your clients and potential clients. These ten marketing strategies – and the bonus tip – will help your website and social media marketing efforts to stand out among others.

Now, let’s go back to the deer and sleigh display in our front yard. How did we make it stand out? We moved it to a new position to make it outshine the competition.

Over to You

Do you have any holiday website marketing strategies to add to the list? What has worked for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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10 Comments

  1. Colleen Wietmarschen says:

    Hi Robin,

    Great tips and reminders. With everyone being inundated with all types of information, knowing how to stand out and be recognized is imperative. These points are great strategies; thanks!

    1. Hi Colleen,

      You are very welcome! I’m glad to hear that you like these tips and reminders. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.

      ~ Robin

  2. Wow. Your holiday suggestions are spot on. I think sometimes we forget the value of handwritten notes and cards. Sometimes we get too involved to update and keep current our websites. Gee, just this morning I remembered a place on the net that I’m not sure I posted any Christmas arrangements.

    A special thanks for using one of our designs as an example of postings. I’m happy to say we have already sold out of the Thomas Kincade Christmas Cottage centerpiece arrangement and I removed it from our website.

    May you have a very blessed Christmas and a happy healthy and prosperous new year.

    1. Hi Tina,
      I’m so glad to hear that you like these holiday suggestions and that you like your example of how to post holiday Facebook posts! You are very welcome! I can understand how you sold out of the Thomas Kincade Christmas Cottage centerpiece arrangement. It is beautiful!

      May you have a blessed Christmas and all the best in 2016!

      ~ Robin

  3. Thank you, Robin, for this terrific and timely post. The information you give is valuable beyond compare. Just this morning I remembered one place on the ‘net that I had forgotten to update for Christmas (I hope it’s not too late), which is a reminder that we have to keep our information current and active all the time!

    Thanks too, for the kind complimentary comments about our social media post. I’m happy to tell you we have sold out of the Thomas Kinkade Country Cottage Christmas Centerpiece Arrangement and I have removed it from our website.

    I wish I had the time (and energy) to devote to learning more about using the Internet in the manner in which it can help generate business. I need to learn about Instagram, for example, and to remember to post to Pinterest (I finally did that 2 nights ago!). As my mother says, maybe next year!

    May you have a blessed Christmas and a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

    1. Hi Tina,
      It is my pleasure including you Facebook post as an example of how to post Facebook holiday posts. I will go and check out your Instagram and Pinterest posts, too!

      Have a wonderful Christmas and safe, happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

      ~ Robin

  4. Robin, I am grateful for you and your team. You always share amazing tips and continuously amaze me with your expertise. Thank you for these great tips to help us all with our websites and social media marketing.

    Wishing you, your team and loved ones a blessed holiday season!

  5. Great tips, Robin. Had not even considered updating the copyright date.

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