by Donna Amos
Thanksgiving doesn’t need to get lost between your big Halloween and Christmas holiday marketing events. It’s not a time to slack off just because you think the bigger sales are coming in December. Bargain hunters are ready to shop. We have 10 Thanksgiving marketing ideas for solopreneurs.
Offer Early Black Friday And Cyber Monday Specials
You don’t have to wait until Black Friday and Cyber Monday to throw out some of your best specials. It’s always such a stressful time for consumers as they’re out shopping for Fall decorations, trying to think about gifts and stressing over the Thanksgiving meal. They don’t need to worry about finding their last quarter in the couch for things they really want. When you launch an early sale, consumers get some of their best shopping done quickly. This means you’re ahead of the crowds, too. You get your name out there before everyone else. You can offer flash sales, limited time offers, daily deals, and/or Buy One Get One (BOGO). It’s genius, basic marketing because you’re not one in a crowd when you do the deals earlier. Everyone wins.
Small Business Saturday Action
Small Business Saturday is the coolest thing next to Black Friday. It’s only for the smaller businesses because they’ve traditionally gotten lost in the big company sales. Huge stores are used to lines forming for their big sales. You can basically do the same thing on a smaller scale. Offer some big specials, huge discounts and crazy sales. Set yourself apart by doing some stiff marketing during this time. You don’t want to get lost just because you’re smaller. People should shop smaller to support the “little guys.”
Set Up A Gift Guide
People spend thousands of dollars a year on gifts. You can help them, and help yourself, by giving them a gift guide. This helps shoppers get in the holiday spirit just a little earlier with the best selections for everyone. This also takes the stress off of them and adds to your pocketbook.
These are very common Thanksgiving marketing campaigns because it puts shopping in the hands of the consumer. You aren’t in their face. They’re choosing the products based on their specific needs and budget. This increases their order and you make more sales.
Give Special Love To Your Most Loyal Customers
Thanksgiving is all about being gracious. Share your love to your most loyal customers during this time. Give them a special gift or offer them a targeted promotion. You should focus on specific promotions made just for the most loyal customers. Remember that new customers are important, but returning customers are crucial to your business success. You should offer this to customers who have spent over $500 or more with you, customers who have left great reviews, and/or customers who repeatedly buy a specific product from you.
Highlight Customer Success Stories
Success can be found in a little humble bragging. You can shine light on your customer’s triumphs by offering them a chance to tell their story. This is a way to boost your engagement while bringing in new clients. You can create an effective marketing campaign for your company by putting their face in the spotlight. As they tell their story, you can mention your products and services that they used to achieve these goals. This makes potential customers excited about your products.
Start A Donation Campaign
Doing a fundraiser or donation campaign is a wonderful idea right before the holidays. Not only does it help build customer relationships, but it also reminds people that you’re genuine. You’re not just in this business for all the money. Yes, it’s your livelihood, but you also care about people.
You can support organizations giving housing to those in need, team up with local food drives or volunteer to help the community in other ways. You can put a percentage of your profits towards one of these groups, give a matching gift with a donation or sell products in your store made by the organization.
Connect Via Social Media In A Fun Way
Connection is key in marketing. It’s the perfect time to tell a story visually. You need a fun way to reach customers and give them a reason to visit your social media page. Make funny videos, create memes and share entertaining pictures. Create cute mini-marketing campaigns for your social media pages. This doesn’t put you out a lot of money and brings in potential customers.
Send A Thank You Note
The “Thank You” note doesn’t get enough love these days. It’s the most personal way to have a huge impact. You’re reminding customers that you’re there for them during the holidays. Your doors are open and ready. Send them a short e-mail or a postcard to do this. Tie it all in with your brand.
You can share a little personal story, or just make it short and sweet to tell them how much you thank them for being your customer. Customers want to feel as if you value them. They want to feel loved during the start of the holiday season.
Go For A Turkey Day Challenge
A little challenge never hurt anyone. You can run a 7-day SMS campaign. This means you provide a real solution to problems that your customers may have during the holiday season. You can do a workout challenge, a reading challenge, a meditation challenge, a gratitude challenge or anything that gets people motivated to visit your business.
Send your customers daily messages to remind them of this challenge. Tell them to take time for themselves along the way. Have a little fun with it each day. Make people feel as if they’re interacting with one another in this fun contest.
Create Seasonal Content
The feeling of Autumn is all about comfort, crisp air and reflection before the holiday season. Bring these positive thoughts to your business. Decorate your website as well as your business with this color theme. Make people feel the comfort of Fall when they come into your store.
You should get into the habit of doing this all year. You can use the decorations annually so you aren’t out much money. For an extra touch, provide customers with apple cider and pumpkin muffins when they walk into your store.
Many people are ready to get out and shop during the Thanksgiving period. They don’t want the stress of the usual holiday season to overwhelm them. They will be thankful for your Thanksgiving marketing ideas when they offer them early sales. You’ll be thankful to get ahead of the curve so it’s not so stressful at the end of the year to ensure you made the books go wild during the holiday season.
Donna Amos is passionate about helping Solopreneurs grow their business using everything digital and publishing. She has 30 years experience in sales and marketing for small business. She believes the best gift you can give another is a word of encouragement.
