If you're looking forward to enjoying some turkey, football and family time in the upcoming days, that's great. We are too. But, don't use relaxation as a way to avoid a potential marketing advantage. That's right, holidays can work for you, especially if you're a brand with a solid online presence.
Your customers are looking for the same things you are this holiday season - relaxation, rest and fun. But, they're also on the lookout for special offers, deals and new opportunities to find brands to do business with. Over the holidays, your potential clients and customers are less focused on their own careers, this allows ample time for roaming the Web and for engaging online.
Does this apply to you? Absolutely. Reward them for their browsing efforts. Use the holidays to drive traffic, sales and conversions for your website by following a few of the following tips.
- Offer holiday discounts and special offers to members of your community and e-mail list. Use the holidays as a way to give back and to reward them for their loyalty throughout the year, they'll appreciate it.
- Just reach out. Send a quick "Happy Thanksgiving" message or other holiday-appropriate message that reminds them that you're thankful for them. Touching base is a great way to stay connected, no strings attached.
- Use your downtime to increase your social media presence. Take your time off to look at your company's social media presence. Are you doing everything you can to reach as large an audience as possible? Are you engaging with those who have left comments? If not, now is the time to change.
- Holidays make a great excuse for a contest! Offer a contest to those who leave a message on your Facebook wall, Retweet a post of yours or leave a comment on your blog. This increases opportunities to engage and will help drive additional traffic.
Regardless of the efforts you put your time into, remember to thank your customers throughout the year. They are the reason you're able to do what you do, and what's really behind your brand's success.