Thanksgiving marks the official start of the holiday season. This year, businesses can boost sales and enhance their reputation with the help of Thanksgiving marketing ideas.
Top Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas to Use This Holiday Season
A good marketer sees opportunity in every situation, and the holiday season is a goldmine when it comes to marketing. Here are the best Thanksgiving marketing ideas you can use to drive up sales and brand awareness.
1. Take Advantage of Social Media
Users worldwide spend an average of 145 minutes a day on social media alone. As such, your business needs to be visible in a place where people spend a lot of their time. Even something as simple as updating your profile photo to match the Thanksgiving season can spark an interest in your brand.
You can also take it further by launching a hashtag campaign. For instance, you can ask your followers to share what they’re thankful for this year by using the hashtag #feelingthankful or #givethanks. If a comedic persona fits your brand more, ask your followers to share their funniest Thanksgiving memories using #thanksgivinglaughs or #funnythanksgiving.
2. Offer Promos
The holidays are when brands usually offer promos, and you shouldn’t allow your own business to be left out.
If you’re looking to clear up inventory in time for the new year while increasing sales at the same time, offer your items at a discounted price. You can also offer other promos such as free shipping, buy-one-take-one, etc.
If you’re looking to build your email marketing, start a campaign that offers exclusive discounts to your subscribers. Send them a promo code they can use when they check out their online shopping cart. Doing this will not only help you boost sales but also make your loyal subscribers feel like they’re special. On the other hand, you can send out a coupon code for first-time purchasers to encourage lead conversion.
3. Hold a Giveaway
Thanksgiving is a time to give back. For marketing purposes, that means holding a giveaway to grow your follower base and email subscriber list.
Giveaways can take many forms, and the exact specifications of your campaign should be tailored to your product or service. For example, if you run a restaurant, you can give away a free Thanksgiving dinner. If you run an online clothing store, you can raffle away a brand new shirt or a pair of shoes.
When holding a giveaway, you can ask people to enter their email addresses as part of their entries. Alternatively, you can require people to follow your brand’s social media pages and share your post to qualify. Get creative! But, remember, the goal is to increase brand awareness and generate leads.
4. Allow Advance Orders
Thanksgiving is often a stressful and hectic time for people. One way you can help them while increasing your sales at the same time is to advertise advance orders.
Restaurants, for one, can allow customers to order food in advance online. They can then have it delivered or picked up. You can even add an incentive by offering a free dish or a coupon code on their next purchase if they buy early. This makes it easier for them since it eases the burden of day-of food preparations. In the same way, it reduces the amount of work for your staff on the big day.
5. Tailor Products to the Season
Whether you sell clothes or furniture, nearly any product can be marketed to suit the Thanksgiving holiday.
You can sell clothes as a bundle for the ideal Thanksgiving outfit or put together three outfits and market it for families. You can market home decor and furniture as a way to elevate customers’ Thanksgiving night when they have guests over.
Think of a way you can angle your products or services to match the season. Then, make sure to let everyone know about it by launching a social media or email marketing campaign. You’d be surprised at how a simple act such as this can help boost sales.
6. Extend Promotional Periods
With all the preparations and parties, November is a busy time for people. When their attention is divided, it’s hard to make a long-lasting impact. So, instead of offering promos for only a day or two, consider extending it to last for the entire month of November.
This strategy will help you get an edge over your competition since it allows you to start early on promos. Even when faced with multiple choices, customers are more likely to buy from a business that offers good deals all month long. Make sure to consistently advertise your month-long promos, though, so that people don’t forget about it.
7. Create Relevant Content
Creating relevant content is one of the most overlooked yet effective Thanksgiving marketing ideas. When coming up with ideas for content, think of things that offer value to customers. For instance, given the season, you can write up a guide that people can use to cook a complete and delicious Thanksgiving feast.
Explore content ideas, but don’t just put out anything that is related to Thanksgiving. Make sure they are relevant to your business as well. If you run a home decor business, give tips on how people can decorate their dinner tables or homes for Thanksgiving parties. If you run a clothing store, offer advice on how people can put together the perfect Thanksgiving party outfit.
8. Show Your Appreciation
Get in the spirit of giving thanks by starting with your customer base. Design a festive and eye-catching graphic that expresses your gratitude to them. Let them know that your business is only thriving because of them and that you appreciate their support. If you want to exert a little more effort, you can even send personalized thank-you notes or small tokens to your most valuable customers. Above all, make sure to be sincere with your message.
If you want to show some love to your suppliers or business partners, these same ideas can also apply.
9. Give Back
Charitable acts usually go up during the season of giving. And while giving back to the community should certainly come from the heart, it also provides businesses with an opportunity for marketing.
As part of this year’s Thanksgiving marketing ideas, consider holding a campaign where you donated a portion of the proceeds for every purchase of a product or within a set period. You can also have everyone on your staff volunteer at a local soup kitchen or children’s hospital for a day. If you have a physical location in addition to an online one, holding a food drive is a great way to get people into your store.
Take an Active Approach to Online Marketing
There’s a reason sales usually go up for most businesses during the holiday season. The festivities and overall atmosphere during this time typically get people into a buying mood. But, that doesn’t mean you should just sit back and wait for customers to come in. Take advantage of the holidays by employing these Thanksgiving marketing ideas to help boost sales and improve your brand awareness.
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