Ho-Ho-Hum Sales this Holiday Season? Five Last-Minute Holiday Marketing Tips

Perhaps sales were a little more lackluster than you’d hoped over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend? Don’t fret! Lucky for you, 50% of shoppers wait until the last month, and approximately 40% of those wait until the final week! So to reel in the pool of procrastinators, let’s talk five tips to cash in on those last-minute holiday shoppers. 

While the final countdown to Christmas is on, there are still small tactics and tweaks you can implement to give your sales a little boost: 

Go Live!

When you want to tap into the power of video marketing but are short on resources… do a live Facebook or Instagram stream! Filming a selfie-style video or informal chat doesn’t require much preparation. Or if you’re not comfortable with live streaming, put the same content on your Instagram or Facebook stories. Give a behind the scenes look at your business or let customers see how your business celebrates the season. Additionally, it’s a great opportunity to give an in-depth overview of a particular item with a link in the description to buy! 

Check out the Competition

While you are focused on your own holiday marketing strategies, a little competitor research may help you in the new year. What channels are your competitors gravitating towards? Also, what sort of promotions are they running? You won’t know how successful their sales are, but you’ll at least know what you’re up against.

Add a Countdown Timer to Your Site

Keep last-minute shoppers in-the-know with a countdown timer on your website or within marketing emails. While countdown timers are typically used to promote a sale, you can let customers know how many days they have left to order to ensure delivery by Christmas. For most online consumers, the cost of shipping is one of the most important factors to consider when deciding where to shop online. But for last-minute shoppers, fast shipping is often more important than free shipping.

Offer Free (or Cheap) Gift Wrapping

Some people are great at wrapping gifts… and others are not. For those who struggle, you can make their lives easier and incentivize a purchase by offering gift wrapping. Consider either throwing it in for free as a special offer or making it especially affordable. Promote it on your website and make it easy for folks to select it as an option during checkout. Knowing that you’re taking a task off your potential customer’s holiday to-do list could be the extra incentive to choose you over your competition.

Engage with Your Audience

‘Tis the season for talking with the ones you care about, not at them. The easiest way to communicate with your customers is through social media. Task a team member with replying to any comments on your social media posts. Here are some ways to use your social media presence to keep your customers and followers happy:

• Post frequently. Social media moves fast, so publish often to stay on top of your customers’ minds.
• Advertise and post social media-specific deals and promotions for your customers. This will increase your followers and keep people interacting with your page.
• Listen to your followers. You can help turn a bad experience into a good one by responding to complaints quickly and resolving issues promptly. Check-in on social media at least once a day to answer comments and private messages.
• Cross-promote your posts across multiple social media platforms to maximize your reach.

As you can see, there are quite a few things you can do to bolster holiday shopping season success, even if you got off to a slow start. For more buying pro tips and marketing advice, check out all of our articles on the Reseller Resources blog.