We are the end of the year and sometimes it’s hard to get inspiration for promotion ideas. We’re lucky, though, as it’s Christmas so there is plenty of fodder for promotions to work with. Customers, whether they love or hate Christmas, are thinking about it so theming your communications around this season can provide a relevance that increases the likelihood of people taking notice.
So get your thinking Santa caps on for how you can link Christmas to your promotions. To get you started here are a couple of ideas.
Some ideas of how you can link a Christmas theme to your promotions include:
- Being generous
- Get in the Christmas spirit by offering super specials as a gift to all customers.
- Give customers a Xmas gift when they purchase.
- Donate to a worthy cause in December (this could be 10 per cent of the purchase price).
- Christmas entertainment
- Sourcing funny Santa or Christmas videos for your social media or advertisements.
- Having live Christmas themed entertainment in your office or shop.
- Organising a visit from Santa himself or providing the opportunity for photos with Santa at your workplace.
- Help customers with gift ideas
Promote any products or services that might be appropriate for Christmas presents offer gift wrapping or a free Christmas card with the gift.
- Christmas food
Offering recipes, tips for cooking or linking how your products or services link in with getting Christmas dinner ready. For example you might suggest how saving money through your product or service allows more money to be spent on yummy food at Christmas. Revealing staff members favourite Christmas food can be a nice way to build relationships.
If your promotions are done and dusted for the year, don’t worry you can do the same in the New Year. Theming promotions around a fresh start, new beginnings, celebrations, New Year resolutions, getting fit, out with the old and in with the new, planning, hope or improvement, you can attract the eyes and ears of your intended audience. In fact, linking with any season and applying these principles can work.
Australia definitely has lots of seasons so you will never run out of ideas. Here’s a few for you to think about over your Christmas break. Footy season, spring racing carnival, cricket season, tennis season, summer, autumn, winter, spring, soccer season, grape grazing season, skiing season, swimming season. So, to all small-business owners, a big season,s greetings from me.
Ailsa Page, Director, AP Marketing Works and co-author of “Get Good or Get Off: A guide to getting it right on social media”
