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Podcast Show Notes
Black Friday isn’t dead – People haven’t stopped shopping, and no covid isn’t killing retail no matter the shared doom and gloom fear-invoked messages.
There’s a reason big retailers all participate in October Black Friday because there’s an increase in the online competition this year.
Year over year, more and more consumers spend their dollars online, which will be no different this year.
E-commerce is set to dominate the retail space.
Increase in the online competition
According to eMarketer, eCommerce sales are already up year over year and are expected to remain elevated throughout the holidays across retail categories.
Consumers may be a little uneasy with the current economy; there’s still a tremendous amount of opportunity to be selling lower ticket items mostly.
So what does this mean for your small business?
It means that if you want to build deeper relationships with new clients, NOW is the time to start!
But like I discuss – it shouldn’t be about one-off sales.
It should be about putting in place the right sales process that will give you the ability to scale even after the holidays are over.
By giving your customers an incredible experience with your brand will keep coming back month after month.
McKinsey reports that 77% of Americans have tried new shopping behaviors in 2020 – up from 76% in late July. This includes new methods of shopping, new brands, and places in hopes of sticking with them in the long-term.
Now is the time to adapt to these changes and get your business on social media.
Yes, that means if you aren’t on Facebook and Instagram, NOW is the time to dust off your account, reset that password and freshen up your profile!
Amazon just reported a 37% revenue growth for the third quarter of 2020.
And Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement, “We’re seeing more customers than ever shopping early for their holiday gifts, which is just one of the signs that this is going to be an unprecedented holiday season.”
There is a demand for your product
So let’s get your brand online, shall we!
No matter your product category, there’s always a demand for deals during the holiday season.
So let’s add a bit of holiday cheer, deck your campaigns with magical scenery, and bring joy to more people this season.
And we all know a well planned Black Friday or Cyber Monday Sale will help you earn more without the added stress.
Holiday E-Commerce Strategy Starter Kit: At Last! I’ll Show You How To Have A Successful Holiday Campaign in A Couple Of Weeks WITHOUT Looking Like Every Other Marketer …Guaranteed! LEARN MORE!
7 Steps to Execute a Successful Holiday E-Commerce Strategy
It comes down to the planning you do NOW before those shopping dates creep up on you and you have nothing pre-planned.
1. Choose an irresistible offer
Just how we don’t promote our entire website and spew every collection on shoppers throughout the year – the same goes for your holiday campaign.
You never want to overwhelm a customer. So if you’ve been working on your value ladder from Episode 50, you should know what products your niche audience needs.
New products aren’t usually the best to blast out during the holidays, but you can undoubtedly bundle existing products and services to create new offers.
So what is your most popular product?
How can you add value to that item to increase their cart price? Refer back to Episode 54 for ways to add value.
2. Set your growth goals
Most small businesses have their sites set on more sales. But there are plenty of other ways to measure your success this season. These include building engagement, strengthening your community, growing your email list, improving your brand awareness, inspiring more people, generating more sales, or increasing your funnel conversions.
Sure, increased sales over the holiday months are great, but what I love more than anything is to see an increase in my niche audience, consuming my content on the regular.
Whether I add new followers on Instagram, or better yet, more readers to my weekly emails, I would consider that growth goal a big WIN that, unfortunately, many business owners overlook.
Here’s the way I put it…
Would you rather have several one-time purchasers over two months of the year or several hundred paying attention to your content and products all year long??
So even if you have a growth goal of sales this holiday season, don’t disregard the fact that an impactful holiday campaign can also grow your email list, strengthen your community, or even improve your brand awareness.
>> Ep 26: 3 Ways To Create A More Impactful Brand Online
3. Decide where to promote
And let me give you a little hint here… the more platforms, the better.
The holidays are a hectic marketing time for all businesses, so you don’t want to miss your chance of getting your message seen.
I recommend at the least planning an email marketing sequence, getting your message seen daily on IG and FB Stories, and setting up a launch plan for your IG and FB feeds that start with pre-launch and end with a post-launch post.
Choose a path and stick to it!
4. Choose your campaign dates
Whether you plan to run 1-3 small promotions per week or only one big promotion during the holidays, it’s imperative to build a calendar showcasing your key promotion periods for the season. Timing is everything when it comes to a holiday marketing campaign.
The Perfect Launch Timeline:
- Day 0-14: Pre-launch hype and teasers
- Day 15: Launch day
- Day 16-20: Post-launch follow-up
So yes… you want to have a scheduled start and end date for your holiday promotion.
I’ve found that having an end date is a great way to encourage people to decide either way.
Make sure to communicate your dates clearly in all your messaging before and during the sale.
You don’t want your customers to feel confused about when the sale starts or miss out because they don’t know when it ends.
>>> EP 53: 6 WAYS BETTER MESSAGE TARGETING COULD BOOST YOUR BUSINESS
5. Write out your social strategy
Now that you know what social channels and platforms you’ll be using to get the message out, you can start creating your content and writing your copy.
I find it easier to write email copy first then break it apart into shorter and punchier copy for social media posts.
Start with your “theme” or offer title and build your marketing from there. What is the idea or concept behind your holiday marketing campaign this year?
Start there.
>> EP 45: 4 SOCIAL MEDIA MISTAKES YOU ARE MAKING
Remember always to keep your ideal client in mind and write as you speak to them in a one on one conversation.
When you have your core foundation established, things like this become a breeze because you already know their limiting beliefs, pain points, and problems that need your solution.
If you need help with your core foundation, go check out The Personal Branding Playbook.
6. Create your campaign brand identity
Every campaign should have its own brand identity, including brand colors, fonts, imagery, and visual elements. Most of the time, this identity is cohesive to your regular everyday brand emotions.
Choose about three colors for your palette, two fonts, and a set of styled stock photos that match your brand but make a statement.
You want to make your designs eye-catching but not tacky and too much… keep it clean, yet bold.
Here are my favorite sites for styled stock images:
- Unsplash (free)
- Canva (Pro version)
- Haute Stock (this has been my secret site for years!)
7. Schedule Your Content Materials
Once your holiday marketing campaign’s content is ready to go, set aside some time to thoroughly plan out your social media content calendar using a scheduling app.
There are several great ones out there, and below are my favorites.
My Recommended Social Media Scheduling Apps:
- Planoly – for Instagram and Pinterest
- Tailwind – for Instagram and Pinterest
- Later – for Facebook and Instagram
- MeetEdgar – for all social media platforms
But the goal is to create as little stress as possible.
Knowing that all your posts, video, and stories are developed, posted, and scheduled, you can ENJOY the holidays and grow your business simultaneously.
RECAP
Now I know this may sound like a lot coming at you, but I promise with the right strategy, you can execute a successful Holiday E-Commerce Strategy starting today!
I have decades of experience doing these, so what better way to help you than to create a limited time Holiday E-Commerce Strategy Starter Kit.
Not only do I lay out the seven steps in more detail that I mentioned in this episode… but I provide you the checklists, copywriting cheat sheets, and creative help that I know you need.
It’s more like a holiday campaign in a box… but a beautiful and effective one!
Get your hands on this limited time Holiday E-Commerce Strategy Starter Guide at kristinkorn.com/holidaykit
Alright so to recap the 7 Steps to Execute a Successful Holiday E-Commerce Strategy
- Choose an irresistible offer.
- Set your growth goals
- Decide where to promote
- Choose your campaign dates.
- Write out your social strategy.
- Create your campaign brand identity
- Schedule Your Content Materials
My Biggest Regret to Holiday Campaigns
My biggest regret in years past was waiting till the last minute. And then scrambling to find a photo, promotion, and write out a post that would take me too long… that left me with little or no sales.
But to be honest, my sales matched my effort.
Today I do things much differently.
For every launch whether it’s around a promotion, holiday campaign or new business – I take the time to layout a strategy that I can be proud of.
And that is what I want for you this season.
So to leave you with a little inspiration because I know you may be thinking you lack the technology or creative skills or a large enough social following to pull a holiday campaign off remember this line…
Success is what comes after you stop making excuses.
Since I share awe-inspiring resources and must-have products for business builders like you who want to streamline their business – my content may contain affiliate links for products I use and love. If you take action (i.e. subscribe, make a purchase) after clicking one of these links, I’ll earn a small commission. While it has no effect on your pricing, it’s my responsibility to let you know that an income (however small or large it may be) is made from recommending products I love, use, and share with other awesome people like yourself. With your support, I’m able to commit time to this blog and to each of you on your journey!
