With the holiday season just around the corner, many retail marketing execs are likely polishing up their efforts to make it a winning campaign for their companies in hopes of offsetting a sluggish economy.
With that in mind, what are some things for retail marketers to keep in mind as they put the finishing touches on last-minute efforts to secure more return on investment (ROI) this holiday season?
Among the things to consider are:
- The holidays are the busiest, and oftentimes most profitable, period of the year. They also offer the opportunity to rebound and end the year strong, especially when businesses struggled earlier in the year. It behooves retail businesses to make a strong push in the final few months, with social media being a great tool to utilize;
- Are you using things like photos and Facebook and Twitter to promote your products and/or services? For many small retail businesses, an image is worth a thousand words. By using images, not only can you provide customers and potential customers with a visual of what you have to offer, but you can help them a little better in their decision-making process by seeing the item/s from the comfort of their homes;
- Promote key hashtags on Twitter. Assuming you are using Twitter to promote your company, be sure that you engage in properly created hashtags to connect with consumers. For example, if you’re running a Christmas contest where you will be giving away gifts, use words like #Christmas, #gifts, #contests #coupons etc. to attract a larger audience on Twitter. These will be the same consumers who are using certain keywords to dial-into a particular subject of interest;
- Put conceivable goals in place. While we all know the 2011 economy has been less than stellar at times, you still need to have goals in place for end-of-the-year retail marketing. It is important prior to kicking off the campaign to measure your goals and what can be conceivably accomplished this holiday season. While looking to attract more business, break things down as to specific needs;
- Include social media as part of broad campaign. Using social media is important, but it should be a portion of a more complete campaign. The advantage with social media is that its ability to be real-time is unsurpassed by anything else. If you have sent out a flyer, advertised in a newspaper, magazine or on radio/TV, you can use the social media campaign to highlight this;
- Lastly, have fun with the campaign. Given it is the holidays, many people will find themselves stressed out with all they have to do. It is important to make the holiday marketing campaigns light and fun for the consumers, not something considered stressful. When all is said and done, the social media campaign should entice people to come to you, not drive them away.
As retail businesses nationwide look to craft the right message this holiday season, take the time to make sure your marketing message is utilizing social media to the fullest extent.
If it is, you may find yourself unwrapping some pleasing financial numbers come 2012.
Photo credit: Blackdiamondpr.com
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