The holiday season is one of the best times for small businesses, especially those in the retail industry, to make lots of sales. In fact, this time of the year, a lot of companies make in a few weeks more than they make in the entire year, particularly on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

When you run a small business, there are plenty of opportunities for huge sales in the holiday season, and you certainly don’t want to give that advantage to the competition, some of whom have already prepared for it.

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of 5 ideas for holiday marketing so that holidays work for your business.

Plan for the holiday season

Larger companies and organisations have whole departments devoted to holiday sales, but this privilege is not open to most small businesses. However, planning on time can still put you in the right place to take advantage of the season.

For example, you should start by ordering additional products or placing timely orders with your suppliers. Your suppliers are under their own pressure, and they may have deadlines for delivering goods in time for the holidays, so you must get your order request out on time.

Hiring temporary staff may also be the difference your business needs to scope with more customers and bring them in a festive mood.

Analyse your cash flow

To have an effective holiday sale, small businesses need to crunch numbers and evaluate their cash flow. The result of your analysis is what will decide your spending, inventory and other business-related expenses for holiday marketing.

A quick look at last year’s sales numbers is a good idea. How much did you earn in the previous holiday season? What type of holiday expenses do you have to prepare for? You can plan and set important holiday sales goals once you have an understanding of your cash flow history.

Holiday sales tend to be overwhelming, especially if your business stocks the kind of items people look for during this period. Therefore, make sure your business bank account is configured correctly to handle the transactions and cash flow that will come in.

Create an innovative holiday marketing strategy

Don’t wait until it is too late before coming up with a holiday marketing strategy. Consumers are bombarded with ads months before the start of the holidays because most companies realise that this is the time to make some significant revenue. That’s why you should roll out your marketing early, too. There are some customers out there and it is your responsibility to reach them.

Your company can use a holiday marketing strategy for promotion, and the message should be specific and unique. Ask yourself: what makes your business different from the others?

Be sure to plan your marketing materials to include shipping or sales information. Consumers want to know where they can get things they need, easily and without costly shipping. Don’t make them search for the details! Make those specifics part of your marketing strategy.

Decorate

Let’s face it, customers expect you to be in the holiday spirit, and this means decorating. It doesn’t matter whether you’re working out of an office or from home. Both your employees and customers would expect your company to be in the mood of the holiday.

You don’t have to break the bank in order to decorate. In fact, you can save a lot of money by making it a team-building exercise, where every member of your staff brings in ideas and their effort.

Take advantage of the internet

Whether you sell online or offline, the internet offers a lot of advantages for the holiday season. You can use social media, online forums, and other platforms to let people know what you will be having for Christmas, including sending out holiday sales newsletters and deals.

And if you sell products online, don’t forget to tweak your online platform so that it is as intuitive and stress-free as possible for your holiday customers.