It is clear that Christmas is the most wonderful yet hectic time of year for businesses. As the reindeers rally to Santa’s sleigh and the elves get to work, the excitement builds alongside the influx of anticipating consumers wondering what your SME has to offer.
Preparation
If an SME begins preparing before the baubles are up then it will truly have an impressive and tactical head start for the impending tradition of Christmas. According to Microsoft’s customer insights report, people will start their shopping even earlier this year. Christmas is crazier every year for nearly all businesses, so it is crucial to avoid feeling overstretched and that there is more that could have been achieved.
One of the most obvious ways in which to combat the overwhelming flurry of merry customers is to fill up your stocking with extra staff; all hands on deck is imperative. It lifts pressure and allows enterprises to cover all bases when the snow is falling whilst keeping faces filled with smiles.
Staying Relevant
An SME’s brand awareness can be significantly raised when Christmas is done well. It is evident that adverts often evoke emotion during the festive season, using this to your advantage is vital. According to the UK’s Advertising Association, ‘just under a half (47%) have been moved to tears by a Christmas advert they’ve heard or seen’. Pulling on the heartstrings can be memorable for consumers which is perfect for both attracting new customers and reinforcing brand identity to existing ones.
Additionally, social media can be utilised by SMEs in different ways to spread holiday joy and more importantly broaden their horizons. A study from Datareportal shows there were ‘3.48 billion social media users in 2019, with the worldwide total growing by 288 million (9 percent) since this time last year’. Having a strong online presence will propel your SME forward in the digital world. Coordinating a competition or a giveaway fits perfectly with the giving season whilst projecting your brand to your target audience.
Christmas Cards
Another great way to engage with your customers this festive period is the use of Christmas cards, the hastier the better in hope to rule St. Nick’s nice list of SMEs. Sending out seasonal greeting cards to consumers can profoundly promote in a way that is heartfelt and warm, rather than a generic marketing email that may be missed or disregarded. One step further could be attempting to make these cards sustainably or from recycled material, in effort to both promote your SME’s green thumb and continuing to keep our planet clean.
Understandably handwritten cards will prove to be too logistically complex or time consuming for larger enterprises, so settling for an E-card can substitute and create the same effect. Be sure to muster up an enticing subject line so that your Christmas card isn’t lost in the avalanche of drip campaigns customers are bombarded with at this time of year.
Decking the Halls with Discounts
An offer you cannot resist goes hand in hand with Christmas shopping as many consumers buy for multiple people. Giving customers discounted prices during the festive period, bundling items together in a gift set or charging a little extra for gifts to be pre-wrapped are just a few successful strategies to add to the arsenal.
Categorising gifts into things for him, her and anyone that fits your target market only increases customer experience through this organised system. Not to mention, giving existing customers exclusive deals is also a great way to have brand loyalty snowballing at Christmas, whilst simultaneously spending wisely as it costs more to attract new consumers.
A Lasting Christmas Legacy
People love personal and people love presents. Personalised presents targeted towards your specific consumers will encourage people to come to your SME when on the buildup to Christmas; feeling familiar with a business is a great way to get onto the wish list of many customers. This could be done by collecting data from an emailed survey or however you find best, then subsequently tailoring your services or products into something consumers cannot live without.
This is an overwhelming yet profitable time of year for many and maximising what you can achieve with your SME is hard work, but extremely rewarding with preparation and perfect execution. Leaving a lasting memory of Christmas can instil consumers with a hunger for what your SME will be carolling next year too.
