This post was originally created in November of 2023, but it's August 2024 and I'm updating it with information to help you promote your business during the busy holiday season.
We are starting a little earlier this year, because we're halfway through the year and into the back to school season. If you're already promoting for back to school, you're ahead of the game. Use the tips in this article to further optimize your store for the upcoming season.
Before you know it Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be upon us and if you're not ready, you can miss out on key opportunities.
You want to start promoting NOW through the end of the year and this post is designed to help you get ready. These days, and the days leading up to Christmas are in many cases the biggest shopping days of the year.
Why Start Planning Now? It's Still Hot Outside!
It's important to start planning for the holidays, and any important event you plan to earn from at least 6-8 weeks prior to the event. According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, nearly all U.S. adults (92%) say they plan to celebrate events such as Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa this year, on par with last year.
Similar to previous years, 43% of holiday shoppers say they generally start their holiday shopping before November. So what does this mean for your business? It means getting ready, in whatever ways you can, right now.
This doesn't mean obsessing or going overboard with planning, but it does mean that if you plan to reach your sales goals this holiday season, be aware that it's competitive, and depending on your niche more challenging to break through all the noise your ideal customers will hear in the coming months from your competitors.
Even now, consumers are looking ahead to using this back to school time of year to save money on gifts. Not to mention the birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, weddings and baby showers they'll attend now through the end of the year.
If you're new, don't overlook the month of August (and even earlier) as the real kick off for your earnings this season. This article is about how you can reap several benefits by taking a few simple steps.
Your Selling Options
You have several options that include, selling your own products, selling other people's products, selling a combination of yours and there's.
If you have a shop, you'll receive tips on how to get it ready and if you don't have a shop, we'll show you how to set one up. And all is not lost if you don't have a shop... we'll show you how to sell without a shop
Product Choices
Shop Choices
Selling Someone Else's Products
This is the best option if you don't have products of your own to sell. For this option you'll need a platform and permission from the product maker to sell their products on your platform.
This means maybe joining a direct sales company, like Scentsy, Young Living, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, etc. You can also become an affiliate marketer, print on demand partner or other business owner who sells other people's products.
The pros are that you can earn a commission for each sale you make. The cons are you won't have control over the pricing or timing of sales and discounts. However you can advertise the deals offered by the partners you are working with.
For example, if you are working with Scentsy, you can advertise a few of the deals offered by Scentsy for Black Friday - Cyber Monday (BFCM) week on social media or in your eCommerce shop, on your blog, website, landing page or using videos. The same would apply to any affiliate or print on demand partnerships you've formed.
It's not necessary to try and sell the entire shop, you can pick 1-3 products and promote them to your audience. Pick out a few items that you think will be especially useful to your audience and promote them using the strategies mentioned in this article.
Selling Your Own Products
If you're selling digital products like courses, eBooks, workbooks, cards and handmade products, you can modify your pricing and provide deals for events like Black Friday or Cyber Monday. You can create bundles, BOGO deals, discounts and flash sales to advertise the deals you're offering.
When selling digital products you don't have to worry about shipping costs, tracking or whether the customer received their products. In contrast, if you're making physical products by hand, there are only so many products you can make at any given time.
If you're selling your own physical products or handmade products, you might consider taking pre-orders and have a cut off date for Christmas delivery.
You might also consider taking pre-orders throughout the year as part of your normal sales process deals.
Be sure to manage customer expectations and use clear communications so that customer will know what they are getting and when.
Tips for Getting Your Business Holiday Ready
If you are promoting products this holiday season... you can start by taking the following steps:
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Promoting When You Don't Have a Shop or Website
All is not lost if you don't have a blog or shop that you can use to promote deals. Now is the time to set up a shop or landing you can use to promote the products you choose to sell during the holidays.
If you're making handmade products, you can open an Etsy store to sell your products. It costs around $15.00 to set up a shop, (yes it used to be free) and .20 to list products in your shop. But the great thing about Etsy is that once you pay the one time fee to open your store and you get your products listed, you don't have to pay until your products sell.
We have a complete tutorial that shows you how to set up your shop and get your first 40 listings for free! So consider opening a shop during the holidays and listing at least 40 products that can bring in a little extra money. If nothing else, you can create a goal to make enough to cover your holiday shopping!
Check out our tutorial below and get your Etsy shop up, stocked and running for the holidays that occur between now and the end of the year.
Open an Etsy Shop
Check out our complete tutorial and get 40 free listings!
Starting a WordPress Blog
Now is a great time to start a blog that will serve several purposes during the holiday season. It will give you a platform you can use to sell not only during the holiday season, but all year long. You can also set up a full sales and marketing system that will serve you well during this busy time of year. Even if you don't have a shop, you can sell products right from your blog post using Stripe and Paypal.
A self-hosted WordPress blog paired with a WooCommerce store offers entrepreneurs the perfect platform to maximize holiday sales. And did I mention both of these platforms are free?
By combining content marketing with a powerful eCommerce solution, you can attract more visitors, keep them engaged, and convert them into loyal customers. As the holiday season approaches, there’s no better time to start building your online presence and setting yourself up for success.
Start a WordPress Blog
Check out our complete tutorial and start earning from your own self hosted blog and WooCommerce.
Set up a Shopify Store
A Shopify store is another great option if you're not interested in blogging, you don't have a shop but you want a way to showcase your products.
Shopify is a popular solution, however it does call for a bigger investment to get started. Even with the costs associated with fees, a theme and extras you can use to promote your shop it's worth it for thousands of entrepreneurs.
If you want the gold standard in eCommerce marketing, a solution that you own and control, it is an excellent way to showcase your products. We have a full tutorial (access it below) that walks you through how to start a Shopify store.
Open a Shopify Store
Check out our complete tutorial and start earning from your own store, one that you own and control.
Promote Using a Landing Page
You can also set up a landing page using a number of free resources. Some of these are also resources you might have access to (like Mailchimp or Canva) if you are a user of those platforms. We also use a paid solution called Thrive Architect.
These sites can be used to set up a page that you can use to promote your deals during the holiday season. You can use our landing page tutorial to learn how to set up your page with Thrive Architect. We use Thrive Suite (that includes Thrive Architect) but you can use whatever tool works best for you.
A landing page might be a better option for directing users to a single deal or product category. Once you have the landing page framework built you might also consider adding a lead generation form to collect leads (potential customers you can talk to about your business all year long).
Set Up a Landing Page
Check out our landing page tutorial that also shows you how to set up Stripe and PayPal Buttons, and start earning this holiday season.
If time permits, it might be a good time to set up an Etsy shop, blog, Shopify store, or if you're on WordPress, you can create an eCommerce store by adding the free Woocommerce plugin.
Short on Time? Watch the Video
Important Dates
Here are some important dates you should take note of and most importantly, not let pass without offering "something":
Even if your business has nothing to do with the holiday itself, you have several opportunities between now and the end of the year to offer buy one, get one deals, promote your partner's (affiliates, POD, etc.) deals, flash sales and more in your shop.
Just think of it this way... if you sell at least one product to 100 people that gives you a profit of $5.00 each, you can put $500.00 in your pocket for the holidays! And you might have a few new customers that you can sell to during the coming year!
Even if you have a promotion that flops, you'll learn what works and what doesn't. That is VALUABLE information that will help you move into 2025 with a new and improved strategy that will move you forward.
By testing and implementing more of what works and doing less of what doesn't work will help you continuously improve your ability to earn. Be sure to read tip #8 post event analysis for more information.
The Benefits You'll Receive
By showcasing deals for your customers and follow through with an active promotion campaign, you'll reap the following benefits:
- Increased Sales: These shopping events attract a large number of customers looking for deals. By offering promotions and discounts, entrepreneurs can significantly boost their sales during this period.
- Customer Acquisition: The heightened awareness and increased online traffic during these events provide an excellent opportunity to attract new customers. Entrepreneurs can leverage this influx to expand their customer base.
- Clear Out Inventory: If you have excess inventory, these events are an ideal time to clear it out. Offering special deals can help you move products and make room for new inventory.
- Increase Customer Loyalty: By offering exclusive deals to existing customers, entrepreneurs can strengthen relationships and build loyalty. Loyalty programs or special offers for repeat customers can encourage them to return.
Getting Ready for Black Friday/Cyber Monday
If you don't promote at any other time this season, you must promote something on these two day. Here are a few steps you can take to get your blog or online store ready for the week leading up to Black Friday through Cyber Monday.
- Create Special Offers: Plan attractive promotions, discounts, or bundles specifically for these events to entice customers. Consider time-limited deals to create a sense of urgency.
- Build Hype through Social Marketing: Utilize social media, email marketing, and other channels to build anticipation for your Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday deals.
- Enhance Customer Support: Prepare your customer support team for increased inquiries. Provide clear communication about promotions, shipping times, and any other relevant information.
- Stock Management: Ensure you have sufficient inventory to meet the expected demand. Monitor popular products and restock as necessary.
- Mobile Optimization: As many shoppers use mobile devices, ensure that your website and purchasing process are optimized for mobile users.
- Secure Payment Options: Make sure your payment gateway is secure and can handle increased transactions. Security is crucial during high-traffic periods.
- Create a Gift Guide: Help customers find the perfect gifts by creating a gift guide. Highlight popular products and provide suggestions for different preferences.
- Post-Event Analysis: After the events, analyze the performance using data from Google Analytics, social media analytics and sales data) that provides feedback on your promotions, products, and overall strategy.
Test, Monitor, Tweak and Re-calibrate
To excel this holiday season, it's important to understand what's working and what's not working. Set up reports and regularly review data from tools like Google Analytics, social media and email marketing analytics (available with business accounts) to evaluate the content that resonates most with your audience.
If you're on WordPress you can use a plugin called Thrive Optimize to test your pages, posts, titles, opt-in forms and more for some amazing insights. Use the insights gained to improve future holiday campaigns.
To summarize, when you strategically prepare for these shopping events, your business can benefit and experience increased sales, customer acquisition, and brand visibility, ultimately contributing to the overall growth and success of your online businesses.
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