While the twelve days of Christmas are traditionally celebrated between December 25 (Christmas Day) and January 5 (the eve of the Epiphany), consumer businesses often celebrate with the “12 Days of Deals” observance where they offer a new deal every day for twelve days leading up to Christmas Eve (although any 12 consecutive days during Small Business Season works). The discounts can be incredibly effective in generating buzz and drawing crowds. After all, everyone wants to know what tomorrow’s discount will be. In this article, we’ll walk you through how you can capitalize on your own “12 Days of Deals” during Small Business Season. Even if you’re not a traditional retail business, remember all customers enjoy a deal (or, better yet, 12 of them!). The holiday season is the perfect time for small businesses to engage customers and boost sales. A "12 Days of Deals" campaign is an effective way to generate excitement, attract new customers, and encourage repeat purchases. Here’s how your business can make the most of this strategy, regardless of your industry.
Step One: Set Goals for Your Campaign This is not a giveaway. For your 12 Days of Deals to have an impact on your bottom line, you should get clear about what you want to achieve with your campaign. Are you looking to:
Step Two: Plan Your 12 Days of Deals Strategically Create a day-by-day plan for your promotions. This is not something you want to do on the fly when you have time to post each day. Consistency is key to this type of campaign. You want to build excitement. Here are some basics to keep in mind:
Step Three: Create a Promotional Calendar Again, consistency is key. Develop a promotional calendar that outlines:
Step Four: Promote the Campaign in Advance Start spreading the word about your 12 Days of Deals campaign before it begins. Tell your chamber about it. Maybe they will include it in their newsletter, emails, or videos about Small Business Season. Use multiple channels to build anticipation such as:
Step Five: Keep It Visible Use marketing channels to keep the campaign visible and accessible. You might choose to make the deals announcement every day at the same time. You can roll it out in a live announcement to build buzz and interact with your audience. Don’t forget to:
Step "Six": Use a Sense of Urgency While this isn’t a step in itself (thus the “”), it’s critical that with this type of promotion, it’s all about the ticking clock. The deal is only good for a limited time (establish that ahead of the promotion and communicate it with every deal that is announced). Encourage customers to act quickly by emphasizing limited availability. Use phrases in your marketing and communications such as:
Step Seven: Engage Your Audience Run an interactive campaign to boost engagement. You can do this by:
Step Eight: Monitor and Learn Track the success of each day’s deal to see what resonates most with your customers. Metrics to consider include:
If a particular type of deal performs well, consider adapting future offers to better match customer interests. Additionally, if the deal is not inspiring action, think about tweaking deals in the future that were like the one that is not performing. Drive Post-Campaign Engagement After the 12 days are over, keep the momentum going. You’re now top of mind for these customers. Don’t waste the momentum. Show appreciation for customers who participated in the campaign by sending a thank you postcard or email. Entice them to return in January with a follow-up promotion. Early Bonus: Reward Your Loyal Customers Reward your loyal customers by allowing them early access to deals or a sneak preview of some of the deals. You can use this tactic to encourage sign-ups for a loyalty program or email list ahead of the holiday season. This also allows them to feel “in the know.” While they may leak some of your deals early, talking about you and your deals is well worth the secret getting out. |
CategoriesAuthorsGreater Valley Chamber Staff, Interns & Members Archives
November 2023
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