How to Market for the Holidays without Breaking the Budget

Some businesses depend on the holidays for a big portion of their annual revenue. For others, the fall/winter holiday season might be a slow time of year. Either way, this is a great time to engage and connect with your customers.

Holiday marketing doesn’t have to mean offering big discounts. There are many ways for businesses on a budget to go after their piece of the holiday pie.

BBB has the following tips for businesses looking to take advantage of the holiday season:

Use holidays to add a personal touch. Offer special discounts or sales tied to holiday themes. Showcase seasonal gifts, menus or merchandise. Offer treats like warm cider to get customers into the holiday spirit. You could use the opportunity to present a special offer or coupon that customers can redeem any time through Dec. 24.

Make special holiday offers for faithful customers. One way to take advantage of the season is to make existing customers feel special and try to get their repeat holiday business. You can make special offers available to current customers — give them sneak previews; offer perks like free shipping or secret sales.

Feature different products or services. You could feature different products or services and give them a holiday spin. Share your holiday-themed promotion on your website, social media, email, posters and flyers.

Cross-promote. You might be able to partner with a complementary store or restaurant and offer limited time specials that cross-promote each other’s goods and services. For example, a retailer and restaurant could hold in-store events where the restaurant provides food and drinks and the retailer provide the location.

Get involved in local events. Supporting charities, as well as sponsoring or getting involved in community events can generate awareness for your business during the holidays. If you can’t donate large chunks of money, you could volunteer or offer space or services.

Use your website and social media. Target and connect with local consumers during the holidays using your website, social media or email marketing. Develop holiday themes for email templates and update your social media with a holiday theme. You can also use social media to engage customers about their holiday activities and help drive foot traffic to your store.

Check back often for all your business tip needs.

Encourage Charitable Giving At Your Office

December is a critical fundraising month for charities. Many businesses and organizations make year-end gifts for tax reasons, or to extend the holiday spirit.  Employees and employers who pool their efforts to support a cause, either with their time, money or in kind donations, can make a positive impact for struggling families over the holidays.

BBB Wise Giving Alliance recommends the following ways that small business owners can spread the holiday spirit around the office:

Institute a volunteer day. Giving to a charity doesn't have to mean pulling out the checkbook. Many charities also rely heavily on the gift of time from volunteers. An office wide volunteer day is a great way to get employees out of the office and working together on something they can be proud of.

Rally around one cause with an office fundraiser. Office bake sales, silent auctions and tag sales are just a few ways to raise money for a charity. If everyone gets involved, then the nickel and dimes can add up to a healthy donation to a needy organization.

Collect food or toys. Around the holidays, many charities are looking for non-perishable food donations or toys. If everyone in the office donates a can of food or a toy, those items can collectively make a huge difference for a less fortunate family's holiday season.

Offer a matching program. Small business owners can encourage employees to make donations to charities by matching their contributions. Matching programs allows individual employees to choose a cause that might be near and dear to their own heart. By matching their donations, small business owners can show they support their employees with the added benefit of a tax deduction.

Educate employees to be wise givers. Encourage employees to research their charities first with the BBB Wise Giving Alliance before they give. BBB Wise Giving Alliance evaluates more than 1,200 national-soliciting charities against 20 rigorous accountability standards.

For more advice on holiday charitable giving from the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, visit bbb.org/charity.