10 creative holiday promotion ideas for small businesses

Explore our actionable holiday promotion ideas to help boost your sales all year round

In life and in business, people love a reason to celebrate and recognize memorable moments. Nothing marks a special occasion quite like a holiday whether that be the traditional ‘holiday season’ in November and December or a big summer blowout for Independence Day in July.

As a small business owner, it’s important that you take advantage of the promotional sales opportunities available to you during holidays throughout the year.

Which holidays should my small business celebrate?

As a small business who wants to stand out, the holidays you recognize should depend on your unique identity and the industry in which you operate. For example, women-owned businesses should recognize International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month in March, eco-conscious organizations should celebrate Earth Day in April, and tech companies should take advantage of National Technology Day in May. 

Regardless of your unique industry, most small businesses can proactively prepare promotional campaigns for some of the following key holidays each year: 

• New Years
• Valentine’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day (Fourth of July) 
• Labor Day
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Black Friday / Small Business Saturday / Cyber Monday
• Christmas

Keep reading to explore our top 10 most creative holiday promotion ideas for small businesses to activate throughout the year during the holidays that work best for their unique business: 

#1: Spruce up your website

When you sell a product to customers or provide services to clients, your business’s website is a crucial branding element that prospects consider when choosing whether or not to work with your team with a recent survey finding that 50% of consumers consider website design to be an important company branding element. [1]
As you implement your holiday promotions throughout the year, make sure you’re showcasing your seasonal offerings to their best advantage: think eye-catching banners on your homepage and information-filled product or services pages laden with gorgeous graphics and pictures of your team. Plus, make sure those images and graphics are original—27% of consumers state it was important for businesses to use original videos and images of products or services on their websites. [2]

#2: Share a free resource

Offering a holiday themed gift guide or e-book that people can download in exchange for their email address is a great way to not only add value to your network, but also expand your email database.

Email marketing has been proven to be beneficial to both business-to-business and business-to-consumer organizations with the industry citing that for every $1 spent on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $40. [3]

Be sure to pack the resource with relevant, useful information to set yourself up as an expert in your industry and encourage those that download to return to your website for more useful information.

For example, almost any business could share a holiday gift guide around November or December or if you want to be more specific, a healthcare organization could send out a resource on the importance of breast cancer screenings during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

#3: Host a contest on social media

Hosting a holiday contest on social media is a fun way to increase engagement, encourage user-generated content, and get people talking about your business.

Ask your followers to submit a holiday themed photo and get them to use a custom hashtag to enter. Feature a few entries on your feed each week, and offer a small prize like a branded pen, keychain, or even a coffee mug for the most engaging photo.

#4: Send a greeting card

Especially during the traditional holiday season between November and December, sending your clients or customers a holiday greeting card with a heartfelt, handwritten message is a great way to show you appreciation (and keep your business top of mind).

There’s something special about receiving a personal message in the mail, and it can also be a quick and easy way to get your whole team in the holiday spirit by having everyone write some of the messages.

If you work with an in-house or outsourced marketing team, it’s a great opportunity to ask them to create a branded holiday greeting card that shows your business’s personality and includes your custom logo. 

#5: Create a holiday video

With video being the most popular social media marketing content type with the highest return on investment (ROI), creating a fun holiday video is a great way to show off your team’s personality. [4]

You could shoot some light-hearted behind the scenes action, showcase your team dressed up in their finest holiday attire, or share business tips related to an industry-specific holiday.

Short-form videos like TikToks and Instagram Reels are the most popular video format for social media marketers, but long-form videos can also be a good tool depending on the type of content you want to create. [4] Be sure to share the video freely on social media and in your email blasts.

#6: Offer a free gift with purchase or service add-on

Everyone likes to get something for free, and your customers or clients are no exception! 

If you provide products to your customers, you can increase your average order value and boost revenue by offering a freebie, such as a trial size product or limited-edition holiday item. If you’re a service-based company, you can offer a free service add-on at the start of a new partnership or create a special holiday referral program for your existing clients to get money back. 

#7: Host a holiday event

Hosting a fun, memorable holiday event is a great way to show your appreciation for your current clients/customers and engage prospects.

As a small business, the thought of putting on an event can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be a large, high-cost production. With the right venue, good music, and free snacks or beverages, hosting a holiday event where people can get together and have a great time can be extremely worthwhile for your business as a prime opportunity to promote all that you have to offer.
At the event, you can offer free promotional items, product samples, or even collect video testimonials from existing clients or through contact cards. The event can be in-person or virtual, depending on your business and what works best for your client base, but it’s important to note that 47% of event marketers say in-person events yield the best ROI. [5]

#8: Decorate your office

Decorating your office is another cost-effective, simple way to tie the holidays into your business. Especially during November and December, festive decor is an effective way to get your customers or clients in the right frame of mind to spend a little extra on the gifts and services that they need.

Holiday decor also provides a great backdrop for festive team pictures to add to social media throughout the days. Plus, once you purchase decorations one year, they can be properly stored and reused each year. 

#9: Practice giving back 

Another great way to get your business involved in holiday is to give back to community organizations that relate to the holiday and resonate with your business’s mission, vision, and values. 

For example, if you’re a woman-owned business, your team could consider giving time or money to a local women’s shelter around International Women’s Day. 

The cause or charity you choose should be a reflection of your brand and what you stand for. People are more likely to work with businesses whose values reflect their own, so in addition to giving back, you’ll be increasing brand awareness. Once you’ve started your giving, be sure to share it on social media and email newsletters to ensure your clientele to join in on the donations too. 

#10: Tie it all together with a themed marketing campaign

All of the ideas above could be implemented for your business based on the holiday and your unique personality, but it’s important to tie all those ideas togethers in a cohesive holiday-themed marketing campaign.

Whether you use social media, email, direct mail, or all of the above and more, keeping your business top-of-mind for your clients and prospects is essential to the success of any holiday promotional campaign. 

Ready to level up your holiday marketing strategy?

We hope we’ve inspired you to try something new this year, and if you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help.

Through our ongoing agency support, website design, branding, and creative services, our team at Different Perspective is committed to enhancing your sales efforts through carefully considered, results-driven marketing strategies.

Give your sales teams the tools they need to succeed!
Schedule a meeting with us today.

Sources:

1: Top Design Firms | Website Redesign Checklist: 5 Trends to Consider

2: HubSpot | What Consumers Want to See on Company Websites [New Data]

3: Omnisend | The impact of email marketing ROI

4: HubSpot | The HubSpot Blog’s 2022 Social Media Marketing Report: Data from 310 Marketers5: Splash | 2023 Events Outlook Report