Fall Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses

This season, it’s time for your business to fall into new, creative ways of marketing to and connecting with your clients. The season is loaded with notable events and holidays that, when integrated into your business strategy, can boost engagement and sales. Over the next several months, your customers will be eager to discover great deals, shop for holiday gifts, and celebrate the joys of the season. Encourage participation with your brand by responding to seasonal trends and providing relevant content for your audience to consume. Check out a few of our ideas for how virtually any business can connect with current and potential clients throughout the fall.

Send out Holiday Cards

Holiday cards aren’t just a timeless tradition, but can also serve as an excellent way of building rapport and brand loyalty. This simple gesture is much more likely to be opened than a traditional direct mail campaign. Additionally, with costs as low as $.08 per card (and $.66 for postage), the effort is as impactful as it is affordable. per card (plus postage) Consider personalizing the greeting with a photograph of your team so your customers can feel more connected to your organization. Even better, handwriting a tailor-made greeting on each card will further delight your customers; they will feel valued and integral to your business.

Give Thanks by Partnering with a Charity

Aside from the obvious benefit of a tax deduction, your commitment to bettering the lives of those in your community will speak volumes to your company’s character. A meaningful contribution to a worthy cause will warm hearts and generate positive publicity. Identify a charity or a cause that speaks to you and volunteer your time and/or resources to help drive its mission forward. For example, financial professionals can volunteer to speak to local students on the importance of budgeting and financial literacy. A construction firm may perform a remediation or remodeling project for a local family in dire straits. There are countless ways to give back. Don’t feel shy about sending out a press release on your efforts; now, more than ever, everyone can use a bit of good news. Your thoughtful actions may inspire others to follow in your firm’s footsteps by helping a cause that is dear to them.

Partner with Influencers to Spread Holiday Cheer

Partnering with social media influencers in your social media marketing campaigns throughout the season will help you to connect with your clients on a more personal level. Don’t discount the power of local influencers; well-respected members of the community such as a school principal, artist, or local business leaders can heavily influence your target market. Be strategic with your partnerships and don’t be afraid to get creative.

Update Holiday Business Hours on Google

This simple tweak to your online presence will show current and potential customers that your business is active and engaging with the holiday season. Instead of having to confirm your business hours via telephone or email, clients will be grateful to have the information readily available online. Keeping your Google Business profile as active - and accurate - as possible is a superb way of showing customers you care. And, since Google favors active listings over their sleepy counterparts, you’re likely to increase traffic to your page.

Leverage the Power of Small Business Saturday

Large retailers may be the big winners on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but the last Saturday of November is saved for small businesses. A marketing initiative created to encourage holiday shopping at smaller operations, this holiday can be leveraged to bring new customers to your location. Don’t waste resources competing with national retailers that can leverage their extensive geographic and digital footprints to offer customers deep discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Instead, focus your energy on this community-centered initiative that is specifically designed to drive traffic to independent firms. Since the holiday was only created in 2010, organizations are still relatively slow to develop a sales strategy around Small Business Saturday. Take advantage of the laggard adoption of your competition. Stand out to customers by planning ahead and offering attractive deals.

Add “Cheer” to your Website

Some garland or a menora will go a long way. Enhancing your company’s digital storefront with a bit of holiday cheer is the perfect way to show off your holiday spirit. Add a bit of garland, a Menorah, or other miscellaneous holiday graphics to make your clients feel as if they’re included in your holiday preparations. It is important to consult a professional digital design team before making any edits so as not to cause harm to your site’s coding or rankings.

Plant Seasonal Evergreen Content on Your Site

Evergreen content is content that can rank year-round and maintain its relevance during the same seasonal moment the following year. It is search-optimized and, as its name implies, remains “fresh” for a long time. Evergreen content saves you time and helps to improve your rankings well after it has been published on your website. Be sure that the content provides true value to your clients and is not a topic that is commonly covered. An added spin to frequently addressed content will help to improve your rankings over time.

Share an Interactive Gift Guide

There are many ways to creatively weave the idea of gifting your product or service to your clients’ friends and family. Without sounding too sales-y, circulate an interactive gift guide that includes information on your offerings and any promotions offered. For example, an orthopedic surgeon can offer a gift guide for athletes, centered around products that promote joint health. Distribute your guide early: roughly 40% of consumers begin their holiday shopping before Halloween.

Offer Complimentary Hot Chocolate

One of the most iconic beverages of the holiday season, hot chocolate is a fan favorite. In fact, 90% of Americans rank the sweet drink as their first choice for holiday drinks. A complimentary hot cocoa station is versatile enough to be set up in both a retail or office setting. For clients, the interaction with your brand will feel more luxurious, festive, and fun when paired with a delightful indulgence like hot chocolate.

Deck the Halls

There’s a reason why the season brings roughly 7,000 visitors per hour to the glorious holiday window display at Macy’s Herald Square. Indeed, some people spend all year looking forward to the beauty that the holiday season brings. Help your clients to savor every bit of the joys that await them by decorating your business. Visitors will feel the warmth of your company’s culture and appreciate the effort you exude to spread cheer and happiness to all who cross paths with your brand.

Host a Toy Drive

Bring your clients together by offering them a charitable way to experience the joys of the season. Add momentum to your holiday toy drive by adding your own donations to the bins first. Be sure to send out ample email reminders and to place the bin in a central location so your visitors can spot it easily. Offer your clients a list of recommended toys that may be donated and don’t forget to recognize each person who generously participates. Adding a contest to the mix - for example, the individual who donates the most wins a special discount to your business - will add additional fun to the worthy cause.

Encourage Clients to Keep their New Year’s Resolutions

With only 9% of people sticking to their New Year’s Resolutions, your customers need all the help they can get. Consider generating ad copy that is centered around a goal that your target market would have. For example, a dermatologist could opt to create a digital marketing campaign centered around encouraging clients to achieve their skin goals. Content that uplifts, encourages, and is aspirational is more likely to generate conversions.

Share Your 2024 Plans

At the start of the New Year, most people feel energized and invigorated; they are ready to set goals and start anew. Relate to your client base by sharing your firm’s ambitions and commitments in the coming year. Whether you intend to open a new location, launch a new product line, or revamp your website and/or digital presence, share the news with your customers. An email campaign is a great way to share snippets of your future plans alongside captivating imagery and interactive content.