The holidays offer a lot of revenue potential for small businesses. Bain & Co. projects retail sales to hit a record $915 billion this year, 72 percent of which is forecast to be spent in physical stores. If you want to get a piece of the holiday spending pie, you need to make sure your marketing game is on point. To help, the Mesa Chamber of Commerce put together this list of popular methods to shake up your approach for the holidays.

Make Your Content Interactive

The Content Marketing Institute notes that interactive content is a great way to get people engaged with your brand. Try holding a holiday-themed contest or giveaway on your social media channels. You could also create a holiday-themed quiz or poll. People love feeling like they're part of something, so make sure your customers feel included this holiday season.

Share a Gift Guide

People are always looking for gift ideas, so why not create a gift guide featuring some of your products? This is a great way to highlight items that might be perfect for holiday gifts. You can make this easier and more affordable by sending your guide as a PDF instead of through the mail. This allows you to have more freedom to customize and edit pages, or extract sections or pages, as needed. (You can extract PDF content using a tool.)  Plus, you can offer a QR code for customers to use in the store rather than printing this out.

Go with Holiday Packaging

Make sure your packaging stands out this holiday season. Go for festive colors or patterns that will catch people's eyes. You could even include a special message or tagline on your packages. This is a great way to spread some holiday cheer and make your brand stand out at the same time.

Use Social Media to Engage

Social media is a great way to connect with customers during the holidays. Make sure you're active on all of your channels and responsive to any questions or concerns people may have. You could also run special campaigns or promotions specifically for social media followers.

Host a Pop-up Event

Hosting a pop-up event is a great way to get people in the door during the holidays. Make it festive with food, drink, and decoration choices that reflect the season. You could even offer special discounts or promotions for people who attend.

Support a Favorite Charity

The holidays are a time when people are thinking about giving back, so why not support a favorite local charity? This is a great way to get involved in the community and make people aware of causes that are important to you and your business. There are many ways to support charities, so find one that works best for you and your business model. For example, you could donate proceeds from sales of certain products, host an event or donation drive, or partner with the charity in some other capacity. 

Show Loyal Customers Appreciation

The holidays are also a great time of year to reward loyal customers. If someone has been shopping with you consistently throughout the year, show them some appreciation by giving them a special discount or offer during the holidays. 

Team Up with Other Businesses

One of the greatest advantages small businesses have over large corporations is their ability to network. Find complementary businesses in your area and see if there’s any way you can partner together during the holidays. For instance, maybe you could team up for joint marketing campaigns, share resources, host events together, or cross-promote each other’s products or services. 

As the holidays approach, small businesses across the country are gearing up for an increase in sales. To stay ahead of the competition, businesses need to get creative and think outside the box when it comes to their holiday marketing. By creating festive content and running holiday-themed promotions, businesses can reach a wider audience and boost their bottom line.

Membership in the Mesa Chamber of Commerce offers invaluable benefits to entrepreneurs in our community. Join us today!