The holidays are coming, and you’re working on a promotion to bring customers through the door. Before you decide how much to take off the price, ask yourself a question: Why should someone choose your business?
What makes doing business with you worth their time and money? What can they count on you to deliver? And would they know any of that from looking at your website, reading your social posts, or speaking with your team?
That’s where I would start planning a holiday promotion. A discount can be part of the offer, but you should also be able to explain what makes the offer worth buying.
The U.S. Small Business Administration offers useful guidance in “How to Prepare Your Small Business for the Holidays.” Along with preparing inventory, updating online information, and getting employees ready, the SBA encourages owners to showcase a unique product, service, or inviting shopping environment.
This connects directly with a topic in The Small Business CEO’s Playbook: Be the Only YOU. Think about what makes your business distinctive, then make that difference clear enough for a customer to recognize.
Here are some actions you can take as you prepare your holiday promotion:
Write down why a customer should choose you. Finish this sentence: “A customer should choose us this holiday season because…” Be specific. Go beyond “great service” or “quality products” and explain what customers can actually expect from you.
Build an offer around something you do well. Consider a gift package with wrapping included, a shopping appointment for someone who needs help choosing, or a service package with clear pricing and straightforward booking. Choose something useful that you can deliver consistently.
Check the cost before adding the extras. Calculate the supplies, employee time, and other expenses involved in your promotion. Make sure the offer works for your business as well as your customer.
Make your marketing explain the benefit. Tell customers how the offer helps them. Could it simplify gift shopping, make planning a holiday gathering easier, or take a task off their plate? Give them a clear reason to pay attention.
Get your team ready to deliver. Walk employees through what’s included, how to explain the offer, and how to handle questions. Ask what they need to do the job well, and make time to recognize their contributions.
Test the buying process yourself. Find your holiday hours on your phone. Submit an inquiry through your website. Walk through placing an order or booking your service. Fix confusing information, missing details, and unnecessary steps before promoting the offer.
Reach out to a complementary local business. Contact a neighboring owner or someone you know through your chamber of commerce. Explore a shared event, a useful gift combination, or a referral partnership. Agree on what each business will contribute and how the customer will benefit.
Plan your follow-up before the sale happens. Decide how you’ll thank customers and check whether the experience met their expectations. For those who choose to receive future updates, prepare something useful to share after the holiday rush.
You don’t have to put every idea into motion at once. Start with the action that would make the biggest improvement to your holiday offer, assign responsibility, and set a completion date.
Before you publish that next promotion, return to your answer about why customers should choose you. Does your marketing explain it? Is your team prepared to deliver it? Can the customer recognize it throughout the buying experience?
Give people a clear reason to choose your business—and follow through on it.
Reference: U.S. Small Business Administration, “How to Prepare Your Small Business for the Holidays,” published October 18, 2023. The guidance on setting yourself apart, preparing staff, refreshing online information, and partnering with other businesses informed this article.
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