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Drive Holiday Sales in 2024 with these Small Businesses Modern Marketing Strategies
The 2024 holiday season presents both challenges and opportunities for small businesses. With shopping events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the general holiday rush, competition is fierce but the rewards are significant. Adding to this year’s complexity, an ongoing strike at East Coast ports has disrupted supply chains, leading to potential delays, rising prices, and stock shortages. Savvy consumers are already beginning their holiday shopping earlier to avoid these issues, meaning small businesses must act swiftly to capture early demand.
At ChartLocal, we specialize in helping small businesses navigate these challenges and maximize holiday sales by leveraging modern marketing strategies that reach the right audience at the right time. Here’s how you can boost sales this holiday season using smart, data-driven marketing strategies.
1. Leverage Early Promotions and Strategic Planning
Why It Matters: With the East Coast port strike affecting major U.S. ports, supply chain delays and rising prices are inevitable. Consumers, aware of these potential disruptions, are starting their holiday shopping earlier to avoid price hikes and product shortages. Launching your marketing campaigns early will help you capture these early-bird shoppers and ensure they purchase before the full effects of the strike are felt.
Action Steps:
- Launch Early Campaigns: Start your holiday promotions now to engage shoppers who are looking to make purchases before stock shortages and shipping delays impact availability.
- Communicate Inventory Availability: Transparency is crucial this season. Clearly inform your customers about product availability, potential shipping delays, and any changes to fulfillment times caused by the port strike. Offering early shoppers incentives like free shipping or exclusive deals can further encourage prompt purchases.
How ChartLocal Helps: We help businesses plan and launch their holiday campaigns earlier than ever, ensuring that you can capture early demand and communicate effectively with your customers about potential supply chain disruptions.
2. Take Advantage of CTV and OTT Advertising
Why It Matters: With the ongoing port strike creating potential delays, it’s more important than ever for small businesses to ensure their advertising reaches the most relevant audiences. Connected TV (CTV) and Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms offer precision targeting that allows you to reach high-intent holiday shoppers based on factors such as online behavior, geographic location, and content context. This helps you maximize your advertising investment and drive revenue despite supply chain challenges.
Action Steps:
- Target High-Intent Audiences: Leverage advanced targeting options to reach customers who are actively searching for holiday deals or engaging with holiday content. This ensures your ads are seen by those most likely to convert, making your advertising more efficient during a time when supply chain issues may increase costs.
- Advertise During Popular Holiday Programs: Capture audiences in a shopping mindset by advertising during festive content like “Countdown to Christmas” and “Best Christmas Ever.”
- Include Interactive Elements: Given that 72% of CTV users are likely to use a QR code in a TV ad to make a purchase, use QR codes to drive immediate sales, especially as consumers look to shop early due to concerns about product availability.
How ChartLocal Helps: We help small businesses target high-intent audiences using precise data-driven insights, ensuring that your CTV and OTT ads generate maximum impact in a cost-effective way, even as the port strike affects inventory availability.
3. Optimize for Mobile Shopping
Why It Matters: Mobile eCommerce continues to dominate, especially as consumers look for fast, convenient ways to shop during a time when in-store availability could be impacted by the ongoing strike. A seamless mobile shopping experience will help capture shoppers who are acting quickly to secure their holiday gifts.
Action Steps:
- Responsive Design: Ensure your website is optimized for mobile, with fast loading times and easy navigation, especially if shipping delays caused by the port strike lead to higher demand for online shopping.
- Mobile-Specific Promotions: Use mobile-exclusive deals or push notifications to encourage shoppers to act fast on limited-stock items before potential shortages worsen.
How ChartLocal Helps: Our mobile optimization services ensure that your website provides a smooth and fast shopping experience, helping you convert more visitors into buyers even as supply chain concerns heighten.
4. Implement Personalized Marketing Campaigns
Why It Matters: Personalization is critical this holiday season, especially as supply chain disruptions from the port strike may force consumers to be more selective with their purchases. Tailored offers will help your brand stand out and encourage customers to shop early.
Action Steps:
- Segment Your Audience: Use customer data to create targeted segments based on geographic location (especially areas most affected by the strike), purchase history, and behavior.
- Personalized Promotions: Send personalized emails with product recommendations and exclusive early offers, emphasizing the benefits of shopping early to avoid potential stockouts or shipping delays.
How ChartLocal Helps: We specialize in data-driven marketing solutions that allow you to personalize offers and messaging, helping you boost engagement and drive early holiday sales in the face of product shortages.
5. Utilize Paid Advertising for Maximum Reach
Why It Matters: Paid advertising on platforms like Google and Facebook is essential for reaching holiday shoppers early, especially as the East Coast port strike continues to impact supply chains. A strong advertising strategy can help you capture early demand before stock issues become widespread.
Action Steps:
- Google Ads Campaigns: Use holiday-related keywords like “early Black Friday deals” or “holiday shopping now” to attract early shoppers who are concerned about inventory issues.
- Social Media Ads: Promote early shopping on Instagram and Facebook, using messaging that emphasizes product availability and the importance of purchasing early due to supply chain disruptions.
How ChartLocal Helps: We craft and manage paid advertising campaigns optimized for performance, ensuring that your ads reach the right audience at the right time to drive early conversions, minimizing the impact of ongoing supply chain challenges.
6. Create Dedicated Holiday Landing Pages
Why It Matters: Dedicated landing pages help focus your customers’ attention on holiday deals, particularly when they are worried about stock availability due to the port strike. Providing clear messaging about inventory and shipping timelines will build trust and encourage purchases.
Action Steps:
- Holiday-Themed Pages: Design landing pages that showcase your Black Friday or holiday deals, with transparent messaging about product availability and shipping timelines given the potential delays caused by the strike.
- A/B Testing: Test different messaging and layouts to see which approach best reassures consumers about supply chain issues and encourages early purchases.
How ChartLocal Helps: We build and optimize landing pages designed to reassure shoppers about product availability and shipping, helping you convert more visitors into customers while navigating supply chain disruptions.
Conclusion
The 2024 holiday season brings unique challenges due to the ongoing East Coast port strike and its impact on supply chains. By starting your holiday marketing campaigns early, leveraging modern strategies like CTV and OTT advertising, optimizing for mobile, and personalizing your marketing efforts, you can stay ahead of potential delays and capture early holiday sales.
ChartLocal is here to help small businesses navigate these complexities with data-driven insights and effective marketing strategies. From early planning and campaign management to personalized content and paid advertising, we ensure your business is prepared to thrive this holiday season, even in the face of supply chain disruptions.
Ready to make this holiday season your most successful yet? Contact ChartLocal today to start planning your holiday marketing strategy!