Tis’ the season for diamonds, parties and champagne!
The air becomes crisp, sweaters come out of closets, and jewelers ramp up for the busiest season of the year. After all, the reason we are all here is to be a part of that look on someone’s face when they receive the perfect luxury holiday gift or their dream engagement ring! It’s that one moment that keeps us all doing what we love to do.
So don’t wait until the last minute to wish you would had made that first impression! Now is the time to get buttoned up and strengthen your online and in store presence so that you can be sure it’s your store that comes to mind first this season.
With that said, we’ve put together a winning checklist to help you this season. Remember not to be overwhelmed! Just do one thing at a time and mark them off as you go.
First things first: Shoppers are almost always going to see you online before coming to your store so button up your web presence asap!
- Set Aside Digital Ad Dollars – Now is the time to start Facebook Advertising! Users are 70% more likely to be posting on social media during the holiday season than any other time of the year. Facebook IS NOT A FREE PLATFORM so purchase ads now or else your posts will not be seen. For a quick guide on how to use Facebook’s Ads manager, click here.
- Pro Tip: A successful advertising budget should range anywhere from $200 – $5,000 a month depending on the size of your company. If you plan to use a small budget, make sure your ads are very targeted using methods like exclusion targeting.
- Update your Facebook cover photo to something holiday or winter themed – be creative and make sure it’s elegant not cartoon-ish – The dimensions should be at least 828 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall
- Do you have Twitter and Google Plus too? You can update those graphic images as well.
- Twitter Cover Photos Size – 1500px wide x 500px tall
- Google + Cover Photo Size – 1080px wide x 608px tall
- For all other social media sites click here.
- Build a Holiday Content Calendar – Those days of posting summer photos of diamonds glittering in the sun are over. Start building a content calendar that focuses on fall and winter fashion, ski trips in snow-capped mountains, cuddling by the fire, hot cocoa and let’s not forget…pumpkin spiced EVERYTHING!
- Make sure your phone number, address, website and social media links are all accurate on every social media page AND on all major search engines! No one wants to search for your address and instead find directions to Tino’s pizzeria down the block. Just one mistake on your store listing could cost you tons of purchases this season.
- Pro Tip: Track your phone calls using calltackingmetrics.com to make sure your customer service is up to stuff and that your phones are being monitored during the busy hours that you receive calls.
- RESPOND RESPOND RESPOND: Make sure you have someone set up to monitor and respond to all questions on social media November – December. Believe me, you may think not responding to one or two requests is no big deal but during the holiday these will add up and it could cost you more than you think in missed $ sales!
J’adore Décor:
You may think decorating your store for the holidays is cheesy and but there are ways to do this without breaking the bank and looking like a bargain mart with broken hanging lights and blow up snow men.
- Mix metallics with one pop of color – Use bold colors like deep reds and gold to add sophisticated holiday appeal, another popular combination is white and silver.
- Candles are gold in wax form – Use decorative or scented candles like Votivo’s red currant to bring out the holiday spirit
- Don’t overdue the scents! – You don’t need to splatter your cases by spraying a can of apple cinnamon scent spray across the showroom. Use a subtler method such as a holiday spiced reed diffuser.
- Cookies keep them comin’ – lay out a tray of hot cookies November through December (this can create a powerful memory and will keep your store top of mind) – don’t have the budget? Try tiny candy canes or a bowl of expensive chocolate.
- One wreath can go a long way. – Putting a wreath on the front door immediately evokes the first impression that you’ve decorated for the holidays even if it doesn’t carry all the way throughout the store.
- Leave Santa at the North Pole – Even though he’s jolly and everyone loves him, you don’t need to go as far as to have Santa perched in your store for customers to take pictures with. Focus on selling and leave Santa at the mall down the street. Try a life size nutcracker statue instead for a touch of chic holiday cheer!
There you have it! Pair this holiday marketing checklist along with a powerful sales incentive plan for your staff and you’re in for a winning season!
