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The holiday season is upon us. Many B2B businesses experience a slowdown during November and December as their business contacts focus on year-end close tasks, holiday trips, and planning for the new year. When it comes to sales and marketing, there is always plenty to do, even in Q4 when our prospects and customers are less active.

Don’t suspend email marketing campaigns!

During the slowdown, it is easy to fall into the trap of no marketing and putting all focus on next year’s marketing strategy and plans. However, many businesses anticipate sales promotions, holiday discounts, and special offers at the end of the year and budget accordingly. In some cases, if a budget is not fully depleted, it will not be fully funded the following year. You might have a few prospects or customers who need to spend more in Q4 to retain their entire budget for next year.

Email open rates tend to go up at the end of the year as consumers hunt down the best deals. This works to everyone’s advantage, not just B2C marketers.

There are still sales to be had, especially if you can present a worthwhile offer to your potential buyers. Take advantage of the “fear of missing out” by offering a time-sensitive holiday deal. Or, if you need to lighten up the inventory, offer a BOGO deal. Whether it is a buy-one-get-one-free or half-off the second one, people love the BOGOs. If you do not have an end-of-year promotion, send a holiday well wish and let them know you and your team are available to help them with any product or service questions as they gear up for the new year.

Don’t forget those repeat customers, be sure to send them a special thank you for their ongoing support of your business and wish them a happy and healthy holiday season.

Develop a holiday social marketing strategy.

Holiday social media campaigns can entice prospects and customers, bringing them closer to your brand. If you are new to holiday campaigns, begin by identifying the types of campaigns best suited for your business.

Social media can significantly increase your reach with organic posts of holiday deals and greetings. Demographically expand and or boost the most popular posts later to increase returns. A careful review of your pipeline can help you determine how many social campaigns to run and on which channels.

Demonstrate a festive spirit throughout your holiday-themed creative. It’s not just about your products and services. It is more about sharing in the holiday joy while promoting your business.

The holiday season is a time of giving, and people love to be involved in philanthropic endeavors. It is the perfect time to highlight your company’s social responsibility. Promote your favorite non-profit by running a charitable giving campaign. Hold a fund drive, donate portions of your proceeds, or create a one-for-one donation campaign. Philanthropic activities and promotions can go a long way in creating awareness of your business, providing networking opportunities, and improving your reputation in your community.

Clear out the old to make way for the new.

The end of the year is the best time to clean up your databases. Review your contact lists in both your email marketing tool and your CRM. It is hard to let go, but purging the dead prospects can help make room for the new ones. It will reduce the clutter for your sales team, allowing them to focus on the more recent, hotter leads.

Reflect on the year and complete next year’s plan.

For B2B marketers, the end of the year is both reflective and strategic. While your sales team is trying their best to close out their pipelines and boost the last quarter’s figures, marketers are evaluating the effectiveness of the past year’s campaigns.

Measure your campaign results, and clearly describe what worked and did not. Did any keywords or phrases drive more traffic to your sight or lead to more clicks in your campaigns? Examine your KPIs, and verify they are still valid for the markets you serve and your company’s growth objectives. Did you get the returns you expected on your marketing investments? Did you find one social platform more effective than another? It might be time to shift the dollars around.

Illicit feedback from your staff. Visit a few marketing blogs. Are there any fresh ideas that you can incorporate?

Armed with the above information, you can confidently enter the new year with a cohesive marketing plan and an idea of the content adjustments to make to increase your success.

If you need help developing a holiday marketing campaign or devising a marketing plan, reach out to us at IGM Creative Group, we are happy to help.

About IGM Creative Group

IGM Creative Group provides advertising solutions, marketing strategyweb development, and professional SEO services to Fortune 500, mid-market, and small businesses.

Contact us by phone at 973-709-1126 or send an email.

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