With just under seven weeks until Christmas, now is the time to start planning your holiday marketing for Christmas and New Year. While Christmas may not be the busiest time for florists, boosting your promotional efforts this season is especially crucial with discretionary spending down. Taking action now can help increase your visibility and drive sales.
To make it easier, I’ve curated top tips to ensure your website and marketing efforts are optimized for the Christmas season. I've grouped our recommendations into four main sections:
- Christmas Website Setup
- Holiday Products
- Christmas Marketing Ideas
- Holiday Hours Communication
1) Christmas Website Setup
Focus areas:
- Activate the Christmas Category on your main menu
- Block dates when you’ll be closed
- Restrict certain items to holiday sales only
- Apply delivery surcharges for peak dates
- Update your delivery policy as needed
Start by making your Christmas Category live on your website and main navigation. You can do this by adding the category to your main menu or adjusting the visibility settings.
Next, block delivery dates when your business is closed to prevent customers from selecting those days for delivery. If you’d like customers to purchase only from Christmas products during this time, restrict available items to holiday-specific offerings.
Consider adding a delivery surcharge for peak dates if courier costs increase. Lastly, clearly state any holiday-specific delivery times on your delivery information page.
2) Holiday Products
Key points:
- Feature Christmas-themed products and add-ons
- Promote Gift Vouchers as holiday gift options
- Offer Christmas workshops
Create holiday-themed products that work well as gifts, like poinsettias, mini Christmas trees, and festive wreaths. Gift vouchers are also a great gift idea for the season; if you haven’t already, add them to your website.
With your new workshop module, consider hosting Christmas workshops or offering workshop gift options for the New Year.
3) Christmas Marketing Ideas
Key strategies:
- Create a Christmas banner
- Offer pre-order discounts
- Feature a product with free delivery
- Use social media to promote offers
Marketing has two goals: driving visitors to your website and converting them once they’re there. To attract customers, promote your Christmas products through social media, content marketing, emails, and ads.
Once on your site, use a Christmas banner with a clear call-to-action. Offer incentives like discounts for pre-orders or free delivery on certain items to encourage purchases. Your holiday marketing can appeal to all shoppers, not just those seeking traditional floral deliveries.
4) Holiday Hours Communication
Key tips:
- Create a pop-up with holiday closing dates
- Add holiday hours to your contact page
- Update your Google Business Profile
Clearly communicate your holiday hours and days when deliveries aren’t available. Use a pop-up on your website, update your contact page, and refresh your Google Business listing with your holiday hours.
To adjust your Google hours, log into your Google Business Profile, go to “Info,” and update the “Special hours” section.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your holiday marketing is seamless and effective, setting your florist business up for a successful Christmas season.
