Paper gift bag:How To Use Thanksgiving to Market Your Small Business
Thanksgiving has become one of the most commercialized of all American holidays. It’s no longer simply a time to eat a meal with friends and family and reflect on the past year, it’s now the official kickoff of the holiday shopping season in cities all over the country.
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If you own a small or medium-sized business, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to market your business in a few unexpected ways. Here are a couple of great ideas for building buzz around your brand while honoring this most classic American tradition.
Host an Appreciation Dinner
Everyone associates Thanksgiving with great (and plentiful) food so why not invite your most valued and loyal customers to the store or office for an early Turkey Day themed meal? Hold your dinner before the holiday or the weekend after and do NOT serve Thanksgiving food! Instead, kick off the holiday season with peppermint goodies or offer a brunch the day after Thanksgiving for weary cooks. Building good will with your targeted base is a great way to ring in the holiday season.
Decorate for the Holidays Around Thanksgiving
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Of course, don’t make your employees work on the actual holiday but why not make Thanksgiving the official kickoff for your business’ holiday decor? Invite customers to choose which decorations go up (from past photos) the week before and invite them back on Black Friday to see which decorations have made the cut.
Do Some Good
Why not use Thanksgiving to do something for those less fortunate? If possible, organize a food drive or volunteer to serve at a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving and invite your customers to join in via social media. It’s a great way to subtly show them you care about philanthropic efforts while at the same time doing good for your community. And good feelings you’ll build among your clients will resonate!
thanksgiving 2Hand Out Useful SWAG
If didn’t think ahead to print out Thanksgiving-themed promotional bags, go ahead (right now!) and order your holiday shopping bags to get ahead of the game. It’s not too late to buy some other Turkey Day gifts to hand out to customers such as meat thermometers, blank table cards, and even countdown calendars to Christmas Day or another seasonal event. Of course, don’t forget to brand all your giveaways for maximum impact!
Thanksgiving is a fun, festive time to celebrate your success as well as make a personal connection with your target market. Make sure you show off your fun side when it comes to this classic holiday…your customers will pick up your good vibes and connect them with your brand!
