Christmas is coming! And if you’re a small business or entrepreneur, you know what that means: gearing up for the most wonderful (and the busiest) time of year. Whether it’s prepping for Small Business Saturday, thinking of social media campaigns for Black Friday, or transforming your store for the Christmas season, let me give you my best Christmas marketing ideas for small businesses.

Create a gift guide

Creating a gift guide is one of my FAVORITE Christmas marketing ideas for small businesses. Everyone feels overwhelmed during Christmas shopping, right? They’re trying to figure out what to gift their kids, coworkers, family members, friends—the list goes on.

That’s where creating a gift guide comes in; it eliminates some of the work and stress for your customer, AND it lets you highlight your products or services as ideal gifts. You can create guides for different types of people and occasions and make it easier for them to shop during the busy holiday season. The great part about this idea is that it can work if you’re a product or service-based business.

If you’d like to get really detailed about it, you can create a gift guide graphic in Canva. Or, you can simply group your products together and take a picture.

Here are a few examples for gift guides by audience:

Spouses

Teachers

Friends

Parents

Kids

Co-workers

Here are a few examples for gift guides by occasion:

Office party

Book Club

Family gatherings

Secret Santa

Limited Edition Holiday Products

Introduce limited edition holiday-themed products or services. Limited availability creates a sense of urgency and encourages customers to make a purchase.

If you’re a photographer, you can offer a limited amount of photo sessions set in the new year. (Example: you could have 5 photo sessions that clients can book for March on a date you both agree to).

Or, if you’re a coffee shop, you can offer a Christmas coffee blend through December only.

Promoting limited-edition holiday products taps into your customers’ FOMO and motivates them to act.

Download my FREE 12 Days of Christmas on Social Media Cheat Sheet! It’s filled with specific ideas of what you can share on social media this holiday season.

Collaborate with influencers or other small businesses

Partnering with local influencers or other small businesses is a great Christmas marketing strategy. It gets a new set of eyes on your business and expands your reach.

However, be mindful of how it can help you and the person/business you’re working with. For instance, if you’re in the restaurant business, you can reach out to an influencer and ask them to share about your restaurant in exchange for a free meal.

Personalized Holiday Greetings

This marketing idea requires a bit more work, but it adds a personal touch that I think will be special. Send personalized holiday greetings to your customers through social media or in handwritten notes. If it’s on social media, you can send a DM with a written message or—even better—DM them a short 10-second video. Wish them Merry Christmas, thank them for their support, and extend a special Christmas offer.

The key here is to connect and make your audience feel valued and appreciated.

Be sure to also read my post, Your Guide for Success on Social Media | Spilling the Tea as a Social Media Manager

Christmas Social Media Campaigns + Download

Did you think I was going to end this blog post without mentioning social media marketing ideas for Christmas? I could never! Creating an engaging and festive social media campaign is a great idea for your small business.

Social media encourages people to come into your store, buy your products, or book your services. Additionally, it can help drive online sales.

Besides posting holiday-themed content, encourage your customers to share about your business on social media. You can also run contests or giveaways to boost interaction.  

If you need ideas for what to post this holiday season, download my FREE 12 Days of Christmas Social Media Cheat Sheet here!

Christmas marketing ideas for small businesses

What do you think of these marketing ideas for the Christmas season? Will your small business be putting any of these strategies into action? Comment below and let me know!