Did you know there’s only 118 days until Christmas?! We sure did! Our team is getting so excited for the upcoming holiday season and can’t wait to help light up YEG and the surrounding areas.
The holiday season is not only one of celebration, gratitude, and family time, but it is also a very busy time for businesses. For many local Edmonton businesses, the next 118 days will be full to the brim with interested customers, exciting sales, and business celebrations.
However, it’s important for these local businesses to consider how they can stand out in competitive markets and attract more customers to their business this holiday season.
Today, we’re going to share 5 great ways to attract more customers to your Edmonton business this holiday season. We hope that these tips will be helpful and will result in a profitable, engaging season for your business.
Aaaannddd… go!
1. Offer gift cards
This is a huge one. One of the easiest (and best, in our opinion) gifts for that tough-to-buy-for person is a gift card!
Gift cards give the recipient the chance to choose exactly how they want to spend the money, rather than choosing for them. Whether you offer products or services, gift cards will help to increase your sales throughout the holiday season.
For example, our sister company, Miraculous Maids, offers gift cards for cleaning services. That means that you can give the gift of a clean home this holiday season. Who wouldn’t want a free cleaning service, right?!
Make sure to amplify your gift card offerings on your social media, on your website, and through other forms of communication and marketing to ensure your customer base is aware. Plus, even if someone hasn’t heard of your local Edmonton business yet, a gift card offering could be exactly what pulls them in.
2. Light up your property with premium holiday lighting
We know, we know. You might be thinking to yourself “Well this one’s obviously a bit biased.” To be completely honest with you, it totally is. But, as the top provider of premium holiday lighting here in Edmonton and the surrounding areas, we have seen this one work time and time again.
Throughout our last 8 years in business, we’ve received so much positive feedback from our commercial clients. Many express to us that the lighting that we install for them has a large beneficial impact on their business success throughout the holiday season.
The simple truth is that beautifully designed holiday lighting is inviting, comforting, and intriguing. Whether potential customers are strolling past your business and noticing your lights or digitally stumbling upon your beautifully lit storefront through pictures online, they’ll be intrigued.
The magic of holiday cheer is no joke. It often means more customers, happier employees, and a safer property throughout the colder, darker months. It’s a win-win-win solution!
To check out what kind of holiday lighting transformations we can offer you and your local Edmonton business, visit our Commercial Lighting page and look at the gallery!
P.S. If you’re a local business in the Downtown Business Improvement Area, you can actually have 50% of the cost of your holiday lighting covered through the City of Edmonton Downtown Lighting Grant! Contact our team for more details by calling 780-628-2686.
3. Give back to your community
As we mentioned above, the holiday season is the perfect time for celebration and gratitude. Show your community some gratitude and celebrate the year that you had by giving back to those who continue to support you!
This can look like many things such as donating to a local charity, running a food drive or winter-wear drive to support those in need, or it can be something as simple as offering a holiday discount.
Although this may seem counterintuitive at first, giving back to your community can be a highly effective way to attract new customers, specifically during the holiday season. These days, customers want to buy from businesses who do more than just sell their products or services.
They want to support local businesses who care about their communities, care about their customers, and are committed to improving the world, rather than just their yearly profit. If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that community support and rallying for those around you is how to continue successfully.
As you give back to your community, amplify your efforts online or through traditional forms of media. Encourage those in your community to join in and create a sense of kinship with both existing and potential customers.
Come together with both existing and potential customers to do something good and you’ll be sure to attract more customers and increase your sales.
4. Create an engaging giveaway that gets people involved
Holiday giveaways are effective for three main reasons.
First of all, people love free stuff. It’s as simple as that. If potential customers see your giveaway online or hear about it from friends and family, they immediately have an appealing incentive to become your customer. If becoming a customer means future chances for free stuff too, they’ll be even more willing to stick around.
Secondly, giveaways get people talking. Word of mouth is one of the cheapest but most effective ways to market and advertise your business.
If Sally is your customer and sees that you’re giving away a big gift basket full of goodies this holiday season, she’s going to tell her friends Jill and Sandra and Amanda about it. Then, Amanda lets her mom know about it when they have lunch on Sunday. Sandra tells her whole office because they all love online giveaways and Jill posts about it on her Facebook page which goes out to hundreds of friends. You’ve paid nothing but your business and giveaway have been talked about or seen by hundreds of people.
And, last but not least, giveaways are heart-warming. Giving back to your community warms the hearts of all those involved – both the givers and the receivers. Giveaways are an excellent way to spread holiday cheer and encourage people to get into the spirit of giving.
5. Send out a personalized holiday card/e-card to your customers
Many businesses already do this, but it’s definitely worth mentioning. Sending out a card or e-card to your clientele that expresses gratitude for the past year and well-wishes for the year ahead is an excellent way to attract more customers.
How, you might ask? Also word of mouth. If you worked with two different lighting companies throughout the year, for example, and you only got a holiday card from one of them, that will stick in your mind.
The next time someone asks you online or in-person for a recommendation for a lighting company, you’ll be sure to suggest the one that expressed gratitude and best wishes to you at the end of the year.
These cards don’t need to be fancy or complex. But, make sure to personalize them, even just with a name. It shows a higher level of care for your customers and ensures that they know it was meant for them specifically. Remember – your customer-base wouldn’t be your customer-base if it wasn’t made up of many names.
If you try some of these tactics for attracting more customers to your Edmonton business this holiday season, let us know! We’d love to hear about how effective they are for you.
Interested in getting premium holiday lighting installed on your business property this holiday season? We’re the five star company for you. Contact our team today for your free quote!