I know – it’s still six months to go, but with Christmas being the biggest and busiest time of year for most small businesses, now is the time to be thinking about how you’re going to promote your products and services in the lead up to December.

It’s a big time of year for consumers too, and with all the financial burdens people have right now, it’s very likely that Christmas shopping will start early – in fact most consumers will have finished their Christmas shopping by the end of November. So, as a small business, you need to be prepared.

What better way to be prepared, than running a Christmas in July campaign. This article will give ideas for marketing promotion to help you bring a smile to customers’ faces and spread a bit of holiday cheer. If you use fun and quirky Christmas images and themes, it will make your business stand out from your competitors.

Tips to create a successful Christmas in July promotion.

You don’t have to just sell Christmas products in your July promotion. You can use all the hype and imagery to sell products that may not have been as successful as you hoped.

• Sell old stock at a reduced price – as a ‘Christmas in July special’.
• Use Christmas imagery in your social media posts and take photos of your current non-Christmas stock in Christmassy surroundings.
• Give sneak peeks of some of your Christmas items – and let people know they can pre-order any of the Christmas items now.
• Offer a gift with any pre-ordered Christmas gifts over a certain amount of money spent – something like stickers or small keyrings/magnets to encourage sales.
• Offer Christmas gift vouchers, so people can buy a voucher for family or friends so they can choose their own gift when you launch your Christmas products…stress they can use the gift voucher to buy any existing products too.
• Host a giveaway for anyone who buys from you on a certain day of your July promotion – for example, anyone who buys on that specific day gets entered into a draw for one of your exclusive Christmas items.
• If you have a physical shop, you could host a Christmas themed evening, where customers are invited to come along to see your products before they go on sale. Set the scene with Christmas decorations and holiday snacks.
• Do a special Christmas Stocking post – giving ideas for customers of your products suitable for Christmas stocking gifts.
• You could hold a ‘live’ Christmas in July event on your social media page – showing in real time, the products you have on sale – and your Christmas products. Give suggestions for how they can be used or who they would be perfect for – so customers can picture to whom they would gift your products.
• If you write a blog, promote your Christmas in July event on there, and if you have an email list, don’t forget to mention it, and invite your subscribers along.
• If you have an email list, you could offer your email subscribers a sneak peek before you post, giving them an exclusive first look at your products.     

Social media posting

Marketing, no matter what time of year, is all about building relationships. Injecting a bit of fun into your posts, with fun images or you in a Santa hat with sunglasses on talking about your Christmas products, will all go a long way to engaging your audience.

If you choose to go with any of the tip ideas from above, make a few posts around each thing, so you can repost throughout July – or during the week you choose to do your promotions, such as a post around gift vouchers etc.

The best thing about this kind of event is that it doesn’t cost you anything other than a bit of time to prepare. It’s a great way to help combat that summer slump and is the perfect opportunity for you to showcase new products, as well as a reason to push your existing products.

I’m sure that you can come up with lots of original and engaging ideas to get your audience buzzing – people love a reason to celebrate, so give them that perfect reason with your Christmas in July promotions!

If you like this blog post, please follow for more, or share on your social media pages.

As always, if you need any marketing help, drop me an email at cindymobey@outlook.com