The holiday season isn't just critical for small businesses — it's a make-or-break time of year. It's an opportunity to make up for missed sales goals from earlier in the year, not to mention making serious holiday money. But how can small businesses make the most of the holiday shopping season? Below are some tips from Adobe on how to engage with customers and drive sales during the holidays.

Create Unique and Exciting Contests

Giveaways and contests are a great way to increase engagement and spread holiday cheer. They also give customers an incentive to visit your store or website multiple times as they wait for the contest results. Be sure to promote your giveaway or contest across all of your social media channels and in-store (if applicable).

Show Your Support for a Favorite Local Charity

The holidays are a time when people are especially generous and more likely to donate to charities. Show your customers that you care about giving back by partnering with a local charity. You can promote the charity partnership on your social media channels and in-store. Customers will appreciate your commitment to giving back, and it may encourage them to support your business in return.

Bring in Holiday Packaging

Make your products stand out from the competition by packaging them in holiday-themed wrapping paper or boxes. This will show customers that you went the extra mile to make their purchase special. Plus, who doesn’t love unwrapping a beautiful present? If you sell online, consider including holiday-themed packaging inserts, such as cards or discount codes for future purchases, to further delight your customers.

Utilize Social Media

Social media is a great way to connect with customers and promote your holiday offerings. Use festive hashtags, post photos of your products, and run social media contests or giveaways. You can also use social media ads to target potential customers who may be interested in your products but don’t follow you yet. Just be sure not to bombard your followers with too many posts or ads—you don’t want to come across as desperate! 

Create and Hold a Unique Event

Invite customers into your store by hosting a special event, such as a cookie decorating contest or holiday gift wrapping station. This will create a fun and festive atmosphere while also giving shoppers an excuse to come into your store (and hopefully make a purchase!). Be sure to promote the event ahead of time on social media and in-store. 

Help Customers Shop with an Accessible Gift Guide

Make holiday shopping easy for your customers by putting together a PDF gift guide that features some of your best products. You can promote the gift guide on social media and include it as an email attachment when you send out promotional emails. And if you aren’t super-savvy with technology, don’t worry. There’s a free PDF editor that’s extremely straightforward and easy to use. Because it's a PDF, you can also make it available as a download on your website or blog.

Show Your Appreciation for Loyal Customers

Show appreciation for your loyal customers by offering them exclusive deals or discounts during the holidays—they’ll be sure to remember you when it comes time to do their shopping! You can promote these deals on social media and in emails. You could also send out physical coupons or discount codes that can be redeemed in-store. 

With mindful planning and execution, your small business can make the most of this festive season! By holding giveaways or contests, supporting a favorite local charity, choosing holiday packaging, engaging with customers on social media, hosting a special event, creating a PDF gift guide, and rewarding loyal customers, you can attract new shoppers and drive sales during this magical time of year.