Dear Santa, Shop Local This Christmas

Written by Guest Blogger Katie Woods

Christmas is right around the corner, and Red Sage wants to spread the holiday cheer by sharing a few ways to promote local businesses during the most wonderful time of year.

There are a variety of ways and materials that can be produced during the holidays that can quickly market a shop local campaign. These goals are best reached when local businesses partner together to work as a whole to reach out to the community to remind shoppers of local options. 

From using social media to boost holiday specials, sending e-mails providing stocking stuffers ideas business-to-business, planning and inviting shoppers to in-store Christmas events, there are many elements that can quickly boost awareness for local stores. By launching a united effort for a “Shop Local this Christmas” campaign, you can not only stir up some holiday cheer, but watch sales skyrocket.

Ready to be Santa’s Helpers?

By creating a partnership between local businesses and even tourism and other community groups, planning and responsibilities can be shared amongst many key community players. Elements to plan for a shop local campaign this Christmas season:

• Social media has unlimited potential for campaigns, especially when focused around a specific campaign such as shopping local at Christmas time. Some tips for implementation: Create holiday cover graphics, share local businesses posts about products and specials, promoting community events like photos with Santa, perhaps even hosting a holiday scavenger hunt or gift basket can do wonders to get the locals on board to a great community Christmas.

• E-newsletters or e-mail marketing can also be highly effective during the Christmas season, especially if it holds information of high value to its readers. For example, an e-mail with upcoming holiday events, local business specials, gift wrapping stations in your city, Santa photo opps, etc. can all create a magical atmosphere that can promote shopping local and holiday cheer.

• If time permits, print materials can be created to bring even more awareness to local businesses. From ads to brochures to flyers to billboards, the holidays are a great time to showcase all that the community has to offer while divvying up costs the costs of such materials.

Red Sage has helped many clients, including our hometown Decatur, Alabama, plan and implement Christmas campaigns. One of our favorites was the result of a partnership with the Decatur Downtown Redevelopment Authority “A Downtown Christmas” campaign that coordinated everything to billboards, restaurant handouts, local merchant posters, social media, and customized event maps to lead people to local shops during the holiday season.

Haven’t started? There is no time like the present! (Pun intended) Ideally, planning for Christmas will begin in October to capture Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday that all lead up to Christmas. However, if you haven’t started yet, a small group can plan and implement many of these activities rather quickly.

Need a little Christmas really fast? Red Sage can help.