Thanksgiving is not only a time to spend with family and friends and to be grateful for what you have; it’s also the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season. A record-setting 183.4 million consumers are planning to shop in-store and online from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. The predicted figure is up from the previous record of 182 million in 2023 and 18.1 million in 2019.
Capture this audience early and get them ready to log on to your store with these Thanksgiving marketing ideas.
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10 Thanksgiving marketing ideas to promote your store
Large retail chains with robust marketing budgets offer and promote Thanksgiving discounts. And, while it may seem intimidating, you can compete with large businesses. Running your own Thanksgiving promotion gets you in front of their customers, offering a local alternative to a big box store for holiday shopping. Online marketing helps you deliver this message to your customers. Use these Thanksgiving marketing ideas to bring people into your shop and website.
1. Thanksgiving-related email
Use a Thanksgiving-themed email template to wish your customers a happy holiday and remind them of the deals you have coming up. Mention Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday in your email and announce any special deals or in-store and online promotions you’ve planned.
Use your online marketing calendar as a reminder to create your Thanksgiving messaging.
2. Create a holiday-themed livestream
Thanksgiving marketing ideas shouldn’t be relegated to discounts and shopping events. Create holiday-themed videos or live stream an event to drum up interest in your store. They can also help you drive traffic to your website.
If you sell kitchen supplies and other housewares, host a cooking video teaching customers to create a memorable Thanksgiving dish. Use items from your shop and talk about them in the video. Teach customers to decorate for the holidays or offer fashion tips for dinner.
3. Host a contest
Gain more followers on social media with a Thanksgiving-themed contest. Ask them to share their favorite recipes, photogenic desserts, or tablescapes and post them on social media using a particular hashtag. Specify the rules and offer a prize to the winner.
Encourage people to enter using a branded hashtag and other common hashtags like #ThanksgivingTable for more visibility.
Related: How to Maximize Your Email Results This Holiday Season
4. Encourage people to give back
Thanksgiving is all about giving and the perfect time to host a charitable event. Partner with a local charity and encourage your customers to donate. Host a fundraising event like a fun run or canned food drive and provide the money to your preferred charity.
While many Thanksgiving marketing ideas revolve around getting people into your store, this one is more about building your standing in the community and connecting with potential new customers. If you run a clothing boutique, raise money for an organization like Dress for Success, which dresses people for interviews to help get them back on their feet. If possible, tie the charity in with your business.
5. Run paid ads on social media
Since Thanksgiving weekend is such a lucrative retail period, your customers are likely being inundated with ads. Stand out with Thanksgiving-themed social media ads.
Facebook and Instagram offer auction pricing based on the number of impressions. You can set your budget based on your desired reach and set which audiences to target. Create multiple test ads and track your analytics to see which messages generate the best response.
Related: How to Grow Your Email List With Facebook Ads
6. Host an event
Another way to stand out among larger retailers in your area is to host a Thanksgiving event. You could host a Thanksgiving-themed shopping party with hourly giveaways and special discounts. These events draw people into your store and can serve as a thank-you to your most loyal customers.
If you sell merchandise that enhances the holiday, you can use the products to create holiday displays, encouraging shoppers to buy these items.
Related: How to Give Your Email Engagement a Boost Ahead of the Holiday Season
7. Update your listings
Optimizing your local SEO will help customers find you when they are out and about. Thanksgiving is a great time to update your online listings, including holiday hours and website links. Search the internet to ensure your contact information is correctly listed on Google My Business, Yelp, and Apple Maps.
Updating your listings makes you more likely to pop up on people’s phones when they’re looking for retail businesses on the go.
8. Create Thanksgiving-related content
Another way to boost your holiday SEO is to create regular content. You can implement Thanksgiving marketing ideas on social media, including recipe swaps, employee spotlights, Thanksgiving decorating ideas, and teasers about your upcoming promotions.
Mix up your social media posts. Tease promotions and deals to get your customers excited for Thanksgiving weekend and post-holiday ideas and tips to build a relationship with your customers.
Related: 4 Ideas for Your Holiday Marketing Campaign
9. Promote other small businesses
Since Thanksgiving is often associated with friends and family, use your Thanksgiving promotion to promote other businesses in your area. You can create co-branded content for your website and social media or use videos to introduce people to your partner business.
You could collaborate on a co-promotion if an adjacent business is in your area. For example, if you own a hair salon, you might partner with a nail salon in your area to offer discounted pampering sessions.
10. Give thanks to your customers
You probably track your most loyal customers. You might have a frequent shopper program or know them by name. Host a special shopping event for the customers who contribute the most to your success. If your email list is segmented using your loyalty program, you can send a special discount offer to your top-tier clients.
Hosting a special event for your best customers helps make your loyalty program more credible, and it can encourage others to shop more often and move up a tier. It’s also the perfect way to thank your best customers for their support.
Related: Thank you
Stand out this Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and it’s time to start planning your marketing campaigns to bring customers into your store. Use Thanksgiving promotions, including events, email campaigns, and social media posts, to get customers excited about your holiday shopping deals.
Add variety to your holiday marketing by mixing themed social media posts with promotional materials geared explicitly toward capturing holiday shoppers. Stand out by building relationships with your customers and making them excited about your holiday specials. These promotions help you compete with large retailers who spend a lot of money to bring customers into their stores.
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Article by Alaina Brandenburger who has over 10 years of experience creating digital content. She has provided content to a variety of businesses ranging from national media websites to retail professionals. With her background in marketing, she is able to help small business owners understand everything from client relationship management to social media engagement.
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