Why It’s Not Too Early to Start Planning Your Holiday Marketing

Now that we’re halfway through September, the earliest signs of fall have started to appear. The holidays may feel a long way off, but in truth, now is the time to start putting together your promotions for the holidays. In fact, as our marketing experts at McCauley Marketing Services have experienced first-hand, there are several reasons you’ll thank yourself later if you start working on your holiday marketing now.

Give Your Ideas Time to Form

Nearly every business has some type of special sale or promotion around the holidays, so it can help you stand out if you have a more unique or original idea. As you’re planning ideas for those special promotions, brainstorming sessions are great, but ideas don’t always pop up when you tell them to. You might need to give your mind time to think about it before you start putting together your plans.

If you start thinking about it early, you have time to do this. It won’t help you if you have a great idea that pops up in December when it’s too late to put it into action.

Allow Your Team Time to Prepare

Once you’ve decided what your holiday promotions will be, the real work begins. It takes time to create and prepare all of your marketing materials, like event flyers, e-blasts, social media ads, and more, so you can adequately promote the special. If you wait too long and you’re forced to rush this part of the process, you could end up with marketing pieces that don’t give you the professional and sophisticated image you want.

Let Patients Plan Ahead

The holidays are a busy time for your patients – organizing family get-togethers, buying and wrapping gifts, possibly coordinating travel arrangements, attending or planning seasonal parties, and more. If you want them to make time for your special event or sale, you need to get it on their calendars before they’re overwhelmed with their holiday to-do list.

For this reason, it’s best to start promoting a holiday event at least a month in advance. That means you’ll need to have your event planned and have all your marketing materials ready by around early November, and you’re more likely to hit that deadline if you’re starting early.

Think Through the Logistics

Holding a successful holiday sale or promotion doesn’t just involve getting as many patients or customers as possible. The event also needs to go smoothly so you don’t frustrate those patients while they’re trying to take advantage of the deal.

Planning early gives you time to thoroughly think through the logistics of your event. What staff members will be present? What products or materials do you need to have at the event? What will the flow or schedule of the event be? How can you process patients’ purchases in a quick and organized way? You should have answers to all these questions and more before your event.

Get a Leg Up on the Competition

As we mentioned, nearly all businesses have some type of promotion for the holidays, and that includes your competitors. If they start planning and advertising their specials in advance and you don’t, they’re likely to get a better turnout than you do. Beginning the process early will help you have an advantage over your competitors.

At McCauley Marketing Services, we’re not just here to give you tips on your holiday marketing – we can help you through the entire process. To start talking about how to make this upcoming holiday season a lucrative one, call McCauley Marketing Services today to schedule a meeting. Follow us as well on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more marketing tips.