Holiday marketing 12: Thank your customers

We’re all using the same marketing theme this year: Shift Your Shopping. When we work together to spread the word, we’ll multiply how many customers we reach.

I know that Christmas is officially over, but you know some families are still celebrating because they couldn’t get together on the big holiday. And New Year’s Eve is yet to come, so you still have some holidays to go.

Now is the time to share your thanks with your community. Tell them how much you appreciate them this year, and how you’re looking forward to being part of the community again next year.

Once again, end by saying, “Together, we’re making a better community. When you shift just a little more of your shopping to local stores, you help us all. #ShiftYourShopping.” You can do this on Facebook or Instagram, or in print ads you’re planning to run.

Check your fellow local businesses online. Look for their thankfulness stories and cheer them on with likes, shares and comments.

What did you think of this email series? Did you make it through all 12 weeks? Do you have suggestions for how to improve it for next year?

Shift Your Shopping is our group theme for holiday marketing this year. You have my permission to forward these articles to your local retailers, merchants association, chamber of commerce, downtown development group or any one else you think would benefit from them. All you need to do is list the author as Becky McCray of SmallBizSurvival.com and then let me know who you are sharing with.

Shift Your Shopping 2015 series:

1. Picking your Holiday 2015 marketing theme
2. Set your cover photos
3. Spotlight a local business
4. Spotlight on community
5. Share the causes you care about
6. Support your service providers
7. Small Business Saturday
8. Tell your founding story
9. Tell your customers’ stories
10. Introduce your people
11. Share your family traditions
12. Thank your customers