Seasonal holidays are a great opportunity for businesses to engage customers and increase foot traffic. With the spirit of celebration in the air, customers are motivated to spend more, while your business has opportunities to offer unique experiences to your customers.
While the traditional winter holidays tend to get all the attention, a smaller holiday such as St. Patrick’s Day is an amazing opportunity for businesses to attract new customers and engage with existing ones. Before the streets turn green with decorations, here’s some tips to making your businesses’ St. Paddy’s an event to remember.
Create an Event
Whenever you consider a holiday event, it’s important to take the time to think through your campaign. Make sure your event has a solid tie-in to the holiday, such as a “wear green” costume contest. Taking the time to plan your promotion, whether online ads or banners, builds awareness that helps draw customers in for the holiday celebration.
Make Your Event Specific to Your Industry
When planning an event, consider the type of business you own. If you own a restaurant, you can plan a special St. Patrick’s Day menu with different kinds of beer for the occasion. Likewise, a “green” sale might be an option for a retail store. Stay creative, while considering your return on investment.
Attract Families
Holidays are a time for families to be together and spend a bit of green on seasonal events. By attracting families, you’re attracting a group with a higher level of disposable income who are looking for a way to celebrate outside of the pubs.
For Irish parents, St. Patrick’s Day is an opportunity to teach their children about their heritage. An easy way to draw these families in is to plan a day-long event full of traditional activities, such as dance classes. For a more generic event, try a themed photo booth or carnival.
Promote Social Media Campaigns
No matter what event you plan, promotion is key. Social media is an excellent way to advertise your promotional event to locals in the area. Plan your posts in advance and post regularly to give your followers a sneak peek of what is about to come. Encourage your audience to share, widening your reach.
For businesses less reliant on foot traffic, you can also plan an online event. Themed photo competitions and sale giveaways are quick ways to increase your following while using the momentum of holiday hashtags.
Collaborate With Other Businesses
Holidays allow you to collaborate with other firms in your area for a larger event. This is a good way for small businesses to organize a large-scale event without breaking the budget.
Some suggestions include organizing a pop-up for local businesses to come together and display their products. You can also host a day of games, with prizes from different brands. When planning a collaboration, make sure you find the right partners. Whether by geography or product, pick businesses from different industries whose customers overlap with your own.
Decorate Your Store
Holidays are times for food and celebrations, but to set the festive atmosphere, it’s important to have the right decor. For St. Patrick’s Day, you can use shamrock jars or a pot of gold in your store. Along with decorations specific to the holiday, use holiday relevant flyers and inflatables to get your theme and message across.
Live Irish Music
Live music is a popular event that’s easy to organize and draws in plenty of foot traffic. For St. Patrick’s Day, traditional Irish music such as fiddle playing and clog dancing is a great way to draw customers while remaining festive. Live entertainment also invites your customers to record the performance, giving you free content to share through your social media feeds.
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