things you can do today to make the best of Q4

Would you be surprised if I told you I already have all my Holiday shopping outlined, with links, discount codes, and target purchasing dates?

Yep, that's me–in all my glory. But before you label me as 'the crazy marketing lady,’ know that I'm not alone. 13% of shoppers say they start holiday shopping in September (hi, I'm 13%), 48% of shoppers say they plan to start holiday shopping before the end of October, and only 15% wait until December.

So what does this mean? That you should be taking advantage of that 48% now 😉

Here's what you can start doing now while it isn't 'too late':

a discount code

Let's go back to the basics, because the basics work. Have you been flooded with discount codes or sales emails recently? Mhm. Is it making you want to purchase to 'take advantage'? Probably. Create a seasonal discount code and offer it across the board, for specific products/services, or with time contingencies (after x time of buying x product, you get x% off) (or sign up for this service for a minimum of x months to receive x% off). This will encourage your audience to become clients. Everyone loves a sale!

a collaboration

Whether it's someone in your industry or a brand that has similar values, call them up and see how you can collaborate for a holiday-themed campaign. Collaborations sound much more complicated than they are–are they really have to be is two brands coming together and offering their products/services to both of their audiences in a creative (or sometimes not-so-creative) way. If you're a real estate developer, is there an architect you can partner up with, and maybe bring a coffee truck to one of your listings for an event? Or, if you own a skincare company, is there another beauty company that would be interested in making a limited edition holiday gift set?

upselling

This one's similar to the discount code idea, but a bit different (ha) (duh). For a limited time only, offer an additional product or service as an add-on to the one you're currently offering, and hone in on the fact that it's temporary. This will create a sense of urgency within your customers, who area already in the purchasing mindset. For reference, upselling can lead to a revenue increase of 10-30%, and businesses that effectively implement upselling see a 20% increase in customer lifetime value.

new product/service?

This one's obvious, but one that people often gloss over. Is there a new product or service you've been working on that you can debut during this time? Thanks to Black Friday (aka marketing) and the holidays as a whole (again, marketing), people are in a spending mindset–and are starting to think of their new years goals. This is a great time to offer a solution to one of their problems, and maybe even pair it with one of the strategies above for a double whammy.

I want to hear you upselling and dropping in those discount codes, at the very least! And then, I want to hear all about how your business 'randomly grew' in Q4 of this year. Who knew 'the crazy marketing lady' was right?!