Three Key Christmas PR Practices

With Halloween out of the way, if you were still unsure of when to start putting your Christmas PR plan and goals for the season in motion, this is definitely it!

We admit, Christmas can seem a strange time; characterised by a turbo-charged need for sales, but the fact is, it’s just that time of year that not only can you enjoy a significant boost to your bottom line - so can the profile of your brand.

Highly commercialised though it is, Christmas is also a time for giving. It’s possible to strike a balance between giving back - expressing generosity to prospective and existing customers, and to a cause that matters to you and your audience, and wanting to get the most out of sales by providing a seamless user experience.

However you choose to approach the gifting season, it is without doubt a crucial time for your PR and marketing strategies to converge for great results.

We share three of our top tips and practical applications to make the most of it!

Operate from an abundant mindset

At this time of year it is especially important to make provision for the old business adage, that is, “ to speculate is to accumulate.”

It is all too easy to be bogged down in trying to measure a return on every activity that you undertake. You may resist exhibiting at an event for example, worried that you won’t make back your costs on the day - and you probably won’t, though this is a short-sighted approach that could be holding you and your business back. An event has the potential to introduce your brand to, and make an impression on, a whole new set of customers. They may not buy from you there and then but will come back to you when the time is right for them. Other than presenting a unique opportunity to meet and connect with people, grow your email list, and your social media following, take the long view on results that may not be fully quantifiable just yet.

We all have to start somewhere, and putting yourself out there is vital to the success of any PR plan. Being discerning about events you exhibit at is different to holding back altogether. If the event fits the bill, go for it! You may find you’ll be reaping the benefits for years to come with sales from repeat customers who in turn will bring you new business by word of mouth.

Contribute to an important cause

The Christmas season is a time when charities step up their fundraising efforts so why not do the same? Are there charities close to your heart, or pertinent to your brand? If so, you could elect to donate a percentage of your sales to them and create a campaign from it.

As a business, you can help raise their profile and spread the message of what those charities do, while expressing openly and actively a core value of your brand.

Share your message and its importance with your email database, on your social channels, and throughout all your seasonal marketing. Be sure to share how much you have raised on their behalf, and consider integrating it as an ongoing element to your business strategy.

Built-in charitable donations should be altruistic, however you’ll build your network and your credibility, and most importantly, you’ll be giving back where it matters.

Prime your website

Your website is just that - yours, and there are some key adjustments you can always make to boost user engagement and bag additional sales but here are a few important ones during busy buying seasons.

Offer free shipping! Whilst also remembering to be clear about posting deadlines and cut-off dates!

In today's world of online shopping, buyers at the very least expect free shipping, no matter what the value of their order. Free delivery is an incentive that many people expect, especially during the Christmas season. Needless to add, it needn’t mean you lose out, though you may have to adjust your pricing to absorb the cost of postage and packaging.

Bundling items will increase the perceived value of them, and placing products as stocking fillers next to larger ticket items that can easily be added into their cart, can also incentivise bigger purchases.

Key words and imagery should also be updated regularly, and bringing a Christmas feel to your website will motivate and encourage people to explore your online shop for their present-buying.

As a rule of thumb, the user experience of your website is an area that should constantly be monitored for optimum interaction, not just at Christmas.