3 Things You Can Do to Drum Up More Holiday Business

The holiday shopping season is officially in full swing. And many consumers have already run up sizable credit card tabs in an effort to get a head start on tackling their gift lists.

As a small business owner, you may be eager to snag some of that holiday business yourself. And the good news is that 84% of consumers say they want to buy from small businesses this holiday season, according to a new study by Constant Contact and research firm Ascend2.

Similarly, a good 73% of small and midsize businesses say they get more than 25% of their annual sales during the holiday season. And 58% of small and medium retail businesses say the holidays are "extremely important" to the overall success of their business. So if you feel similarly, it could pay to take these steps to drum up more holiday business.

1. Think outside the box with promotions

You'll see plenty of businesses offering their share of promotions during the holiday season. So the more creative yours are, the more likely you are to get more business.

Think about ways to appeal to your customers outside of just discounts on the products or services you sell. People tend to love coffee, for example. Offering a free coffee in a travel mug with purchases over a certain threshold could be a great way to get more people in the door -- even if your business has nothing to do with coffee whatsoever.

2. Introduce a new customer loyalty program

Customers like to feel as if they're getting something back when they spend their money. So if you want to pull in more holiday business, now's a good time to roll out a loyalty program.

That could involve giving customers cash back in the form of store dollars on their purchases, with the opportunity to snag bonus points during specific weeks of the year. Or, you could offer up certain free products for meeting a specific spending threshold.

3. Encourage repeat business with special coupons

Wouldn't it be great to get repeat business during the holiday season? A good way to promote that is to offer up some near-term incentives.

For example, between now and mid-December, you may want to produce a coupon you hand out offering customers 10% off of any purchase they make prior to Christmas Day. Or, offer them $10 in store cash that expires on Dec. 24 so they're more likely to come back soon.

There are different options you can play around with. The key is to enhance your customer service and encourage shoppers to come back and support your business over and over again.

A strong holiday season could help your business close out the calendar year on a high note. And if you've been struggling this year, a solid holiday season could be just the thing to help pull your business out of its slump. So do your best to drive more customers to your door this late November and December. It might set the stage for an even more successful 2024.