The hustle and bustle of the holidays are rapidly approaching the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area. The days are shorter, the leaves are beginning to change color and local businesses are pushing their holiday marketing efforts.
When we discussed how to increase your revenue without relying on discounts and sales, we mentioned the need for creating personalized and memorable customer experiences. Holidays present a great opportunity for marketing to your customers around a topic that is relevant, that they’re fully aware of and that they’re interested in.
Here are a few simple ways to get creative with your local holiday marketing that works in conjunction with your digital signage and will keep your clients interested in following your brand.
Oktoberfest: Whether you choose to don Lederhosen or not, it’s hard to ignore that Oktoberfest events have continued to gain popularity in the local area, especially amongst millennials. Take advantage of this celebration by promoting happy hour specials or outdoor Biergarten parties.
Lighting of the National Christmas Tree: This time-honored tradition has been a staple of Washington Christmas celebrations for more than 90 years. Create templates that show off your holiday and American spirit for this historic event by displaying a slideshow of previous Christmas Tree lighting ceremonies alongside your regularly scheduled content. You could even host your very own holiday lighting ceremony for customers or guests!
New Year’s Eve in the City: As we close out the year and welcome a new one, all of our local communities showcase an impressive display of colorful fireworks at midnight. How can your business ring in the new year?
Engage your clients with crowdsourced social media. Ask your customers to submit their photos and New Year’s Resolutions with a custom hashtag and then display the content in-store. They will be thrilled to see their posts on your screen as they countdown to midnight! It’s a cheap and fun method to build customer engagement.
White House Easter Egg Roll: Since the 1800s, local children and their families have been invited to the White House Lawn for the Easter Egg Roll. Decorate your templates like you would do with an Easter egg, or hide rabbits and eggs in your designs for kids to discover. Additionally, you could run kid-friendly events for your business that the whole family can enjoy.
Cherry Blossom Festival: When winter begins to thaw, the cherry blossom trees quickly steal the spotlight in D.C. Rows of beautiful pink blooms give way to some brilliant marketing ideas. Decorate your display templates with cherry blossom frames and springtime coloring.
Fourth of July: There’s something special about celebrating Independence Day on the lawn of the National Mall. Make a bang with your red, white and blue themed designs and include motion graphic fireworks to woo customers.
Local businesses that can creatively adjust their marketing strategies during the holiday season will drive sales and maintain high levels of customer engagement. A digital signage strategy that takes advantage of theses occasions is sure to bring attention to any store or business.
Jacqueline Hoffmann is a Solutions Consultant at Mvix, a leading provider of content-rich digital signage solutions. She leads the Washington, D.C. team, working with designers and engineers to build digital signage networks that connect brands with people. To learn more about Mvix, please visit www.mvixdigitalsignage.com or call 703.584.4304.