A Veritable Article

10 Ideas for Website Marketing During the 2019-2020 Holidays

By Marc Carson · Friday October 4, 2019

The holidays are here! Here are some ideas for getting the most out of your website marketing during the season.

Before we get started, I thought I’d share one of my favorite holiday short films, directed by the brilliant Wes Anderson. If you could use a holiday pick-me-up, check it out!

Preparation Step 1: What you’ll Need

• A website for your business or organization
• The ability to create new pages or blog posts on your website
• A social media account on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Even just one account is fine.

Preparation Step 2: Some Web Marketing Rules of Thumb

As you use your website for promotions, please remember these rules of thumb:

• Visitors don’t generally like to read promotional materials.
• Visitors will respond better to website content that is helpful or entertaining.
• Visitors are generally impatient. The faster you can make an impression, the better. Try to shorten long paragraphs to 2-3 concise sentences.
• Visitors like imagery and tend to appreciate interesting or insightful videos. Include those if you can.
• Always publish new content on your website first, then share it on social media. You have control over what happens on your website, but you have less control over what happens on Facebook or Twitter, and without running an ad campaign your content may find a limited audience.
• If you can do this on a schedule throughout the holidays rather than just once, the will be much better.

10 Ideas for Website Marketing During the Holidays

Here are 10 creative ideas for website marketing during the holidays. Try out any that you like. Focus on those that seem like a good fit for your business and persona. For example, if you’re a quiet person, there’s no need to post a video of you dancing in your winter clothes.

• Share some of your favorite holiday traditions in a blog post. Bonus points if it’s something that includes instructions, so others can learn.
• Remember those who cannot celebrate. Locally, many lives were affected by recent fires. Do what you can to help, and let others know how you’re helping. Blog about your thoughts, offer promotions, whatever seems to fit best.
• Write your thoughts about what other people and organizations are doing during the holidays. What do you like and recommend?
• List about your favorite local establishments during the holiday season.
• List your favorite service organizations and charities.
• Link to websites that are relevant to holiday interests. Local websites are often more relevant.
• Share a photo or video, even if simple, of what you do during the holidays.
• Share your secret holiday knowledge. The best gifts to give, the best trips to take.
• Offer a promotion that rewards holiday creativity.
• Share your favorite holiday books, music, or movies. Use links!
• Contact other website owners and offer to exchange links or reviews.
• Share a recipe you like (this one can be a little longer if needed. It’s worth it!).

OK, so that was actually 12 ideas, not 10. Here at MarcCarson.com, we’re giving out ideas like gingerbread cookies!

Final Tip: Share and Boost Your Ideas

After you publish your changes to your website, make sure to share the direct link to your new page or pages to your social media accounts. Do not just share the link to your home page; a direct link is very helpful.

If your article is helpful and contributes to others’ well-being, I recommend that you spend a bit of money and pay for online promotion. Even just $10 or $20 can expand your reach dramatically. Facebook and other platforms make this fairly straightforward.

Keep in mind that paid features like Facebook campaigns may not get you any tangible results at all, but I find that if the content is helpful, potential customers will be grateful for it, and publishing your original content online is always better for your business than doing nothing.

That’s it. Happy Holidays from Marc Carson Web Design!