Many business owners may assume holiday promotions are only for e-commerce and retail businesses. And that’s not necessarily true.
Service businesses can still get involved and take advantage of seasonal promotional opportunities.
In this article, we cover the importance of holiday promotions for service businesses, preparing early, and 10 effective holiday promotion ideas your service business can run this year.
Why Holiday Promotions Matter for Service-based Businesses
Just because you can’t offer doorbusters or traditional BOGOs (buy one get one free deals) doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to take advantage of the holiday season.
Here are a few reasons why your service business should run holiday promotions:
- Maximizing year-end sales
- Boosting customer engagement
- Improving customer retention
- Tapping into seasonal spending trends
- Linking to any relevant internal blogs
10 Effective Holiday Promotion Ideas for Service Businesses
Here are 10 effective holiday promotion ideas to run this year.
#1. Offer Limited-time Discounts or Packages
Look at your pricing and put together a limited-time discount. For example, anyone who signs up for XYZ service before the end of November gets a 10% discount.
Creating a sense of urgency by providing an end date for your discount can help boost new customers.
Then, share the discount on both your website and social media channels. You can use Durable’s AI Website Builder to generate your website and easily display the holiday promotion on your homepage.
#2. Create Holiday-themed Service Packages
A great way to get involved in the holiday cheer is by putting together mini-service packages just for the holidays.
Combine popular offerings at a reduced price.
For example, if you run a spam you could offer a "Winter Relaxation Package" with a massage, facial, and manicure at a bundled discount.
#3. Run a Gift Card Promotion
Entice people to purchase gift cards from your business through a special holiday promotion.
For example, offering an extra $10 gift card for every $50 spent in gift cards. This way, the person buying the gift gets a little gift themselves, potentially leading to two new customers for your service business!
#4. Host a Holiday Contest or Giveaway
Hold a contest or giveaway on social media where you offer a gift card or service package to one lucky winner. You can have people enter by leaving a comment on your post, tagging a friend, or sharing your post.
Keep in mind that with giveaways, you always want the prize to be something that only your target customer would want — just like the gift card or service package we mentioned — rather than a cash gift or something that anyone would want to win.
This way, you keep entries specific to potential customers.
#5. Run a Holiday Countdown
Run a 12-day holiday promotion, with different services discounted on each day leading up to the holiday.
This creates urgency and excitement around your daily deals.
#6. Partner with Local Businesses for Cross-Promotions
Partner with complementary businesses to appeal to an even wider audience.
For example, a nail salon could offer a joint promotion with a massage parlor to bring new customers into the door of each business.
Consider local businesses that you could partner with and contact them about a joint holiday promotion.
#7. Run a Special Charity Promotion
Is there a cause that you support?
To attract more customers, run a promotion where a percentage of all proceeds go to the charity of your choice for a week or month. This is a great way to increase sales while also giving back during the holidays.
Again, sharing this promotion on your website is a great way to spread the word. Let Durable help you add in your new charity support seamlessly.
#8. Offer Free Holiday Add-ons
Offer a free holiday-themed add-on for customers who book a service during the season.
For example, if you run a cleaning service, you could offer free carpet cleaning with a house cleaning service during December.
#9. Host Holiday-themed Workshops or Events
Put on an event that’s perfect for holiday celebrations. Whether you simply host or sponsor an event or you put on a themed workshop — like a sip and paint business work on a holiday-themed project — find some way to incorporate a holiday celebration into your business.
#10. Leverage Social Media Holiday Trends
Finally, take advantage of social media trends to promote your business and its holiday specials. Whether you jump on a popular meme or trending sound byte for short-form video content, leveraging trends can get your business seen by even more people.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in Holiday Promotions
Here are some common mistakes to avoid when planning your promotions this holiday season:
- Avoid offering unsustainable discounts: Offering a discount is one thing. Offering too large of a discount, making it impossible to render your service at a profit is another thing. Don’t drop your prices so much that it’s unsustainable — instead, find a happy medium.
- Stay away from last-minute execution: Don’t wait until the day before the holiday to kick-off your promotions. Brainstorm and plan your holiday promotions early so that you can reach your maximum potential.
- Don’t neglect existing customers for new ones: If you neglect your existing customers in favor of new ones coming in the door, your retention may drop. Make sure you offer promotions that also benefit existing customers, not only new ones.
Start Planning Your Holiday Promotions Early
The holiday season may seem far, but the key to running successful promotions is starting early.
Giving yourself enough time to plan and execute your campaigns ensures they’re well thought out, strategically aligned with your goals, and effectively promoted across all channels.
Early preparation allows you to fine-tune your offers, avoid last-minute rushes, and build excitement among your audience.
Whether it’s crafting the perfect holiday package, running a gift card promotion, or partnering with local businesses, setting up your holiday promotions ahead of time will help your service business stand out and thrive during the festive season.
Start now and get your website prepared for the holiday season with Durable.
