The Holidays are Coming! Last-Minute PR Ideas to Boost your Visibility

It’s November, and that means 2020 is finally winding down, whew! While people across the globe are breathing a collective sigh of relief that we’re about to wave goodbye to a year of chaos and heightened uncertainty, if you’re a business owner, you might be singing a different tune. You now realize you’re heading towards the end of Q4, and the holidays are right around the corner!

If you’re behind with planning for the holidays and you haven’t quite solidified your goals and how to get added visibility, or if you need to boost what you already have on the radar, here are a few last-minute public relations (PR) tips to end the year with a bang.

‘Tis the Season – Speak the Language of the Holidays

Shake things up a bit. Nobody likes a Scrooge during the holidays, so let the chaos of 2020 fade into the background and focus on the positives. Start incorporating cheerful holiday-themed content: language, photos, and videos into your owned media – website and social media channels. A good old throwback post to previous holiday fun can drum up nostalgia, too, so don’t underestimate it. Cap this off by showing how your products and services can fit into your ideal customer’s life, and use brand storytelling to differentiate yourself from your competitors.

Position Yourself as the Holiday Expert

At this time of the year, journalists are busy scouting interesting stories that will capture the eyes and hearts of their audience. Positioning yourself as an expert in your field means an opportunity to get the right story out, and to possibly be quoted or interviewed; this way you get your business into the spotlight.

Thrill with Customer Appreciation Offers

Your loyal customers are your best assets. They help keep your business up and running, they spread the news of your amazing products and services, making them your brand ambassadors even in the worst of times. Show that you appreciate their business now more than ever. Are there any discounts or promotional offers that you can implement to give them another reason to keep the business relationship going? If so, go for it!

Tap into Industry Influencers

Influencer marketing has become a huge trend over the years. Tapping into endorsements and product placements to give your business added visibility across niche markets means more coverage as the holidays draw closer. Bonus tip, your influencer marketing campaign can be centred around gifting your latest products and services. We all love a great gift; it shows that someone thought of us and took the time to prepare something that would make us feel appreciated. Bonus points if you personalise it to speak to the influencer’s likes and preferences.

Present your Products/Services as Ideal Holiday Gifts

As it gets closer to the holidays, the shopping frenzy increases and more people are on the lookout for gifts that suit various personalities and age groups. For a successful holiday campaign, focus on how target customers that can benefit from your products, eg. “Gifts for kids”, “gifts for moms/dads”, “gifts for the techie” or “gifts for travellers”. With so many things to think about in the pandemic, why not make away the stress of customers puzzling over what to buy from you?

Harness the Power of Social Media

This year has brought unprecedented changes, and with that, many campaigns are being done virtually. There are endless “live” videos, and free events, and messages that are tugging at people’s attention and these generally get louder going into the holidays. Added to that, the changing social media algorithms aren’t helping. So how can you stand out? Amplify your PR messages by sharing them on your social media channels. For added visibility, throw some advertising dollars behind your main messages, use visually appealing graphics, creative copy, and holiday hashtags.

Piggyback on Charitable Events

With all the ‘pivoting’ to sustain business and maintain a sense of normalcy as COVID-19 ravages businesses and economies, you might have had to cut back on budget. That means hosting a charitable event or goodwill initiative from scratch might be a bit of a stretch. However, you can get creative and become an event sponsor, or donate cash or kind to help spread the holiday cheer. While you’re at it, share the great news via a press release and your owned media channels.

The main point here is, if you haven’t quite figured out what the holiday visibility looks like, there is still a bit of room to catch up. Schedule time on your calendar today to sift through these recommendations and implement those that apply to your business. If done right, you’ll find that you’ve made an investment in getting back on track for the balance of 2020, and of course, you can tweak these strategies and use them in the year ahead.