7 Cost-effective marketing ideas for Thanksgiving Day

I have a theory that marketing geniuses invented holidays and carefully plotted their dates.

Think about it.

Why do you think Black Friday is on the day after Thanksgiving when there are 51 other Fridays to choose from?

I’m not a historian, so I don’t know for sure, but I think it was done to make sure you were in a good mood before you went all out on Black Friday.

Happy people spend more.

Now, small and medium-sized businesses are torn yearly because of this scheduling. Are you going to spend marketing dollars for Thanksgiving? Or Black Friday? SMBs have less money, which makes it harder for them to decide.

When the end of the year is getting closer, businesses have to work harder to meet their goals and quotas. The pressure to sell more grows.

Many are inclined to ignore Thanksgiving and just focus on Black Friday but I beg to differ. Thanksgiving is such an important holiday coupled with a spirit of gratitude. 

It’s a value that not all businesses have and taking this time to share your appreciation will make you stand out.

This is why I encourage you to use cost-effective marketing for your business to stay visible during Thanksgiving.

Ways to market your services for Thanksgiving

1. Make your website works better for the holidays.
   Make sure it loads quickly, in an average of 8.6 seconds on mobile devices. Your landing page and lead magnet should have a Thanksgiving theme that fits your business goals.
   
   For example, have a gratitude-themed service just for the holiday and put it on your website to get more visitors.
   
   
2. Hold live campaigns on the day of Thanksgiving.
   Research shows that conversion rates in the U.K. have gone up by 26% because of real-time marketing. Live polls, contests, and quizzes reward and encourage customers to come back.
   
   Someone should be in charge of answering live customer questions, hashtags, and comments. Prepare possible responses so that your messaging stays interesting and on brand. 
   
   
3. Use email marketing.
   With emails, you can send specific holiday messages to people who visit your site. And you can be sure that your announcement will land in their inboxes. Keep your email about Thanksgiving simple and sincere.
   
   If you’re going to send them a promotion through email, use words and phrases that give your subscribers a sense of scarcity (last chance, never again, etc.) and urgency (early bird shopping, it’s time, offer ends in…)
   
   
4. Let your clients know how important they are to you.
   A small card or email saying “thank you” can go a long way toward keeping customers happy. You can use this to your advantage by telling them how much you appreciate their loyalty and business.
   
   A customer you treat well will probably buy from you again and tell others about your business, which brings us to tip #5.
   
   
5. Use word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing.
   64% of marketers agree that word-of-mouth is the best way to market a business without spending a lot of money.
   
   Free advertising is when people talk about how much they like and want your product on their own. When these WOM endorsements are shared on social media, they become user-generated content, or UGC.
   
   
6. Promote content made by users.
   The most effective and inexpensive way to market is through online polls, comments on any digital platform, blog posts, videos, or photos posted or shared by users based on their own experiences.
   
   Because these social proofs of customer satisfaction were not staged, they are more reliable and honest. UGCs are a powerful way to market. They help build trust in your brand and show how real it is.
   
   Put your branding over screenshots and videos then post and share these on as many platforms as you can (Instagram Stories, Facebook and LinkedIn Ads, TikTok, etc.) to get the most out of them.
   
   
7. Give away and discount your products.
   Remember how important it is to help other people. Giving something back gives you a chance to show your prospects a new product or service. When something is free, people are more likely to try something new.
   
   Giving samples or discount vouchers helps people remember your brand. People who sampled your products will probably remember you when they are ready to buy.