If you have a kids’ franchise, you know how important the holidays are to your business. The holidays are kid-centered in many families, and parents and grandparents are always on the lookout for a way to make the holidays a little more special. You can fulfill that need by marketing what you sell as a way to do just that.
Offer Gift Cards
If you are able to utilize gift cards in your business, this is a powerful way to market during the holidays. This is especially true if what you sell is hard to wrap up and give as a gift. A gift card can be bought by anyone, whether it’s a parent, teacher, friend or sibling, and it’s easily given as a holiday gift. Make sure that the gift cards are displayed prominently in the store and that people can buy various denominations of them. Offering an attractive way to hold the gift card, such as a small box or a decorative envelope, will make them more attractive to purchase as gifts.
Sponsor Community Events
Sponsoring community holiday events, such as a parade float or a fundraiser, is a way of making your kids’ franchise better known to the community during the busiest retail season of the year. Helping a school with a fundraiser you’re your name out to kids and families. Hosting a holiday toy drive will bring people into your store to drop off toys, and they may just like what they see. These events also allow you to build up goodwill in the community. And, they are likely to be covered by the local media, brining still more recognition to your kids’ franchise.
Extra Advertising During the Holidays
One of the services provided by most franchisors is regional or nationwide marketing. While you might not do much additional advertising during the rest of the year, during the holidays it’s the best way to let people know about your holiday specials. A local commercial and a set of fliers are usually cost-effective methods of advertising special deals. Also consider a newspaper ad that shows customers a couple of your best specials. And because everyone is stuck in their cars in holiday traffic jams during that time of year, make sure to advertise your specials on the radio as well.
Creating Window Displays
If you have a kids’ franchise with any type of window, this is the perfect place to market your specials. Kids love big, bright displays, and adults enjoy them almost as much. Even if you have nothing more than a flat window without a display area behind it, that window can be dressed up and made more visible for little cost. Try spray snow, holiday characters and large advertisements of your holiday prices to get some notice. A store that relies on foot traffic can use large displays that can be seen from the street. Stores in high foot-traffic areas can benefit from more intricate displays that bring passersby closer to take a look.