Fresh Holiday Marketing Ideas For The Service Industry

By , Published November 13, 2014

Marketing Your Services During The Holiday Season

You provide a service to other businesses (B2B) or to customers (B2C) and it’s coming upon the holiday season. Quick, tell me, are you marketing? Are you ‘holiday marketing’? Are you taking advantage of the holiday season and the spirit of buying to market your service business? If you are not, or if you are looking for additional ideas besides what you are already planning to do, read on.

Marketing your services during a time when the consumer is looking for tangible gifts to put under a tree, is not an easy feat! Yet it is not impossible and can be quite successful if a little thought and planning is put into it. The idea is to get noticed, and to remind current and prospective customers that you are indeed available for a consult, a gift certificate or a package deal, especially during the holiday season.

Who Is Marketing And Doing A Great Job?

The most obvious service industries and service providers who are already marketing big time during the holidays are spas, hair salons, nail salons, cleaning companies, caterers, hotels etc. They do well selling gift certificates and package deals. If you are in this type of service provider, I am sure you are on the ball and have a holiday marketing plan ready to execute, am I right?

Who Is Not Marketing Yet?

The not so obvious and, in my mind at least, less holiday-marketable service industries would include financial services, as in payroll, accounting, financial planning and tax preparation service providers. Also web designers, consultants (web, social media, business etc.), attorneys … you get it, right? It is harder for those types of businesses, but not impossible!

My Experience

Last year I decided to concentrate on marketing just a small segment of my services during the holiday season and that segment was ‘planning ahead for 2014′. I put together a (very limited) campaign and I was thrilled with the results! I am promoting “social media strategic planning session and written plan” packages again this year because they did so well. By focusing on what was to come after the holidays, I was able to take advantage of the holiday season after all!

Do you market during the holiday season?

Do you offer any sort of holiday special?

Fresh Holiday Marketing Ideas For The Service Industry image FRESH 682x1024.png

Ideas Galore!

If you are in need of some fresh ideas, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some fresh ideas to try out this coming holiday season!

► Face-To-Face Marketing Ideas

*at a Holiday Bazar or Holiday Open House

  • Live events give-aways (sign up for mailing list, put your business card in the bowl; win xyz product)
  • Offer gift certificates for services on sale and offer an incentive (“buy a gift certificate for your friend, receive a pair of earrings for yourself, free”
  • Introductory offers with a gift (try us for 30, 60, 90 days)
  • Package Deals; sign up for x, receive 3 months of y for free
  • Co-promote complimentary services with other service providers
  • Gift baskets (combine services with complimentary products)
  • Branded paper desk calendar for 2015

► Social Media Marketing Ideas

*decide which platform would work best for each promotion. Make sure to follow all contest rules and guidelines on each platform. Do not violate Terms of Service.

  • Co-promote complimentary services with another business (things that go together – Social Media and Graphic Design or HR consulting and Payroll Services or Hair Salon and Nail Salon)
  • Run holiday-themed contests, sweepstakes & give-aways
  • Do a video series, highlighting and thanking special people who made this past year a success for your business.
  • eBook and White Paper give-aways
  • Adopt a local charity. Promote your services and donate part of your fees collected during the holiday months to that charity.
  • Use your Facebook cover images to advertise your offers or to run contests.

Website, Blog, and Email Marketing

*this is all ‘owned’ not rented space, so do as you will!

  • “Book now, pay in 2015″ (Bill on 1/1/2015)
  • “Buy one hour of consulting, get 30 minutes extra”
  • “Refer or recommend a friend and recieve a 30 minute consulting credit”
  • 20% off planning services for 2015
  • “Buy one, get one half off”
  • Offer a promotion to past loyal customers – use a special code to track sales
  • Discount offers of tickets to events/attractions for 2015 are bought by 12/31/14
  • Offer installment plans
  • Offer a credit card payment option
  • Offer online payment services
  • Package Deals – Offer anything you want!

Wrap It Up!

A lot of what you sell is contingent on you doing a good job selling (convincing someone they need/want/deserve your services and goods) as well as how you ‘wrap it up’!

Offer incentives & value in a pretty package!

Do not skimp on images, printing, packaging, and promotional materials. You really get out of it what you put into it! Find someone reliable and experienced to help you out if you do not know how to create images, and work with a graphic artist to get the best promotional materials your money can buy! It is well worth it!

How will you be promoting your services during this holiday season?


Business Articles | Business 2 Community

(325)