Give Yourself the Gift of Time - 3 Ways to Automate Your Holiday Marketing

by Matthew Wells

Oct 22

The holiday season is a hectic time for everyone, with our days filled up buying gifts, setting up decorations, working out travel plans, and everything else that comes along with the season. It can be stressful, and that’s before adding running your own small business and trying to take advantage of the season. That’s why we are here to give you our 3 unexpected ways you can help automate your holiday marketing, giving you more time to focus on what matters.

1. Set Up “Last-Minute Shopper” Reminders Automatically
   

Many holiday shoppers wait until the last minute to buy gifts - me included. This procrastination can end up leaving you with missed opportunities if you don’t remind them to take action. Scheduling automated email or text reminders to be sent out right before key holiday dates can help you not miss those potential customers.

Potential Tools For Automated Reminders:

1. 1. Mailchimp (who has free plan available) for email automation
   2. SimpleTexting or EZ Texting for SMS/text reminders
      
      

Easy Steps:

1. 1. Set Up an Account: Create a free account on Mailchimp or another email platform.
   2. Choose a Template: Select a festive template with a “Holiday Reminder” theme.
   3. Write Your Message:
      “Time’s running out! ?? There’s still time to grab the perfect gift. Enjoy 10% off with code LASTCALL.”
   4. Schedule It: Pick a date to send it — 3-5 days before a key holiday like Christmas or New Year’s.
      

With these steps, your reminders will go out automatically, even if you forget to hit “send” yourself!

2. Schedule Social Media Posts in Advance
   

As we’ve already discussed, the holiday season is an incredibly busy time for everyone and especially those who own a small business. We all know how important it is for small businesses to be active and consistent with their social media presence, but it’s hard to have the time to create and draft your posts during the holiday season. To remedy this, use a free scheduling tool to create and automate Instagram and Facebook stories and posts so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the holidays with your friends and loved ones.

Use These Tools:

1. 1. Meta Business Suite (free, integrates with Facebook and Instagram)
   2. Dash by EZlocal, Later, or Buffer for advanced post scheduling
      

Easy Steps:

1. 1. Connect Your Social Accounts: Use Meta Business Suite to link your Facebook and Instagram accounts.
   2. Create Your Content in Advance: Add festive photos or videos of your shop or products.
   3. Add Interactive Elements: Include polls like:
      “Which holiday drink is your favorite? ?? Eggnog or Hot Cocoa?”
   4. Schedule Your Stories: Select the dates and times you want the stories to post.
      

Now you can enjoy the holidays without worrying about posting in real-time—your content will appear exactly when it should!

3. Automate Appointment Scheduling to Avoid the Holiday Rush 
   

Managing appointments and reservations manually as a small business owner can be stressful and can potentially cause scheduling conflicts, long wait times, and unhappy customers. If you have a service business or utilize appointments, that is another aspect of your operation that you can help automate to save you time during this busy season. 

Use These Tools:

• • Acuity Scheduling or Calendly for appointments
  • Square Appointments if you’re using Square for payments

Steps:

1. 1. Create an Online Calendar: Set up your available time slots for appointments, consultations, or reservations.
   2. Enable Auto-Reminders: Configure email/SMS reminders so customers don’t forget their bookings.
   3. Share the Link: Add the booking link to your website, social media, or email newsletters.