3 Reasons to Prioritize PR Over the Holiday Season Think that the festive season is a time to slow down your publicity? Think again.
By Adrian Falk Edited by Jessica Thomas
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Though many businesses tend to slow down over the holidays, there are several compelling reasons to take this time to ratchet up your PR efforts this year. November and December are known for being cornerstone months for companies' revenue streams as consumers prioritize shopping for themselves and others. But even if you're not in the retail sector, now is also a unique opportunity to boost your business' brand awareness.
Here are three reasons why your company should expand its PR efforts this holiday season in order to promote strong business growth for the new year ahead.
1. More people are consuming media over the holiday season
With kids out of school and adults around the world taking some much-needed vacation time, consumer's internet usage is higher than average during the holiday season, especially during Christmas. The importance of this surge cannot be understated as your PR efforts during this time of year have to take advantage of this expansion of users. Many customers will be online shopping looking for gifts, promotions and the newest products and services while others will just be window shopping and browsing. Your business' publicity efforts should take advantage of both the "browsers" and "buyers," as both can be a great way to increase your sales.
Connecting with "buyers" by working with influencers or pushing a promotional campaign for your holiday sale will allow you to grow your sales during this crucial period. Reaching out to "browsers" by promoting viral content and having an active and engaging social media presence will allow your business to get in front of more people, either through them sharing your content on social media or by word of mouth. This will not only allow your business to have a balance between revenue and online presence without compromising on either, but it will also allow your company to expand its reach into the consumer base. Keep pushing out great products and services, and consider offering incentives to encourage your target audience to share their purchases online to get some extra marketing during the season.
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2. Media is hungry for content
Although some businesses might stop operations for the holidays, the media industry is still operating right at its usual breakneck pace. Many PR agencies will be taking time off, meaning that the holiday season could be the opportunity to really buckle down on your publicity efforts. Utilizing digital media is a staple resource for driving business growth in all areas, so the fact that it is available year-round means that when other people are taking a break, you should see that as an opportunity to get ahead of the competition. Even still, with ecommerce growing significantly every year, capitalizing on the demand for content means that you are also adapting your company to the increasingly online format. That means that you will have a leg up on those businesses that aren't taking full advantage of the changing trends. Taking the opportunity to promote your company's image in a positive light can also help develop brand recognition from consumers going forward.
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3. More people are purchasing
The holiday season has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. With the addition of Amazon, Cyber Monday and other holiday deals, over 70 percent of adults have said that they would do at least more than half of their holiday shopping online this year because of convenience and low pricing. Ecommerce grew 14.9 percent in 2019, following consistent growth over the last few years, and is expected to continue to increase for as long as online shopping remains more convenient for shoppers for certain purchases. With more people relying on the internet as a means of shopping, it's important that your company is able to keep up and benefit from this continual growth. Pushing your PR efforts is an excellent way to take advantage of this increase in online sales, as having your company under more of your target audience's eyes and pushing the best image of your company will pique consumers' interest.
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The holidays are one of the best resources that companies can utilize, not just in terms of profits and revenue but also in promoting a strong and positive company image. Customers will undoubtedly start getting into the holiday spirit as soon as businesses start participating in the festivities, and that means that the sooner in the holiday season your business jumps on publicity, the more time you'll have to take advantage of this valuable time of year.
