Preparing for the 2015 Holiday Season

emotional-triggers-buy

It’s almost that time of year again… holiday season. Every year I try and put together a reminder on timelines for projects and planning for the holidays. To give you a sense of what I mean about planning: if you’re looking to build an eCommerce website and have it up and running for the 2015 season, you’ve missed the boat.

After being in this business for over 10 years, I can tell you that starting a web project around the holiday season is like trying to book flights to Disney World for spring break – EVERYONE realizes they should book their flights at the same time. Obviously, this is not ideal. To get a custom site designed and developed in time for the holiday season, the project should have started in July.

Luckily, there are other some DIY alternatives available for determined business owners on a tight timeline such as Shopify and Squarespace. These are great alternatives to a custom website if you need something up and running ASAP. If you’d prefer a unique website with custom functionality, its best to plan at least 6 months in advance from when you want the project completed by. It seems crazy but 2015 is almost over – time to start planning for 2016!

For other projects such as marketing for the holidays, you’re still safe. There are 15 weeks left in the year and 13 weeks until peak holiday season. Be sure to start planning NOW so you do not miss out on critical business opportunities. For example, start thinking about Black Friday deals that you want to offer as well as the end of year discounts you’re thinking of promoting. Planning ahead will ensure that you aren’t panicking at the last minute trying to get your ducks in a row.

Below is a list of items we like to do at Old Town Media to finish out the year strong. Consider incorporating these into your end-of-year agenda:

Get your website updated for end of year specials or finish out your website design that you have been working on so your 2016 year starts strong with a new presence.
Start thinking about client appreciation gifts. It’s always great to thank the clients that help make you who you are. Get something special and not just another generic gift!
Get your business holiday card made and make sure there is a hand written signature on it. There is a lot to say for sending a print piece nowadays. Most people go the electronic route, which isn’t necessarily as personal and doesn’t have the same feeling as a print piece. We always try to do something unique each year rather than just finding a vista print template (look out for this in December!).
Get your holiday ads in order for print, web and/or social media detailing any specials that you are offering.

Back to All Insights

Brittany Mathisen

2023-09-27

OTM has been a wonderful marketing partner for the last four years. We have shifted marketing plans over time and they are very open and explained all the details as we moved forward with new plans. They have done everything from help design and update offices, managed social media, planning marketing events, and many more things. The Hear for Holidays Event that we do each year is one of my favorite events that we work on together. Rachel and the whole OTM team have brought my marketing vision to life and I love everything they have done for my business. I look forward to what the future holds as we continue to work together.

Yvonne Myers

2023-07-30

I worked with Old Town Media (OTM) on a quick grant project that had a 6-week timeline. They were very thoughtful about whether they could meet the grant expectations and needs before accepting the work. The team at OTM then completed extensive research and facilitated focus groups to ensure the product they created met the needs of the end-users. They met all of the grant deadlines and far exceeded our expectations of the portal they created for us! I would not hesitate to use their services again and highly recommend them to others looking for a professional, high quality, and FUN team to work with.

Julie Dokoupil

2023-07-18

OTM is a locally owned firm that I have worked with for over 13 years. They are an amazing team of people who know and understand current marketing technology and strategies. My husband and I are starting a new business and they have helped us out even with small details to get our business going.

TunDesign

2023-06-20

I have seen a significant increase in community engagement which has helped bolster our brand presence, exceeding the expectations of the entire team. Carrie and her team provides consistent communication through slack and emails which has led to an effective and trusted partnership. Truly appreciate how hard-working, agile, and driven everyone on the team is. Thanks again for eveything your team has done for our company.

David Haase

2023-06-07

OTM has done a fantastic job bringing the Fort Collins Peach Festival back to the public! OTM is dealing with several volunteers on a committee and keeping everyone informed, best in business advice and a platform that will serve us for years. We didn't know what we needed and were presented with choices and educated about each before implementation. Kerrie and Brianna have done great work for us! Dave Haase Committee Chair Fort Collins Peach Festival

Dana Sednek

2023-03-15

Using their Path to Growth Model, OTM not only gave me a path forward, but they helped me clarify my strategy, direction, and actions for how to set and launch my business. I was able to launch quickly and I see the flywheel ahead that is necessary to accelerate customer intake and revenue building. Thrilled with the outcome!!!

Liza Adams

2023-01-13

As the Head of Marketing at Encompass Technologies, I considered Old Town Media an extension of our marketing team. OTM worked closely with us on rebranding and repositioning, multiple industry-first product launches, key industry events, and integrated demand generation campaigns while we grew our marketing team and acquired new companies. With the help of OTM, we grew our pipeline and bested industry benchmarks for Software as a Service (SaaS) sales and marketing efficiency metrics. We came to rely on OTM for tactical execution to augment our team but where they added the most value was in our rebranding strategy and market positioning efforts. OTM played an integral role in conducting research and deeply understanding our market dynamics, ideal customer profile, customer challenges, competitive landscape, products and innovation, key differentiators, vision, and mission. This was no easy feat with a highly complex ecosystem, multiple segments, wide variety of audiences, and a broad array of products. Armed with market insights, OTM helped us develop a compelling brand, an inspirational story reflecting our vision and strategy, a unique and defensible market position, and messaging that was relevant to our target audiences. I appreciated that the team was respectful and empathetic, intently curious, insightful with their observations and recommendations, and candid with their feedback. OTM set realistic expectations about deliverables/scope, level of effort, roles, timeline, and cost. The team was responsive, highly collaborative, and open to suggestions. OTM plugged our expertise and resource gaps which allowed us to break the compromise between doing good work and doing it quickly. On top of that, they were fun to work with. OTM was truly a partner of the business.

Eric Dengler

2023-01-11

Great team! Small company service. Big firm power and expertise.

zach fulton

2023-01-06

Simply put, OTM is a well oiled machine! Thanks for all you do

Preparing for the 2015 Holiday Season

Growing a business
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right partner matters.

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