It may seem like the holidays have already come and gone – it’s mid-December, and you’re already planning for 2018. You’ve seen your profits increase with flocks of holiday shoppers traipsing in from the cold, you’ve triple-checked your inventory to ensure that you are stocked to the brims with coconut milk so you can continue to churn out those ‘Merry Mojitos’ that everyone seems to love, and you’ve even already pre-ordered the ‘must-have’ toy of 2017 for your kid, only to see it go neglected under the tree on Christmas morning because he discovered that the box can make, in his words, “a really, really loud farting sound” if you strike it from just the right angle.

After hustling since the beginning of November and ensuring that all of your ducks are in a row, it’s easy to get lazy in the home-stretch and overlook certain aspects of the holiday season that can be the difference between a trip to Cabo and a trip to Wildwood, NJ this summer.

As such, check out these last-minute marketing mistakes to avoid this year and ensure that you are capitalizing this holiday season:

• Forgetting to reach out to your loyal customers. This is the time of year to show appreciation for the folks whose names you know. The people who are with you all year. Now is the perfect time to tailor a marketing campaign thanking them and potentially offering them an exclusive discount for being loyal to your business.
• Not offering holiday specials. It’s important to remain competitive through the end of the year – rest assured that all of the major chains will. Don’t be afraid to mix in some ‘just because’ sales before the New Year to give yourself a unique leg-up. Get creative with a holiday themed Facebook contest, a random give-away or just a good old-fashioned holiday discount to get those hungry, last-minute shoppers in your restaurant.
• Failing to acknowledge the holidays. We know that in this day and age, the most innocent, well intended Facebook post (or fart joke in the first paragraph of a newsletter article) can be misconstrued, taken out of context and give you the type of publicity that instills fear in the heart of restaurant owners. Do not allow this sensitive climate to discourage you from creating fun, non-denominational content to delight your customers during the holiday season. Be cheerful and welcoming online and customers are likely to reciprocate.

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