Believe it or not, the 2018 holiday season is here. The decorations are out and people are planning for their parties and gift-giving.
For most businesses, this time of year is the most lucrative. And so, you need to prepare.
You need to have a promotional plan to optimize your sales, and you need to have a strategy to effectively handle customer service.
To help with both of these things, I’ve put together a bunch of resources you can use to make your business thrive this holiday season.
Below, you’ll find a table of contents outlining the resources I’ve included:
Table of contents
- Done-for-you promotional holiday graphics
- Social media post templates
- Popular social media hashtags
- 2018 Holiday season calendar
- Holiday gift guide list
- Copy-and-paste customer service response templates
Now, let’s dive in!
Here are 200 promotional holiday graphics you can download
We had holiday 50 designs made into 4 formats each – one for Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. There are 10 promotional graphics for Halloween, 10 for Thanksgiving, 10 for Hanukkah, 10 for Christmas, and 10 for New Year’s Eve.
You can see 15 of the designs below.
To get all 200 graphics, just head over to Dropbox where you can download them.
Social media post templates to use with your holiday graphics
Halloween
Template 1: #HappyHalloween, everyone! Don’t miss out on the spooktacular sale happening now: [link]. Use promo code ___ to get ___% off
Template 2: #Halloween2018 is almost here! No tricks, just treats. Save ___% with promo code ___. Check out our sale happening here: [link]
Template 3: Give someone special a fun #Halloween treat this year: [link] and save ___% on any order over $___. #TrickOrTreat
Thanksgiving
Template 1: #HappyThanksgiving, friends & family! Don’t miss out on the #TurkeyDay sale happening now: [link] It’s definitely one to be thankful for
Template 2: #Thanksgiving2018 is around the corner. Make it extra special with a unique holiday gift: [link]. Promo code ___ saves you ___%. #grateful
Template 3: There is much to be thankful for this #Thanksgiving, like friends, family, and lots of holiday savings: [link]. Save ___% with promo code ___
Hanukkah
Template 1: Wishing you a #HappyHanukkah! Check out the #Hanukkah sale happening now: [link]. Save ___% with promo code ___
Template 2: #Hanukkah2018 is almost here. Light up someone’s day with an extra special gift: [link]. Promo code ___ saves you ___%
Template 3: Our #HanukkahSale is happening now! Celebrate and save big with promo code ___. #LightItUp
Christmas
Template 1: #MerryChristmas! ‘Tis the season for big savings. Check out our #Christmas sale here: [link]. Use promo code ___ to get ___% off
Template 2: May your #Christmas2018 be merry & bright. Make someone’s day extra special with a gift from our store: [link]. Promo code ___ saves you ___%
Template 3: #ChristmasIsComing. Shop now for gifts: [link]. Save ___% when you use promo code ___. #HoHoHo
New Year’s Eve and Day
Template 1: #HappyNewYear, everyone! Ring in #2019 with big savings: [link]. Use promo code ___ to get ___% off
Template 2: Start the #NewYear off with awesome gifts and big savings. Shop now: [link]. With promo code ___, you get ___% off. #midnight
Template 3: Our #NewYearSale is happening now! Promo code ___ gets you ___%. #Hello2019 #Goodbye2018
Here’s a list of popular holiday hashtags to use with your posts
Halloween
#Halloween
#HappyHalloween
#Halloween2018
#HappyHalloween2018
#TrickOrTreat
#HalloweenParty
#HalloweenGiveaway
#HalloweenContest
#HalloweenNight
#HalloweenHaunt
#HalloweenFun
#HappyFall
#October31
#October
#Autumn
Thanksgiving
#HappyThanksgiving
#TurkeyDay
#Thanksgiving
#HappyThanksgiving2018
#Thanksgiving2018
#TurkeyTime
#ThankfulDay
#ThanksgivingDinner
#ThanksgivingCountDown
#ILoveThanksgiving
#TheBestThingAboutThanksgiving
#ThanksgivingPromotion
#ThanksgivingSale
#ThanksgivingGiveaway
#GiveThanks
Hanukkah
#Hanukkah
#HappyHanukkah
#Hanukkah2018
#HappyHanukkah2018
#HanukkahSale
#HanukahGiveaway
#HanukkahCelebration
#8Days
#LightItUp
#HanukkahPromotion
#FestivalOfLights
#HanukkahGifts
#Chanukkah
#CelebrateChanukkah
#Chanukkah2018
Christmas
#MerryChristmas
#Christmas
#MerryChristmas2018
#Christmas2018
#Xmas
#ChristmasIsComing
#ChristmasGifts
#ChristmasPromotion
#ChristmasSale
#ChristmasGiveaway
#ChristmasEve
#ChristmasCountdown
#FelizNavidad
#ChristmasFun
#ChristmasLove
#StockingStuffer
#FelizNavidad
#HoHoHo
#Noel
#ItsChristmas
New Year’s
#NewYear
#HappyNewYear
#NewYear2019
#HappyNewYear2019
#NewYearsDay
#NewYearsEve
#NewYearsResolution
#Goodbye2018
#Hello2019
#NewYearGiveaway
#NewYearSale
#NewYearPromotion
#Happy2019
#Midnight
#NYE2019
Other
#HappyHolidays
#Holidays
#HolidayCheer
#HolidaySale
#HolidayPromotion
#HolidayGiveaway
#HolidaySavings
#BlackFriday
#CyberMonday
#BlackFri
#CyberMon
#SeasonsGreetings
#Gifts
#Celebrate
#Celebration
Here’s a calendar of shopping days to note during the holiday season
Holiday gift guides where you can promote your products
People who look at gift guides are people who want to buy. And so, promoting your products via gift guides is a great way to reach more potential buyers.
(Last year, my assistant and I did a case study involving gift guides. You can read it here.)
You can look for gift guides on your own by searching for things like Halloween gift guides, Hanukkah gift guides, or Christmas gift guides.
Or, you can search more specifically by niche or person – for example, dog owner holiday gift ideas, holiday gift guides for mom, or teacher gift guides.
I’ve also compiled a quick list of websites offering gift guides that you can reach out to. (Note: I haven’t contacted these sites myself so I don’t know how likely they are to respond, etc.)
Here’s the gift guide list
ChristmasGifts.com
WhatToBuyYourGF.com
GiftBeta.com
GuilianaRancic.com
PersonalizationMall.com
BradfordExchange.com
TheGreatGiftCompany.co
Copy-and-paste customer service response templates
In addition to reaching more potential buyers, another crucial component of managing your business is taking care of your existing customers.
And that means providing excellent customer service.
Customer service is time-consuming, though, especially during the holidays when you’re dealing with a lot more orders.
To help with this, I created customer service templates, fitting common ecommerce scenarios, that you can copy and paste.
(I recommend storing these, and any other templates you make, in a Word or Google doc for easy access.)
Here’s what to say…
When customers receive the wrong item
Hey [first name],
We are very sorry for the mix-up and any inconvenience it has caused! We do our best to get our orders right 100% of the time. But unfortunately, mistakes can sometimes occur. We will get the correct item shipped out to you asap and make sure to send it priority.
Please accept our apologies again and let us know if there’s anything else we can assist you with.
Thanks.
Best,
[your name]
When items arrive damaged
Hey [first name],
We are very sorry your order arrived damaged! We do our best to package our products securely with the highest quality packaging materials. But unfortunately, sometimes things do still get damaged during the shipping process.
We will get the correct item shipped out to you asap and make sure to send it priority.
Please accept our apologies again!
Thank you.
Best,
[your name]
When items haven’t arrived yet
Version 1: If customers did NOT pay for expedited shipping (This applies to 99% of cases – for example, if customers ordered via UseGearBubble where all shipping is standard.)
Hey [first name],
We are sorry your order is taking so long to arrive! Your order has shipped, though, and is currently in-transit with USPS so you should receive it within the next few days.
Here is the tracking number: [insert USPS tracking number]
According to it, your order is due to arrive on [insert the new estimated arrival date]. Please accept our apologies again for the inconvenience and let us know if we can do anything else to assist you.
Thanks.
Best,
[your name]
Version 2: If customers DID pay for expedited shipping (This would be if customers purchased an item from your Shopify store, for example.)
Hey [first name],
We are sorry your order is taking so long to arrive! Your order has shipped, though, and is currently in-transit with USPS so you should receive it within the next few days. I have also gone ahead and refunded your expedited shipping costs since the expected delivery date has passed.
Here is the tracking number: [insert USPS tracking number]
According to it, your order is due to arrive on [insert the new estimated arrival date]. Please accept our apologies again for the inconvenience and let us know if we can do anything else to assist you.
Thanks.
Best,
[your name]
When customers just aren’t happy
Hey [first name],
We’re sorry that you weren’t completely satisfied with your purchase! If the item arrived not as described or was damaged in any way, then we would be happy to get you a replacement sent out asap.
If you could please let us know more about why you were not satisfied, we will do our best to address your concerns. Or, if you would like to proceed with a refund, then, of course, we can do that for you right away.
We strive to create top-of-the-line products that our customers love, and we want you to be satisfied with everything you purchase from us.
Please let us know how you would like to proceed and our apologies again that you weren’t completely satisfied.
Thanks.
Best,
[your name]
I hope you find this compilation of ecommerce holiday resources useful! Leave a comment below and let me know how you’re preparing your business for the holiday season!
