Webinar Recap: 6 Holiday Marketing Tactics Small Businesses Should Start Now
Try Thryv for FreeBy Allison Sakounthong, Small Business Expert
Updated October 16, 2026 · 21 min read
Key Takeaways
- Plan around your customers. Use business goals, seasonal trends, and customer needs to guide your holiday marketing.
- Create compelling offers. Explore bundles, gift cards, and added-value promotions instead of relying on discounts alone.
- Build trust before the rush. Keep business listings accurate, encourage customer reviews, and maintain helpful website content.
- Get more from your content. Repurpose strong ideas across channels while keeping your messaging authentic and relevant.
- Connect your marketing channels. Align email and social media so customers have a consistent experience.
- Measure what matters. Set clear campaign goals and use performance data to guide decisions.
How can small businesses make the most of Q4 without a big marketing team or budget? Start preparing now.
The holiday season brings opportunities for small businesses, but it also brings more competition for customers’ attention. The key isn’t to do more than bigger brands. It’s to plan smarter, focus on what customers need, and make the most of the marketing resources you already have.
In Thryv’s September webinar, 6 Holiday Tactics Marketers Should Start Now, Daniel Murray, founder of The Marketing Millennials, joined Matthew Gourgeot, director of franchise sales at Thryv, and Shana Krisan, CMO of Goldfish Swim School Franchising, to share how businesses can prepare for the holiday rush.
Their message was simple: You don’t need a team of 10 to compete. You need a plan that helps your team make an impact.
Here are the takeaways they share as a starting point. Watch the full webinar for more insights, examples, and advice from the speakers.
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6 Holiday Marketing Tactics to Start Now
1. Plan Around Your Customers
Before filling your calendar with holiday campaigns, consider your business goals, seasonal trends, and what your customers actually need. The speakers emphasized planning around your audience and buying cycles instead of automatically following every major shopping holiday.
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2. Make Your Holiday Offers Stand Out
Discounts aren’t the only way to attract customers. Service bundles, gift cards, and added-value offers can give people a compelling reason to buy. The best promotions align with your customers’ needs and your business goals.
3. Build Trust Before the Holiday Rush
Your online presence can influence whether customers choose your business. Recent reviews, accurate business listings, and helpful website content make it easier for people to find you and feel confident taking the next step.
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4. Make Your Content Work Harder
You don’t need to create something new for every channel. Focus on a few strong, useful content ideas and adapt them for social media, email, and your website. AI can help speed up the process, but your content should still reflect your expertise and what makes your business different.
5. Connect Email and Social Media
Customers may discover your business on social media, check your reviews, and then visit your website or open an email before making a decision. Keeping your messaging consistent across channels helps create a more connected customer experience.
6. Measure What Matters
Define what success looks like before launching a campaign. Whether you’re building awareness, generating leads, or increasing bookings, choose metrics that match your goals. Use performance data to improve your campaigns while keeping your customers and business priorities in context.
Haven’t Started Planning Yet? Start Small.
One of the webinar’s most practical reminders was that it’s not too late to prepare. You don’t need a complicated calendar or a presence on every platform to make progress.
Start with your biggest opportunity, focus on the channels you can manage well, and prioritize the activities most likely to help you reach your customers. A focused plan you can execute is more valuable than an ambitious plan that never gets off the ground.
Watch the Full Webinar
These six tactics are just the starting point. In the full discussion, Daniel Murray, Matthew Gourgeot, and Shana Krisan explore how businesses can approach holiday planning, create more effective offers, connect their marketing channels, and use performance insights to make smarter decisions.
Want more ideas to help your business stand out this holiday season? Watch the full webinar for practical advice on preparing your marketing for Q4.
Watch now!
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Preparing for the holidays takes time, but managing your marketing doesn’t have to add to the workload. Thryv’s AI-powered growth platform helps small businesses manage marketing activities such as social media, email campaigns, online listings, and reviews.
Explore how Thryv can help you stay visible and connected with customers during your busiest season.
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Prepare Now to Make the Most of Q4
Successful holiday marketing isn’t about doing more for the sake of doing more. It’s about preparing with purpose.
Understand your customers. Give them a compelling reason to choose you. Build trust before the rush. Make your content work harder. Connect your channels and measure what matters.
You don’t need a team of 10 to make an impact this holiday season. You need a plan that makes the most of your team.
FAQs about Holiday Marketing
Start by planning around customer needs, creating compelling offers, strengthening your online reputation, repurposing content, connecting email and social media, and measuring campaign performance.
Start planning as early as possible so you have time to set goals, prepare promotions, create content, and build awareness before the busiest part of the season. If you’re starting late, focus on a few high-priority activities you can execute well.
Small businesses can compete by understanding their customers, creating relevant offers, building trust through reviews and helpful content, and focusing on the marketing channels their audiences use most. Effective preparation can matter more than having the biggest budget.
Consider service bundles, gift cards, giftable experiences, or useful extras that add value for customers. Choose offers that fit your audience, business goals, and profit margins.
Start with a clear business goal, then choose metrics that match it. For example, awareness campaigns may focus on reach and engagement, while campaigns designed to generate bookings may track clicks, leads, and conversions. Review performance regularly and adjust as needed.