As Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday approach later this month, the holiday shopping season will be a big one for small businesses, including retail bakeries. Now is a good time for businesses to look to boost sales any way possible.

According to a study from Visa, 60% of consumers plan to do half or more of their winter holiday shopping at local retailers. There is incredible opportunity for small businesses to capitalize on this growth, if they’re able to use the right marketing strategies.

DCG Communications in Washington, DC provides three tips for small businesses marketing to potential customers this holiday season:

  1. Leverage email to grow sales – A 2020 survey found that 79% of small business owners said email is “important” or “very important” to their businesses. Establishing an effective email marketing strategy for the holiday season can be important. Consider what types of emails will be valuable to your customers during the holiday season, and avoid sending too many emails each week.
  2. Engage with customers on social media – Social media is a cheap, easy and effective way to reach potential customers. It’s a great way to highlight your products and services, specifically why they are valuable this holiday season.
  3. Add a personal touch – Maintain personal connections with customers who may not be coming into your business right now with the pandemic. For instance, provide good customer service by responding promptly to messages by phone, email and social media. You can also send personalized messages to people in your mailing list.

Your retail bakery can use these strategies to grow sales and build customer loyalty during an unusual holiday season.