Best Practices for Maximizing Holiday Sales

1. Encourage prospects to start advertising early. Holiday shopping starts gaining momentum as early as October, so now is the time to plan and prepare!

2. Offer ways to help advertisers stand out from the competition. In an economically challenging year, promos like free gifts with purchase, gift card bonus buys, free shipping and layaway can help entice shoppers.

3. Don’t ignore Black Friday, Plaid Friday, Small Business Saturday® and Cyber Monday. A record 189.6 million U.S. consumers shopped from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday in 2019, an increase of 14 percent over the previous year. Source: National Retailer Federation (NRF)

4. Incorporate online advertising and social media in your sales. These elements play a more important role than ever, as many shoppers look for contact-free options. Metro subscribers, check the Web/Mobile box under Spec Ads & Covers Filters in your MCC Creative Library to search for ready-to-present-and sell holiday web ad designs.

5. Remember experience advertisers and gift cards. Giving “something to look forward to” is also a way for shoppers to support experience advertisers like spas, salons and restaurants that are navigating evolving coronavirus precautions. Don’t overlook options such as wine club memberships, flower-of-themonth club subscriptions, and “kits” for things like crafts or art supplies.

6. Upsell with holiday greetings. This year more than ever, holiday thanks are a way for advertisers to connect with the community on a personal level, building brand awareness and goodwill.

7. As always, remind local businesses why newspaper advertising pays. Newspapers continue to rank among the most trusted forms of paid advertising, and advertising is one of the top three reasons consumers cite for reading their local newspaper. Play up flexible ad sizing and pricing, and remind prospects that your publication offers targeted audience reach, affluent readership, and the ability for consumers to save and reference advertiser information.

Source: International News Media Association (INMA)

NEW This Year: Metro’s 2020 Holiday Advertising Service automatically includes a special Giving Thanks BONUS program to increase Thanksgiving greeting sales at a time when sharing gratitude means more than ever. Subscribers also receive four new ready-torun special sections and access to the entire Holiday archive. To order, call 800.223.1600
or email service@metro-email.com.