11 Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas to Stand Out This Season

While the winter season can be slow for small businesses, the holidays provide several marketing opportunities to attract clients and build customer loyalty. Whether you work in a service-based industry, professional services, or a retail company, Thanksgiving is a good time to show customers how grateful you are for their business.

Today, we’ll discuss the best Thanksgiving marketing ideas to help your business stand out this holiday season. Read on to learn about different marketing strategies that small businesses can use to position themselves for success.

11 Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas

1. Connect with loyal customers and offer them a discount.

Offering discounts is a great way to market your business during the holiday season. After all, who doesn’t love saving money during the busiest shopping months of the year?

But even better than that are discounts tailored to your loyal customers. These aren’t generic holiday promotions — they’re designed for a specific audience: your customer base.

Most business owners know retaining current customers is easier (and more cost-effective) than attracting new ones. By offering exclusive discounts, you make them feel valued and appreciated. Plus, it gives them even more reasons to choose your company when they need your product or service.

A perfect example comes from Adun, a spice company in Ohio. It sent out this marketing email to say “thank you,” and sweeten the deal with a Black Friday offer at the bottom.

2. Get creative with your marketing assets.

The holiday season provides plenty of opportunities for content marketing. When you create marketing messages in November, it’s important to remember that you can use the season as:

• A visual theme (think color schemes, images, changing the photos on your website to match the holiday)
• A starting point for content ideas (like giveaways, contests, challenges, tips, advice)

• A way to make everyday marketing tactics more creative and interesting (a social media filter, social media hashtags, a new Instagram Highlight, an email campaign to promote discounts, a new category for blogs, or a campaign around seasonal tips)

All of these ideas give you a fun way to use the holiday season to engage with your audience. Regardless of the content you create, the best way to gain traction online is to make sure it aligns with your brand.

For example, if you own a fitness studio, you can host a fundraiser walkathon or fitness challenge in November. Or, if you own a landscape company, a decoration contest can get customers thinking about their outdoor areas. As long as the content aligns with your company goals and mission, Thanksgiving is a great way to get creative with your marketing assets.

Here are a few content marketing ideas for small businesses:

• Photo contest of best Thanksgiving decorations
• Gratitude challenge
• Fitness challenge
• Decorating tips
• Highlight your own family or company traditions
• Practical advice

A great example of using Thanksgiving as a content theme comes from NYX Cosmetics. In the TikTok below, you’ll see that the company used fall colors and imagery for the theme of this Thanksgiving post.

@nyxcosmetics

Do you have your Thanksgiving look ready? 💄🦃 #ProArtist @xoivettea #nyxcosmetics #thanksgiving

♬ Hit Break – NYX Professional Makeup

Plus, when you look at the caption and hashtags, you’ll find Thanksgiving and holiday-related keywords throughout. Ultimately, this post garnered over 12K views, helping NYX Cosmetics build brand awareness and increase sales during the holiday season.

3. Adjust your SEO strategy for seasonal keywords.

SEO isn’t a stagnant marketing strategy. It needs to change and adapt constantly based on search trends and the time of year. During the holiday season, you can adjust your SEO strategy through the following tactics:

• Research seasonal keywords in your industry. Look for keywords like “Thanksgiving recipes” or, in the case of this blog post, “Thanksgiving marketing ideas.” Use these keywords to come up with ideas for things like blog posts, social media posts, email campaigns, and ads.
• Look up seasonal trends on Google Trends. With Google Trends, you can research when your audience is searching for certain keywords. That will help you plan when to post your seasonal marketing content.
• Use local keywords. If you already have a local SEO strategy, great! If not, it’s time to create one. For service-based companies, you should have location pages on your site that show where you provide service. If you already have these, Thanksgiving is a good time to link other content to those pages and give them some “SEO juice” (local PPC or Facebook ads, blogs targeting certain locations, social media posts, etc.).
• Improve the mobile experience. Your website needs to be responsive (which means it can easily adjust to any screen size) and user-friendly on mobile, especially if you have an ecommerce store on your site.

4. Send out a greeting card from your business.

November unofficially marks the beginning of the holiday season, and nothing captures the spirit quite like a seasonal greeting card. It’s the time of year when people seek connection — and your business is no different. A great way to create a personal connection with your customers is by sending them direct mail, and Thanksgiving is the perfect time to do it.

You might think that direct mail is dead, but I have some statistics you might find interesting. According to Lob, after receiving direct mail:

• 57% of people visited a brand’s website
• 53% searched for the brand online
• 46% searched for online reviews
• 38% visited a retail location
• 36% made a purchase
• 20% checked out that brand’s social media

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A greeting card from the owners of your company or the entire business will help your customers feel connected to your brand. You can even give them something to show your gratitude, like a discount or coupon code. Your greeting card could look something like the example below. While this company sent it via email, direct mail is also a good way to build customer relationships.

5. Host a Thanksgiving event.

If you’ve worked in marketing, you know an event is a great way to:

• Bring in new customers
• Build customer loyalty
• Improve customer relationships
• Promote community engagement

As a business owner, you might be focused on the cost of hosting an event. But did you know that businesses that hold holiday events often see a boost in sales? Offering unique experiences, like special deals or entertainment, encourages customer engagement and retention.

If you’re thinking, “Okay, but what kind of event could my company do?”— I’ve got some ideas. First, make sure your event makes sense for your company and aligns with your mission. For example, if you own a food business, you could host a festive “taste of the town” pop-up or a cooking class. If you run a boutique, you could organize a craft session to make holiday decor.

If you’re in a service-based business, like HVAC, you might feel like an event doesn’t make sense. But you can still create something that brings the community together and supports a good cause. For instance, you could host a charity drive, with the cost of attendance going to a local charity.

Regardless, your event can include games, a turkey mascot with photo opportunities, and decor to match the Thanksgiving theme. Events help you engage with current customers, attract new ones, and build relationships with the community. The more your community supports you, the more likely they’ll turn to you when they need your products or services.

Chalmers Austin is a great example. This year, the company organized a Thanksgiving Cook Off & Canned Food Drive. Participants can bring their best Thanksgiving dishes and canned food donations to support those in need.

6. Build out a loyalty and rewards program if you don’t already have one.

If your company doesn’t offer a loyalty or rewards program, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to start one. With a loyalty program, you can offer regular discounts to customers and keep them coming back whenever they need your product or service.

If you have a program like that, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to promote it. Reach out to your customers and let them know they qualify for exclusive rewards and discounts. It’s a nice incentive that keeps people happy and shopping at your business.

You can promote your rewards program by:

• Sending out an email
• Posting on social media
• Working with local micro-influencers (those in your local community who have a following, usually just a couple hundred or a few thousand)

For example, Macy’s started a micro-influencer campaign to promote its Style Crew ambassador program. These influencers posted images of their outfits, promoting the store while building brand loyalty and creating a unique online shopping experience.

7. Donate to those in need and encourage your customers to do the same.

While marketing aims to bring in more leads and help you build customer relationships, Thanksgiving is a good reminder that it’s just as important to be grateful for what you have. Even businesses need to show their gratitude, not just for their customers, but for the privilege of being in business and serving the community.

A great way to do that is to donate to those in need. Donating to local shelters or food banks communicates your gratitude to others. It can also help you promote the season of giving by encouraging your customers to do the same. To do this, you can host a Thanksgiving food drive. Thanksgiving is very centered around food, but not everyone is fortunate enough to afford a nice Thanksgiving meal.

One notable example is the Ford Motor Company. In 2023, it organized a virtual Thanksgiving food drive with Gleaners Community Food Bank. The initiative encouraged donations and provided meals for families in need during the holiday season.

8. Offer seasonal deals.

We’ve talked about loyalty programs and offering discounts to current customers, but these deals can also help you attract new customers. By offering seasonal deals, you’ll attract new customers who are willing to give your company a chance for an affordable price. People are looking for deals during the holidays, so keeping affordability in mind will help you convert potential customers into loyal brand enthusiasts.

These deals can be related to Black Friday or Cyber Monday during November. The retail example below shows how Kohl’s promoted its Black Friday deals — through a guide posted online and promoted via social media.

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If you’re looking for a service-based example, in 2023, Ingram’s Water and Air Equipment offered a Black Friday deal, offering 10% off all HVAC units. See its ad below.

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9. Promote any holiday products or services you offer.

If you’re like me, when fall rolls around and you head to Starbucks, you might grab a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Or, when it’s time to buy gifts, you pick out a holiday-themed trinket, like an ornament for a coworker.

You might wonder, “What does that have to do with this article?” Great question. In both cases, these companies are selling season-specific products. And if you can, it’s a great idea for your business to do the same.

If you have holiday products or services, now is the time to promote them. Choose your best marketing channel and most effective ads, then create content that lets customers know your holiday products are in stock and ready to purchase.

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For example, in 2023, Starbucks promoted its Pumpkin Spice Latte by acknowledging the 20th anniversary of the popular drink. The image above was circulated as part of the campaign, and the company also wrote about how that product came to life on its blog.

10. Send thank you letters to your customers in the mail.

Do you remember your parents always telling you to send handwritten thank-you notes? Thanksgiving is synonymous with gratitude, and there’s no better time than now to thank your customers.

A unique way to do that is to send handwritten thank-you notes and wish customers a happy holiday season. While a greeting card can be sent to your entire mailing list, a thank you note should be sent to your most loyal customers.

In the example below, Chewy, a brand known for adding a personal touch, sent a customer a handwritten thank-you note and hand-painted portrait of their pet. Adding a personal touch surprises and delights customers in the best way, just like Savannah Bee was below. She was so touched by the gesture that she posted about it on social media, and the message went viral.

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11. Create a holiday shopping guide.

Lastly, an excellent way to stand out and market your products is to put out a holiday shopping guide. It allows you to showcase your new products and your top sellers. With a gift guide, you can organize gifts by theme, categories like “for you and yours,” or age group. Additionally, holiday guides are a great way to offer bundled products for a discounted price.

For example, Soaps by a Chemist, a small, handcrafted soap company, published this holiday gift guide in 2023 that featured its products and those of other small businesses.

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Marketing Your Business During Thanksgiving

With the holiday season approaching, you can use these Thanksgiving marketing ideas to stand out from your competitors. Lean into the season of gratitude and adjust your marketing campaigns accordingly. With creative marketing material, a new SEO strategy, and some Thanksgiving cheer, you can bring in new customers and show your current ones how thankful you are for them.