Updated and reposted because who else is thinking about running a successful holiday launch!? Me too!

I’ve joined forces with one of my business besties Alexis Giostra today…and we’ve been talking lately about the year coming to a close.

We know that if you’re like us, you’re thinking about ending the year on a high note, saying thanks to your audience and supporters, and making some more revenue for your business.

Now, I know Alexis is the queen of executing ideas…the way she can turn those ideas around is insane! Truth is – I think the reason why it’s so easy for her are the secrets I’m going to share with you today.

We are constantly throwing ideas back and forth about sales, marketing, content creation…and it turns out we were both mulling over holiday promotion and launch ideas. So, today’s post is a bit of a crash course in some of the secrets of all those holiday promotions you see.

Plus – it answers a question I get all the time – is there ever a bad time to launch? Like the holidays?

[Tweet “Will people pay attention to my promotion during the holidays?”]

People like spending money during the holidays. Not just on gifts for their loved ones, but on themselves. Remember this as you’re putting together your promotion.

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No matter what you are selling or what audience you serve, I bet you can find a way to encourage, teach, supply, or give something to them of value to someone who needs  you right now.

If your business is fitness and health related, people are absolutely thinking about their weight, their diets, and even their overall mental well-being. It’s been something I’ve been talking about with my besties for the last month.

If you support people and their relationships, well, you’re in luck too. Who else doesn’t think about the people they are closest with and perhaps the people they don’t have in their lives…this is the time of year to improve your social life, figure out why your relationships aren’t working, deepen the ones you are in…

And, even if you support people in their business and money sector, you too should realize that there’s a certain hustle this time of year that comes out of many reasons…people want to end the year strong, make up for a bad revenue year, or maybe it’s their last ditch effort before they give it all up.

Point is…the end of the year is the time when everyone is thinking about everything in their lives.

So, when I get asked, are the holidays a good time to launch or promote something, I always say yes, as long as you offering something people actually do want and you do a good job showing them why they need it now.

If you want to launch or run any type of promotion during the holidays, you need to make sure that you tap into the natural forces at play.

So, let’s dive into 5 easy to ignore secrets to your successful holiday launch

#1 Call it a promotion. Promotions feel easier, shorter, and somehow less hard… Some might promotion should be easy FOR YOU – My favorite way to make an offer easy to create is pull content from an existing product, use an existing product, bundle products together. One of my favorite ways to create these fun holiday promos is offer an existing product with a simple upgrade.

I’ve even written about purposely adding recurring, easier promotions through your year here.

#2 Tell me why I should care. Make sure you identify the reason why someone needs/wants/must solve x right now. Write out the reasons.

Brainstorm a list of 20 reasons…even if some seem to duplicate, push yourself to get to those 4-5 reasons that really get to the core of why someone needs your thing now.

If you’ve been doing the work all year long getting to know your peeps, interacting on social media, answering comments, emails, then you should be able to brainstorm these without much outside help.

If not, take at least a week to deep dive into a few communities online and do this: http://www.annesamoilov.com/what-your-audience-wants/

#3 – What do they get and what makes this so special (now)? When I put my shop together, I was forced to write the shop listings in a way I’d never done before…no long form sales page, just a few quick paragraphs.

Do that for this promotion, so you can get really clear on your offer.

Pretend you’re writing a shop listing…it’ll force you to be brief.

Then, choose something “extra” or “special” to this promotion that’s not available with any other offer–time with you, another product, a bonus training, discount on their next purchase.

Finally, add a deadline or some sort of expiration date. People really need this to help them make a decision. Keep the timeline short too for you — you’ll thank me when you keep your special promotions 4-5 tops.

#4 Write out the entire promotion in steps for yourself.

What happens first – an email? a blog post? Facebook ads? Write out a list of all the things that happen live – what other people will see. Add dates to this list. Not only does this allow you to plan the promotion out, make sure you’ve included enough social media, communication, etc, but it’ll also give you a task list.

You’ll have the task list, the schedule, your communication plan, and it’ll be complete.

Writing out (heck, talking out) your launch creates a complete plan, so you won’t be guessing what to do after your price increases and you’ll know when to send that “we’re closing” email.

I write out all my promotions and my launches so I’m not stuck wondering what to do…in fact, it helps me stay on track & start leaking the promotion, when to send the right communication out, and how to close the doors.

#5 Use what you’ve got. Unless you start getting really good at planning your promotions in advance, you may start thinking about it a few weeks or even a week before it happens. Not ideal, but let’s get real. This happens. If that’s going to be your jam…the way you do things, you have to be happy with the tools that make sense for you. No sales page, but have an active Facebook group or page? That’s where you’re selling now. No merchant account? No stripe or gumroad account? Use your paypal and be done with it. Keep it simple and note the things you want to make better.

Here’s what you should do in between promotions if you like to do things last minute: http://www.annesamoilov.com/three-ways-make-last-minute-launches-possible-profitable/

No matter what you choose to share with your audience during the holidays (this season or any in the future), I hope that these strategies give you a starting point to having a more organized and successful promotion.

Make sure to head over to Alexis at Strange & Charmed site to learn more strategies to bring holiday cheer to your business!

And also – want to join a free group where all we talk about is launching? Head over to the Fearless Launching Lounge where you can get ideas for your next promotion, support when you need it, and connect a group of likeminded entrepreneurs…and it’ll be a place you can share your holiday promotions with us!