Holiday marketing for small businesses: a six-week plan

Holiday marketing rewards the businesses that plan in October and punishes the ones that start on Black Friday. You don’t need a big budget. You need one clear offer, six weeks and a few basics done before the rush.

The short version

Pick one or two offers you can afford, give them end dates, and start telling people before Black Friday instead of on it. Put your holiday hours and gift cards on Google, use dated promotion assets in Google Ads, email your existing customers first and ask for reviews while there is still time. In January, bring holiday customers back with gift card reminders and rebooking offers.

What’s different this year

Canadian shoppers are being careful. PwC’s holiday outlook found Canadians plan to spend about $1,487 on gifts, travel and entertainment, roughly 11% less than last year, and 54% would choose a more expensive Canadian-made product over a similar import.¹ A Stifel survey found only 42% expect to raise their holiday budget, down nine points from a year earlier.² Retail Insider reported that retailers entered the season with spending momentum but with shoppers focused on value.³

That shapes the plan. People will still buy, but they will compare more and reward businesses that feel local, useful and fair. A small business has an edge here if it says so out loud.

The six-week holiday marketing plan

If you are reading this late, don’t try to do everything. Do the basics in week 2 and the peak-week work in week 6. Those two blocks carry most of the result.

Holiday marketing ideas that fit your business

The best holiday offer is one your customers already want and you can deliver without losing money. Gift cards are the safest bet for almost any local business: in TSG and Bank of America’s research, 89% of consumers bought a gift card for the holidays in 2025 and 73% of holiday gift buyers preferred gift cards over merchandise.⁴

The channels, one at a time

Google Business Profile

Set your holiday hours early, add a post for your offer with a clear end date, and make sure your gift card link works on a phone. Many holiday searches are “open now” and “near me”. Wrong hours lose that customer for good.

Google Ads

Use promotion assets for the offer. Google lets you pick an occasion such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Christmas, and the asset only shows inside that occasion’s date range.⁶ That is safer than leaving it to Google: since October 12, Google can also pull offers from your website on its own, so read our guide to Google Ads automated promotions before your holiday pages go live. If you run Local Services Ads, check your hours and service area there too.

Email and SMS

Your existing customers are your cheapest holiday sales. Send the offer to them first, a week before anyone else. In Canada, CASL applies: you need consent, clear identification and a working unsubscribe in every message. A purchase in the last two years usually gives you implied consent to email that customer.⁷ Keep it to three or four sends over the season, not one a day.

Social media

Show the offer in use: the gift card at the counter, the finished nails, the warm living room, the team packing orders. Short video beats a designed graphic. Post the end date every time.

Reviews

Ask November customers for reviews now. December shoppers check them, and a fresh review from last week does more than a five-star rating from 2023. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews covers the ask and the rules.

Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday falls on November 28 this year, the day after Black Friday. In Canada, CFIB runs it to encourage shopping at independent businesses and notes that for every dollar spent at a small or locally owned business, 66 cents is recirculated back into the economy.⁵ Use it: a short “shop small” post, a window sign, and a reason to visit that day, such as a gift with purchase rather than a deeper discount.

Don’t fall into the discount trap

A big holiday discount brings in people who only buy on discount and teaches your regulars to wait for the next sale. If your margins are thin, add value instead: a bundle, a gift with purchase, free delivery, or a bonus on gift cards (“buy $100, get a $20 January card”). We explain the trade-off in the Black Friday discount trap.

January: the part most businesses skip

Holiday customers are easy to lose in January. Email gift card holders a friendly reminder in the first two weeks of the new year, offer a rebooking perk to anyone who came in for the holidays, and ask them for a review. TSG and Bank of America found 87% of people who received holiday gift cards in 2025 had used at least half of them by February,⁴ so the redemption window is short. That first January visit is when a gift card buyer’s friend becomes your customer.

How to tell if it worked

Write down four numbers before you start and check them in January: sales or bookings from Nov 15 to Dec 31, gift card sales, new customers, and cost per sale for any paid ads. Compare with last year, not with last month. If you want the budget side worked out first, our ad budget calculator runs the numbers.

Sources

1. Retail Insider: Canadians plan to spend less this holiday season but favour domestic products (PwC Canadian Holiday Outlook)
2. Retail Insider: Canadian shoppers grow more selective as holiday spending intentions weaken (Stifel survey)
3. Retail Insider: Canadian retailers enter holiday 2026 with spending momentum and price-sensitive shoppers
4. TSG and Bank of America: Gift cards are a planned, preferred holiday purchase (2026 gift card guide)
5. CFIB: Small Business Saturday, 'tis the season to shop small
6. Google Ads Help: About promotion assets
7. CRTC: Frequently asked questions about Canada's anti-spam legislation

Survey figures come from the publishers above and use different samples, so they don’t line up exactly. The TSG and Bank of America data covers US consumers.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should a small business start holiday marketing?

About six weeks before Black Friday. That gives you time to pick the offer, fix your Google Business Profile hours and gift cards, set up ads and email, and warm up existing customers before the busiest week. In 2026 that means starting in mid to late October.

What are good holiday marketing ideas for a small business?

Gift cards and bundles work for almost any local business. Salons can sell packages and January rebooking perks, home service companies can push furnace tune-ups, restaurants can sell catering and gift cards, and realtors can run client appreciation events. Keep offers simple and give them clear end dates.

Should small businesses offer Black Friday discounts?

Only if your margins can take it. Deep discounts attract bargain hunters and train regular customers to wait for sales. Many small businesses do better adding value instead, such as a bundle, a gift with purchase or a gift card bonus.

When is Small Business Saturday in 2026?

Small Business Saturday falls on Saturday, November 28, 2026, the day after Black Friday. In Canada, CFIB promotes it to encourage people to shop at independent and locally owned businesses.

How should I use Google Ads for holiday promotions?

Add promotion assets with an occasion such as Black Friday or Christmas, so the offer only shows during that date range. Check whether Google's automated promotions are on in your account, because Google can now pull offers from your website into ads by default.

Can I email customers about my holiday sale in Canada?

Yes, if you have consent under Canada's anti-spam law, CASL. A purchase in the last two years usually gives implied consent. Every email needs your business identification and a working unsubscribe link.

Are gift cards worth promoting for a small business?

Yes. In TSG and Bank of America's research, 89% of consumers bought a gift card for the holidays in 2025 and 73% of holiday gift buyers preferred them over merchandise. Gift cards also bring new customers in during January when they are redeemed.

How do I keep holiday customers coming back in January?

Send gift card holders a reminder in early January, offer a rebooking perk to holiday customers, and ask for a review. Most holiday gift cards are used within a couple of months, so the January follow-up matters.