Off-the-Wall New Year's Holiday Marketing Tips

New Year's marketing doesn't have to be limited to postcards, posters, catalogs and brochures. Though these are all excellent direct- marketing techniques for boosting sales, they can be complemented by publicity-generating strategies that make it more likely customers will respond to your printed promotions. In this process, a potential customer might read about you in the newspaper or attend an event, see your poster on the way home from work, and then respond to an offer once you send them a direct-mail postcard. The following are some off-the-wall New Year's marketing strategies you might want to try to get attention, earn credibility, enhance brand recognition through repetition, and ultimately increase profit.

Meet me at midnight cards

If you can set up shop at a New Year's event, pass out "meet me at midnight" cards to revelers and entice them to visit your stand for a great gift, challenge, surprise or other notable reason. If your crowd is big enough, you could try to set a world record for the number of people kissing in one place at midnight ]]>Guinness Book of World Records]]> puts that figure at 39,897.

Giant banner marketing

This is another great strategy for marketing to a very large audience. Print an enormous large-format banner and put it on the side of a building, over a stage, between poles, or any other prominent position where it's sure to be noticed. Think of the huge television screen in Times Square on New Year's Eve... You can be just as big and bold with a vinyl banner. Don't forget to get some spotlights to train on your vinyl banner after dark!

Hold a contest

Any kind of contest will do, but it will be even better if you can draw on traditional New Year's themes. Before New Year's Eve, promise a case of champagne to party-goers who can win your challenge. You could also offer a great "prize" to the parents of the first baby born in your locale in the New Year; or have an incentive to anyone who meets their New Year resolution goals. If someone resolves to lose 20 pounds, offer a dollar a pound discount.

Make your own 'ball'

Make your own iconic item to drop from the sky as the bells ring in the New Year. The great ball in New York is nationally known, but citrus-producing states drop oranges. If you have the resources to put your own icon high in the sky, you can host a grand party and pass out promotional stickers, brochures, posters, catalogs and other items - not to mention receive some incredible press coverage and brand recognition. Many communities do not have a ball-dropping event, and so you could potentially bring out thousands of people even in rural areas. Make it a killer New Year's bash by hosting a concert, booth sales, food, and other attractions. If you don't have the budget to pull it off by yourself, see if some non-competing businesses would like to pitch in exchange for ample marketing opportunities. You can even sell booth space, raffle tickets and other merchandise to offset the costs of your festival. Get the local media and Chamber of Commerce involved early so you can garner as much free press as possible.