Calm Your Holiday Anxiety and Save Time with AI

For entrepreneurs and small business owners, all is not always calm and bright during the holiday season. We know this time of year can be intense as you run your business, make time for family, shop for gifts, and try to remember to take care of yourself.

Intensity is not necessarily a bad thing – for some of you, the festive period is when you sell the most products or host exciting events that grow your network. For others, your business might not be at its peak during November and December, and you are busy preparing plans and goals for the new year. Either way, being a small business owner means these months are often filled with equal parts anxiety and joy.

No matter what this season brings, digital marketing tools can help your days be a little more calm and bright. AI is the marketing elf we all wish for – lightening your workload by creating content for emails and social posts, checking manual tasks off your to-do list, and magically building entire marketing campaigns. Yes, holiday AI can do all of that for you. *happy dance*

Are you imagining yourself sitting fireside with a hot drink yet? We hope so because once you learn how to use AI to generate content for the holidays, you’ll have time to put up your feet, take a deep breath, and eat some of Santa’s cookies (don’t worry, we won’t tell ?).

Craft Content in Seconds

Holiday magic isn’t a myth – what you’re imagining really can come to life in a blink when you prompt AI effectively. Remember that communication is key in any relationship, even the one with a content generator, so being clear and specific is crucial to getting the results you want. Use these tips to help you get the content you need for emails, social media posts, and more:

? Keep your goal in mind.
? Be clear and specific.
? Provide context.
? Use complete sentences.
? Experiment with different phrasings.

In Constant Contact, click Tools and then Content Generator. First, describe what you want to say in your message. Next, select the content type, goal, and tone, and then click Create.

Once your content is generated, you can open it in the editor and add the final touches, with most of the work already done for you. Remember to double check the information for accuracy, proofread, and add any extra spice that brings your brand voice to life. Even marketing elves aren’t perfect, so it is important to always review their work.

Send Festive Greetings Automatically

Building relationships with your subscribers is the heart of your business no matter the season, and one way to do this is by automating your emails. Set up paths so you don’t need to worry about sending timely communications like:

? Welcome messages
? Thank you notes
? Holiday greetings
? Abandoned cart reminders
? Donation requests

When you are creating automations, keep in mind that you are connecting with your email subscribers in a personal, meaningful way. It is important to think about triggers, timing, and how you want people to feel as they experience your brand. For example, your welcome series should trigger when a subscriber signs up for your list. Consider giving them something special as a thank you for sharing their contact information, like a discount or free gift. They have taken this step to get to know your brand, so make sure they know you appreciate their loyalty.

To set up automations in Constant Contact, click Marketing and then Automations. You can choose a recommended path, use a template, or customize a path. Once you have everything set up, you can go about your day knowing that your customers are feeling the love – even when you are busy with the many other tasks that keep your business going.

Need some extra help? ? Download this worksheet to create your first automations.

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is…

Take inspiration from Buddy the Elf and spread good cheer everywhere you go – and by everywhere, we mean social media, email, SMS text messaging, and virtual or in-person events. Your audience consumes content on multiple channels, so it is important to share strategic and cohesive messaging in many places.

That sounds like a big, overwhelming job, which is why we are going to call on – you guessed it – our holiday AI marketing elf once again. All you need to do is enter this information in Constant Contact’s Campaign Builder:

? What’s the goal of your campaign?
? Describe your business
? Describe your target audience
? How long should your campaign be?
? What should your campaign include?
? Choose a tone for your campaign
? What’s your industry?

Once your multi-channel marketing campaign is ready, you can make any changes you want to the recommended content, and then you’re good to go. Really. Don’t just take our word for it – hear from Constant Contact customer Cindy Clearwater of Cindy Leigh Media and My St. Croix:

“It’s like angels sing when you launch Campaign Builder. In the 15 years or more that I’ve been with Constant Contact, multi-channel marketing has been the thing I am most excited about. This is the best thing that’s ever happened.”

Angels singing sounds like exactly what everyone needs during the holiday season, right?

Unwrap More Tips and Tricks

We hope you feel a little more grounded and prepared for this time of year now that you know how to use automations and AI. If you want to chat with other like-minded entrepreneurs about how they tackle the holiday season, join our Community for inspiration.

Plus, we got you a gift! ? Learn myths vs. facts, best practices, and more about the different types of AI for marketing in this free ebook.

Now, go forth and enjoy the season with the knowledge that your marketing is under control, and you deserve to sit down and relax by the fire while your elf works in the background.