Unwrap the Magic: Using Nostalgia to Boost Holiday Sales This Small Business Season

November 13, 2024

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Cozy lights, warm smells, family nearby, and cheap gifts from big box stores, right?

Not so fast! While the convenience of online giants can't be denied, small businesses have a secret weapon: the power of nostalgia, tradition, and beloved memories.



This holiday season, you can tap into those warm, fuzzy feelings to create a marketing campaign that truly resonates with your customers and beats big every time. Here’s how:


Evoke the Spirit of Holidays Past

Remember the excitement of visiting a local toy store as a kid? Or the aroma of freshly baked goods wafting from the bakery down the street? There are certain sensory memories that are hard to forget, and they lead to purchases. (I’m a sucker for apple cider donuts—and see them as an undeniable sign that fall is here—because they were special treats when we were kids. You can play on these same types of memories.)

Here’s how to capitalize on sensory experiences and powerful memory triggers:

  • Decorate with a nostalgic touch: Think vintage ornaments, classic holiday colors, and cozy displays that evoke a sense of yesteryear. Yeah, that tinsel may not fit in with today’s more neutral palate, but Gen Xers (especially) love nostalgic nods to their youth, no matter how gaudy.
  • Share heartwarming stories: Use your marketing channels to share stories about your business's history, family traditions, or how your products played a role in holiday celebrations. You can also share your own holiday memories of “businesses gone by.” Reminding people of all the wonderful businesses that are no longer around can illustrate the importance of their support in much the same way the Ghost of Christmas past showed old Ebeneezer Scrooge what he no longer had in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
  • Create a sensory experience: Engage all five senses. Play classic holiday music, offer festive treats, and use scents like cinnamon or pine to transport customers to a magical holiday wonderland.


A quick word about the science of scent: Scent is extremely powerful in evoking memory and if it works for your business, you should use it. The olfactory system, which processes smells, has a direct connection to the parts of the brain involved in memory and emotion. Smells bypass the cognitive processing that other senses undergo, making the connection between smell and memory more immediate. Additionally, smells are often linked to emotional experiences. For example, the smell of freshly baked sugar cookies might evoke memories of waiting for Santa.


Become Part of New Traditions

Even if you’re new to the area and are thinking, “My place isn’t associated with memories or holiday traditions,” today is a great day to start. You can become part of your customers' evolving holiday traditions by:

  • Hosting unique events. Parents with littles, people with out-of-town guests, and a host of others are looking for activities to keep their friends and family busy and get them in the “holiday spirit.” Think cookie decorating classes, holiday-themed workshops, or special shopping nights with exclusive discounts.
  • Offering personalized gifts: Provide gift-wrapping services, personalized ornaments, or custom gift baskets to make holiday shopping more meaningful.
  • Supporting local causes: Partner with a local charity or community group to give back during the holidays and show your commitment to your community. Some businesses have Angel Trees or collect toys for a nonprofit.


Realize Community is Key

Your business can thrive by building community connections.

  • Run contests encouraging customers to share their favorite holiday memories or traditions associated with your business.
  • If you sell handcrafted goods, showcase the stories of the makers behind them.
  • Participate in Small Business Season and celebrate shopping local. Team up with the chamber and other small businesses in your area to promote the benefits of shopping small.


Embrace the Digital World

Nostalgia isn't just for your brick-and-mortar store. Use your online presence to evoke those same warm feelings. Post old photos of your business or town during the holidays on social media. Incorporate vintage-inspired graphics and fonts in your email marketing and social media posts. Create a "holiday memories" board on Pinterest. Curate images that evoke a sense of nostalgia and link them back to your products or services.

Additionally, if you offer an online store, make sure people know about it. Often they buy online from box stores because they don’t think about their local store selling on the internet. Market your online offers as well.


The convenience of online shopping is undeniable, but convenience is not as memorable as an experience. Small businesses offer something money can't buy: a genuine connection to the community and the magic of the season. By tapping into the power of nostalgia and tradition, you can create a holiday marketing campaign that not only drives sales but also builds lasting relationships with your customers.

June 9, 2025
The year's midpoint is your wake-up call—refocus now to finish strong. Scrutinize your numbers to find what’s working (and what’s not). Reboot your marketing before seasonal shifts hit. Remove workflow roadblocks to boost team output. Reconnect with your business’s core purpose. 597 Words ~ 3 minute read The midpoint of the year often hits like a reality check: goals half-met, momentum lagging, and a to-do list that keeps growing. But this moment is also a strategic gift: a reset button that can set you up for a stronger, smarter second half. Here are five high-impact moves to help you reset with intention and finish the year with confidence: 1. Run the Numbers, Then Rewrite the Playbook Take a hard look at your financials. Are you ahead, behind, or coasting? Scrutinize revenue trends, margins, and expenses. Identify what’s draining resources and double down on what’s driving growth. Use the insights to reshape your financial strategy for the next six months, because winging it isn’t a plan. 2. Reboot Your Marketing Before the Fall Rush If your marketing has lost steam, this is your window to revive it. Launch a seasonal promotion, refine your messaging, or test new channels to re-engage your audience. And don’t wait to prep for fall. Holiday planning starts now. Review your content calendar, track past performance, and align campaigns with your business goals. 3. Clear the Roadblocks Slowing Your Team Small inefficiencies become big headaches by year’s end. What processes are wasting time? Where’s the communication breaking down? Invite your team to flag friction points and co-create solutions. Even modest upgrades, such as automating reports, streamlining meetings and clarifying roles, can drive major gains. Harvard Business Review explores how better collaboration fuels better outcomes. 4. Recalibrate Your Goals and Reset Priorities It’s okay if the goals you set in January don’t fit anymore. Priorities evolve. What matters is focus. Reassess your KPIs and trim anything that’s distracting from your top objectives. Reset your team’s focus around fewer, clearer targets so execution becomes simpler and more powerful. 5. Reconnect with Your Why Amid the grind, your original mission can get blurry. Take a step back to reflect: Why did you start this business? Who do you serve, and how do you want to show up for them? Realigning with your purpose energizes your leadership and clarifies your brand. Fast Company outlines how reconnecting to your “why” boosts both engagement and performance. Bottom Line: A mid-year reset isn’t just a productivity hack, it’s a strategic imperative. It gives you space to pause, zoom out, and ask the critical questions that get lost in day-to-day urgency. By evaluating your numbers, refreshing your marketing, streamlining operations, focusing your goals, and reigniting your purpose, you give your business the fuel it needs to finish the year not just intact, but thriving. This isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what matters most with greater clarity, consistency, and conviction. --- The Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. The Chamber has been granted license to publish this content provided by Chamber Today, a service of ChamberThink Strategies LLC.
June 9, 2025
Who isn’t feeling the pain of being stretched too thin these days? If you’ve dabbled with AI, you may have cut the time it takes you to do administrative tasks by as much as 26 minutes a day (at least according to a recent survey in the UK). However, it’s possible to do a lot more than that when you move past administrative tasks and see where else you can do more with less. One of these areas is content. Most businesses are sitting on goldmines of content and don’t even know it. This article will show you five genius ways to get more out of what you already have by repurposing and restructuring the media. 1. Turn Longform Content into Shortform Gold Feed your existing blog posts, eBooks, or newsletters into an AI tool to extract highlights, tips, or quotes for social media posts. Creative twist: Use AI to rewrite the same message in multiple tones—professional, humorous, casual—or tailor it for different platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook. 2. Transform Video or Podcast Transcripts into Written Content AI transcription tools can convert spoken content into text. Use a language model to turn that transcript into blog posts, newsletters, or Q&A articles. Creative twist: Convert a video transcript into a “Top 5 Takeaways” post, a tutorial, or a visually rich infographic with AI-generated headlines. 3. Create Content for Different Audiences from One Source Take a general piece of content (like a blog post) and ask AI to adapt it for different member personas such as new members, loyal/engaged members, or industry partners. Creative twist: Turn one blog post into: · A beginner’s guide on the topic · A technical breakdown · A “pitch” version for partners or press releases 4. Build an Email Series from a Single Piece Take a detailed guide or blog post and ask AI to break it into a 3–5-part email series, complete with subject lines, CTAs, and value-focused messaging. Email series can be very effective in helping your content get noticed. People may not take the time to read a 700-word blog post, but if you email the summary points across several days, they’ll get the gist of the message and will most likely remember it better than reading it all at once. Creative twist: Include AI-generated teaser lines or questions at the end of each email to boost open and click rates. 5. Reimagine Content as Interactive Tools or Experiences Use AI to turn tips, FAQs, or how-to guides into interactive quizzes, calculators, or chatbot scripts that educate and engage users. Example: Turn a skincare routine blog into a “What’s Your Skin Type?” quiz, or a business checklist into a “Startup Readiness Scorecard.” The titles you choose for the materials can make the content a lot more appealing. You can even use reimagined, designed pieces as lead magnets. People often won’t recognize it in another format. Speaking of, upload any written content onto NotebookLM and create a podcast on the topic. You can even tell it which parts of the text you want it to pay attention to or avoid. There are so many things you can do with existing content and marketing collateral you already have. If you can’t think of any creative ideas on how to repurpose those critical pieces, ask AI. Tell it your audience and your goal behind repurposing the content. Then ask it to suggest some ideas to you. You’ll be surprised what it comes up with. ------------- Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle , rediscovering the magic within. _______________________________________ Facebook: @tellyourstorygetemtalking Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor LinkedIn: @christinagsmith
June 2, 2025
Pause to Stabilize: Cut costs and renegotiate to create breathing room. Pivot, Don’t Panic: Explore new markets or customer segments while staying agile. Learn Fast or Fall Behind: Turn setbacks into insights through rapid experimentation. Guard the Downside: Hedge risks and protect what matters most. 600 words ~ 3 min. read Even seasoned leaders know the sting of a strategy that’s no longer working. But the real measure of leadership isn’t avoiding failure—it’s how decisively and creatively you pivot when the path ahead shifts. When strategic plans falter—whether due to market turbulence, internal missteps, or external shocks—leaders must act not with panic, but with precision. Drawing from Harvard Business Review’s “How to Rescue a Failing Strategy,” here are four pivotal moves to help regain strategic traction. 1. Pause to Stabilize If your strategy is wobbling, the first priority is to buy time without triggering chaos. Consider: Reducing burn rate by cutting non-essential expenses Freezing expansion plans that strain resources Renegotiating contracts or vendor terms to ease cash flow Retailers, for instance, might pause new store openings to refocus on e-commerce logistics. Nonprofits may temporarily halt new program rollouts to concentrate on core impact areas. This strategic pause buys clarity—and the space to think critically. 2. Pivot, Don’t Panic Locking into one approach can be dangerous when conditions change. Instead, design options: Enter adjacent customer segments Test low-risk partnerships or distribution channels Pilot tweaks to product offerings or delivery models For manufacturers, this might mean adapting existing equipment to serve a neighboring industry. Professional services firms could pivot to virtual delivery or a subscription-based model. Related reading: McKinsey on adaptive strategies 3. Learn Fast or Fall Behind Use turbulence as a catalyst to turn your organization into a fast learner. That means: Running controlled experiments on pricing, offers, or ops Creating real-time feedback loops from customers and staff Making strategic reviews more iterative, less static Construction firms might beta-test prefab components for speed and cost. Tech startups could A/B test UX changes weekly. Also worth reading: Bain on learning organizations 4. Guard the Downside Pivots come with risk. Your job? Minimize exposure while staying bold. Cap investments in unproven ideas Increase controls around key financial or operational processes Develop contingency plans for likely risk scenarios Think of this as smart aggression—pushing forward without leaving your core vulnerable. Bottom Line Every organization will face moments when strategy falters. The difference lies in the response. Leaders who act with focus—stabilizing, experimenting, and protecting—don’t just recover; they reposition for smarter, stronger growth. --- The Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce is a private non-profit organization that aims to support the growth and development of local businesses and our regional economy. We strive to create content that not only educates but also fosters a sense of connection and collaboration among our readers. Join us as we explore topics such as economic development, networking opportunities, upcoming events, and success stories from our vibrant community. Our resources provide insights, advice, and news that are relevant to business owners, entrepreneurs, and community members alike. The Chamber has been granted license to publish this content provided by Chamber Today, a service of ChamberThink Strategies LLC.