Once October begins, many small businesses are gearing up for the downhill slide…holidays, vacations, and festive cheer all over the place! It can be a very busy time for marketing and advertising.

Some will sink a good amount of money into fall marketing but others have figured out a more rapid and affordable way to advertise. It should come as no surprise that social media is involved and still not surprise that Facebook is at the center of it all.

Nearly every business is using Facebook to get the word about sales, promotions and special deals. This is because the message is guaranteed to get in front of people. Posting to Facebook is just about as direct of a marketing approach as you can get.

So what can you do to make sure you’re marketing on Facebook properly in preparation for the fall season? Try a few of these suggestions:

• Study your Facebook feed to see what your most successful post days and times are. Schedule any announcements to coincide with these times.
• If you’re going to be posting about Christmas promotions, start subtly mentioning it as early as late September (yes, you should be planning this far ahead). Ramp it up in late October and go full-on blitz after Thanksgiving.
• Offer exclusive holiday discounts for your followers.
• Get your followers in on the action by asking them questions about their holiday rituals. This is a great way to engage your followers and become more relatable.
• Stay festive. Post pictures of your office decorated for the holidays. Something as simple as pictures from your daily commute with fall colors everywhere can be effective. Again, this is a nice way for your audience to relate to you.

How about you? What are some ways you have been able to successfully market your business in the last part of the year?