Promoting Holiday Music

The sound of lyrics such as "Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?" wafting through the air is enough to transport most consumers into a shopping frame of mind, which is why the Christmas season is ideal for promoting music sales. Customers are far more likely to buy music they're familiar with than tunes they don't know, and the melodies of most holiday music have become part of our cultural psyche, even if individual artists' interpretations tend to vary from the standard version.

Practically every store plays carol music at Christmas, if only to establish ambience. Then again, why settle for ambience when you can also generate sales? In other words, play what you sell. Remind your customers what they're listening to by setting up a prominent "Now Playing … " sign with the CD name slotted in. If you don't have one already, consider installing one of the listening stations offered by music vendors. Customers will then have the option of sampling a variety of titles.

You can also cross-merchandise your music selections by adding them to tabletop displays that promote holiday entertaining. Or include them in "Christmas morning" vignettes by hanging Christmas stockings stuffed with CDs and other merchandise. Seek out CDs that come as part of a package or that you can "package" with other merchandise for add-on sales. You'll find that there are soundtracks to accompany almost everything, from cooking to meditation. Nothing says "giftable" like variations on a single theme.

Another way to move merchandise is to cater to niche music tastes. There's a holiday CD for everyone, from Gregorian chants to the blues — and everything between. Keep your selection fresh with new releases to offer customers who already have the basics.

Finally, remember that your employees will be listening to the music you play for hours on end. Given enough time, even "Sleigh bells ring …" will grate on the most sympathetic ears. To keep holiday spirits up, offer a wide variety of Christmas music, and let your staffers pick their favorites from your approved playlist. They'll be more enthusiastic advocates of music they've selected themselves.