Holiday marketing for a Markham small business is mostly housekeeping done early: correct holiday hours on Google Business Profile, one clear offer, a review request to recent customers, a short email to people who opted in, and the same message on WeChat or Xiaohongshu. Set it up in November and December mostly takes care of itself.

You do not need a campaign budget to win December. You need customers to find you open when you are open, and to see a reason to book now rather than in January.

Start with Google Business Profile holiday hours

This is the highest-return task on the list. People search "open now" and "near me" more around the holidays, and a profile showing the wrong hours costs you the visit and earns you a bad review.

  • Add special hours for each date you close early, open late or close completely.
  • Google's guidance: special hours fit closures of up to six consecutive days. If you will be closed seven days or more, mark the business temporarily closed instead, then reopen it.
  • Do it now for every date through New Year's. Do not wait until the week before.

The 2026 dates to cover: Christmas Day (Friday, December 25), Boxing Day (Saturday, December 26), and New Year's Day (Friday, January 1, 2027). Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are not public holidays, but many businesses close early; add those too.

If you have staff, remember Ontario's rule: when a public holiday falls on a day that is not normally a working day (Boxing Day on a Saturday, for many offices), eligible employees get a substitute day off with holiday pay. Decide that before you set the January schedule.

Our Google Business Profile checklist covers the rest of the profile.

Pick one holiday offer that fits your business

One clear offer beats five vague ones. Some that work for local businesses:

  • Retail and food: a gift card or a gift bundle, sold until a stated date.
  • Services: year-end booking ("book before December 18 and we finish before the holidays").
  • Professional firms: a January slot reserved now for tax-season clients.
  • Trades: a pre-winter inspection or a January install date.

Put it in three places: the Google profile (as an offer post), your website's homepage, and your social posts. Same wording, same end date.

Ask for reviews while customers are happy

December customers are often your most grateful ones. Send a short review request with your direct Google review link within a day or two of each job or purchase. Do not offer discounts for reviews; Google's policies prohibit incentivized reviews. Our review guide has wording that works.

Send one short email (to people who agreed to get it)

A single email with your holiday hours, your one offer, and a thank-you is enough. Keep it short and send it in the last week of November or the first week of December.

Before you send, check you have consent under Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation for everyone on the list, and that the message includes your business name, a mailing address and a working unsubscribe. We are publishing a full CASL explainer on November 18; read it before any bigger campaign.

Post in Chinese where your customers are

A lot of Markham's customer base checks WeChat and Xiaohongshu before Google Maps. Post your holiday hours and offer there too, in Chinese, with a photo of your actual storefront or team. Then plan ahead: Lunar New Year 2027 falls on February 6, only five weeks after New Year's Day. If that is a big season for you, draft the January post now. This guide to local discovery on WeChat and Xiaohongshu explains what to post.

Holiday marketing checklist for Markham businesses

  1. Google Business Profile: special hours for every December and January date.
  2. Website: holiday hours banner and the same offer.
  3. One offer with a clear end date.
  4. Review requests going out after every job or purchase.
  5. One email to opted-in customers only.
  6. WeChat and Xiaohongshu posts in Chinese.
  7. A note in January's calendar to remove holiday hours and offers.

When to get help

If your Google profile is not verified, has the wrong category, or you have not posted in months, December is a good time to fix it before your competitors' January push. Our Local Starter plan is $299/month, month-to-month, and includes Google Business Profile management. Instagram setup is $99 if you have never set one up. If the website itself needs a holiday banner and you cannot edit it, a website care plan is $49/month.

See what is included on our marketing page, or call (905) 305-7800. We are at 1005-3601 Highway 7 E., Markham.