After the Holidays: How to Keep Your Town Busy in January

Holiday lights come down, kids go back to school, and suddenly… January hits like a ghost town.

But it doesn’t have to. With a simple post-holiday marketing plan, your chamber of commerce, local leaders, and small business owners can turn December’s holiday buzz into steady winter traffic.

Use this as a plug-and-play plan for [Your Town] and boost your local SEO, too.

1. Capture the Crowd Before the Season Ends

While shoppers are still out in December, focus on one main goal: grow your local email list. That list becomes your engine for January and beyond.

Use simple, low-tech tools:

• Receipt drawingsAsk shoppers to write their name and email on the back of their receipt to enter a holiday prize drawing. Make it clear they’re also joining your “Shop Local in [Your Town]” email list.

• Wi-Fi sign-inIf a business or the downtown district offers guest Wi-Fi, add a simple email opt-in on the sign-in page with a line like:“Get updates on events and deals in [Your Town].”

• Holiday passport programIf you ran a holiday shopping passport, add an optional email field so participants can get winner announcements and future event info.

These email addresses are pure gold for local business marketing once January hits.

2. Send a “Thank You, [Your Town]” Wrap-Up Email

Right after the holidays (late December or first week of January), send a town-wide recap email from the chamber or business alliance.

Include:

• Impact stats

  • Number of participating businesses

  • Number of events hosted

  • Any fun numbers (passport entries, receipts submitted, etc.)

• Photos from eventsShow your lit-up streets, parades, and busy shops. Use file names and alt text like “holiday events in [Your Town]” for SEO.

• Stories from owners and customersShort quotes work great:

  • A business owner sharing what local support meant this year

  • A family talking about their favorite holiday memory downtown

This reinforces the value of shopping local and makes people feel proud they were part of it.

3. Invite Them Back in January

Don’t end the email with “Happy New Year!” and disappear. Give people a reason to come back downtown:

Tease what’s next in [Your Town]:

• Winter or Valentine’s eventsDate night packages, galentine’s events, winter markets, “Love Local in [Your Town]” campaigns.

• New year classes or workshopsFitness challenges, business classes, art workshops, cooking classes hosted by local businesses.

• “Shop Local” loyalty programSimple punch cards, points programs, or “spend X in [Your Town], get Y back” promos.

Make the next step obvious:

• “Click here to see January events in [Your Town].”

• “Reply YES to get our Shop Local VIP deals.”

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You’re not just doing holiday marketing.You’re training your community to choose local all year long—and January is the perfect time to prove that your town doesn’t hibernate after the holidays.