The holiday season is almost upon us! Aside from spreading the yuletide cheer, your customers have only one thing on their minds: shopping.

This time of year marks a lucrative opportunity for small businesses: it’s forecasted that consumers will spend over $616.9 billion this season (that’s a 4.1 percent increase over holiday 2013 sales).

Since we believe it’s better to give than to receive, we’re gifting you this handy list (don’t worry – we’ve checked it more than twice!) to help you engage your audience and optimize your holiday marketing efforts:

What are you doing to give thanks to your customers? Share your seasonal marketing tips with us in the comments.