How to market for the holidays
Steal the show (and sales) from competitors who rely on holiday cliches.
If you haven’t thought about holiday marketing, it’s time to start. In fact, some companies start planning in the summer or early fall! That way, they have months to plan, create, revise and prepare show-stopper ads that will blast through end-of-year projections.
But no worries if you’re a little behind schedule! All the holiday marketing tips below can be implemented pretty quickly - maybe even quicker if you get me to write your copy, but I digress.
Let’s talk about how to get those holiday campaigns up, running and selling.
Tips for great holiday marketing
“Start planning your campaigns early” was going to be my top recommendation, but we may be a little late in the game for that this year. Next year, start early!
1 - Drop the holiday cliches.
Think of all the TV ads, email promotions and direct mail campaigns that use these stuffy holiday cliches:
Fall into savings
Spooky deals
End-of-the-year closeout event
You, me and your customers are bombarded with #basic holiday-themed ads.
Now, that’s not to say you can’t use the holidays as a reason to sell. But, getting creative with your themes, messaging and pictures will help you stand out and get those conversions - giving your team something to celebrate.
2 - Focus on the customer.
Being customer-focused applies all year round, but creatives and business owners can get lost in the fun of holiday advertising.
When creating your own marketing materials, here are some questions to ask yourself:
What is something that would stop my customers in their tracks when seeing my ad?
Should I go with green and red for Christmas, or will something else pop out to my customers?
The holidays are a time of big spending, how does my product or service honor their needs, problems and budget?
What are my competitors doing? What do my customers see from them?
3 - Give reasons to buy now.
Big one! If you’re looking to close out this year with all-star sales, adding urgency to your marketing materials is the way to go.
People (and businesses) feel the pressure of November and December, so use that to your advantage. When communicating with customers, here are the questions your marketing should answer for them:
Existing customers: Why should they buy from you during the holiday season when they already bought earlier this year?
New customers: Why should someone, who has never bought from you before, buy now, rather than early next year?
Non-purchase customers: Why should they buy from you now, when you had all year to get a conversion but couldn’t close the deal?
4 - Lean into the desires of the holiday season.
‘Tis the season of giving, family, unity and peace - and perhaps, the instant gratification of shopping and “treating yourself.”
Whichever sentiment is happening in your customers, leaning into these desires, benefits and emotions can help compel more conversions.
Customer will feel like you resonate with them and that you know exactly what’s in their hearts and heads. A key factor to customer trust!
5 - Freebies work great.
For e-commerce businesses, it’s no surprise that free holiday gifts and discounts really speak to people. But what about if you’re a B2B or service-based business?
After all, does offering a discount make your services seem cheap? Sometimes it can, so freebies aren’t always the answer - but value is.
If free isn’t the answer, give something of value to your target audience. If you don’t have a freebie that works, give them something worth $10, $100, even $1000+ and ask for $0.
By giving away just the right kind of value, customers will see that what they received is just a “drop in the bucket” of what you can do for them.
Instead of looking cheap, giving away value makes you look trustworthy and generous. And the way you make your customers feel will endure long after the holiday season is over!
Something valuable can be be information, insight, useful tools… In fact, here is a list of 20 freebies you can use for digital marketing.
Hate to rush you, but the clock’s ticking!
There is so much potential in holiday marketing, but very few brands work outside of the traditional “holiday season box.”
If you dedicate enough time and energy to your end-of-year marketing, you may blow away holiday sales projections and set yourself up for a great new year.
When you can’t think of the exact right words to say (or creating your marketing materials takes forever), get on a call with me to see if I can help get your projects done quickly and effectively.
