As we take down our Christmas decorations and consider our – muted – New Year’s celebrations and resolutions we hope to keep in 2021; let’s explore the conversations that surround holiday periods and how your digital marketing strategy can help you join that conversation.
From seasonal campaigns to holiday discounts, there is a wide range of business practices that consumers have come to enjoy during festive seasons and public holidays. A summer sale or pre-Christmas rush are yearly pilgrimages to find the perfect gift or that item you have been eyeing at 50 percent off.
Holidays are an important and beneficial opportunity for brands to development themselves and to inject excitement into their sales strategy. Before we get to the 10 tips, let’s clarify what is meant by “holiday” marketing.
What do we mean by ‘holiday’ marketing?
Holiday marketing is when a company or organisation undertakes the process of intensifying or purpose-building new measures and strategies through different marketing channels to spike customer attention during a holiday event. The goals for these businesses range from providing customers with better value and exciting offers to moving stock and hugely increasing the amount of revenue earned over that period.
A successful holiday marketing will require businesses to enter the national or global conversation that occurs around these holiday periods. Public holidays, religious festivals, company birthdays and internet holidays, like Black Friday, are all opportunities to create festive sales campaigns. Organisations need to create marketing strategies that are aware of their customer base and considerate of their consumers’ needs. All the while developing a sales pitch that is irresistible.
10 tips for improving you holiday marketing strategy
- Offer the best customer experience possible
The holidays are a celebratory time of the year and an opportunity to be with family and friends. However, buying gifts for loved ones can become an unenviable task. Businesses can help alleviate the inevitable stress that comes with seasonal shopping by improving their customer experience. You could add gifting suggestions for different interest groups or make online shopping easier with vouchers or guaranteed delivery before a specific date.
- Show customer appreciation
During the festive season, businesses are competing for the attention of potential customers. Deciding where to buy gifts, decorations or ingredients can be a hard choice. Focusing on showing returning or potential customers how much you appreciate them choosing your store or service during the holidays. Your brand needs to remain at the forefront of shoppers’ minds with emails, offers and advertising that shows gratitude.
- Start your holiday marketing campaign early
Most companies will delay the start of their holiday marketing campaigns, thinking that these campaigns cannot have an accumulating effect over several months is a common mistake. Your target market is thinking about their holiday shopping months before December rolls around. Businesses need to remain on consumers’ minds while they consider their holiday shopping; drawing in those early shoppers and planners as well as last-minute buyers.
- Decorate your online presence
This is a simple one. Decorate and adorn your online presence with festive reminders, such as Santa hats, Menorahs, wreaths and snowmen. Whatever feels fun and appropriate to your brand, use the opportunity to turn your user interface into a festive wonderland where customers want to spend their holiday shopping time.
- Offer free rewards
Holidays are usually focused on the loved ones you are buying gifts for or the decorations and party favours for a festive event. However, it is always enjoyable getting a little something for your trouble. To key into this, businesses should offer free rewards or bonuses for shopping with that brand. Companies can offer free shipping during the holiday period, a small gift that comes in the box or a free item after spending a certain amount.
- Be a part of the conversation
Businesses do not survive on walk-ins or occasional shoppers. During the festive season, organisations have the opportunity to make their brand a significant part of the online conversation. Your brand should be on every consumer’s mind because your online presence is engaging, interesting and enticing. Use hashtags, reflect trends, encourage discussion and create exciting content that sticks with consumers.
- Create festive content
This may vary from business to business, but creating festive content on social media, online and onsite can transform the way customers see you during this time. You can create festive ads or posts, send out seasonal emails, formulate a gift guide or attempt a viral holiday video. The options are endless and diverse, use them to get your brand out there.
- Build up your customer base
Most visitors to an online store will click through page after page without making any purchases. The holiday season gives organisations the opportunity to appeal to more engaged, potential customers and retarget markets that you could perform better in. The truth is that most purchases from online stores are made by a returning customer base, use this festive time to expand that base.
- Consider giving back
Another way to entice new customers to purchase your products – and give back to your community – is for businesses to give to a charity, non-profit or social organisation that focuses on an issue you want to support. A great way to do this is to donate a percentage of your proceeds from sales during the holidays.
- Market your brand!
It is absolutely essential that you market your brand during this holiday period. While trying to market your products or services, do not forget to build up your brand visibility and identity. Businesses need to leave an impression on shoppers that encourages them to remember and choose your brand over others. Put some extra effort into telling your story and why your business is worth buying from.
With the necessary planning and time, the festive period can be an opportunity to grow your profit margins and, more importantly, sell your brand to new people. A well-planned and unique holiday marketing campaign will be a gamechanger during 2021’s upcoming holiday season.
If you are looking to create incredibly unique and effective digital marketing campaigns for your business, consider working with Cognite Marketing to help develop your brand and online presence.
