Stephanie Donelson

‘Tis the season to start executing your holiday marketing campaigns! I know Halloween hasn’t even passed yet but you can never start planning holiday promotions and marketing campaigns too early. Just don’t jump the gun on Christmas until after Halloween has passed!

With an estimated trillion in revenue made during the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a period you cannot afford to miss with your marketing campaigns. 

When it comes to your holiday marketing, you might want to think outside just offers and coupons and think of cohesive ways to tie all of your holiday marketing ideas together. These promotions may be the base of your campaigns, but you can also try some different ways to market your overall brand during this time and get on that festive holiday train!

10 things to do for your marketing this holiday season

1. Update your website

Make sure your website has seasonally-appropriate copy and images and you’re highlighting any holiday promotions. This might include rearranging your header navigation or using pop-ups to get a website visitor’s attention and lead them to your holiday landing pages.

2. Holiday-themed promotions and specials

Everyone is expecting a deal around the holiday season and you’ve got a lot of competition with people offering steep discounts, two-for-one specials, or free gift cards with each purchase. Use your copy to get shoppers in the holiday spirit and showcase why your product makes for a great gift!

Make your promotion easy to understand and take advantage of. No one wants to buy from you and then realize they missed one tiny detail and now aren’t eligible for the offer. Don’t be a Grinch. Have an enticing offer and make it as simple as possible to purchase. 

Be sure to direct people to sign up for your emails and follow you on social media, too. You might even offer an additional discount for new subscribers or an offer like free shipping or an upgraded product or offering. 

3. Offer gift certificates 

Another way to get some attention during the holidays is to offer gift certificate or gift cards. It’s a great option for people who don’t know what to buy their friends or family and you can  point them in the right direction.

A couple of years ago I got someone an Applebee’s gift card and I was able to customize it with my own graphic or photo, which was a nice touch and made it seem more personable and fun.  

4. Give back with social contests

Play Santa and give out presents to your social media followers or email subscribers by running a holiday contest or giveaway.  

It can be as simple as commenting on a post to be entered or filling out an entry form or you can request followers to create their own content with your contest hashtag to enter – thus giving you new user-generated content. With an entry form style, you can give more weight to followers who have made purchases as they get an extra chance to win. 

Social contests are a fun way to drive engagement and traffic to your site, helping end 2019 on a high note. 

5. Partner with a non-profit

Another route is to donate part of your holiday proceeds to a charity or non-profit that works well with your brand. Not only does this make your brand seem fun and charitable, it can also give a nice healthy boost to your following by attracting new people who already like the non-profit. 

Let people know how they can help, why they should help, and any deadlines with the partnership. 

6. Create interactive content

I’m not going to lie, I totally go to Office Depot’s Elf Yourself website every Christmas because it’s hilarious and amazing. It’s a great example of interactive content that’s themed around the holidays.

Don’t have the budget to create something that robust? No problem! Try an interactive calculator, quiz, or even interactive infographic. Have fun with it, make it nostalgic if possible, and keep sales pitches to a minimum. 

7. Spread holiday cheer through email

Get in the holiday spirit in your users’ inboxes! Tie promotions and center newsletter content around the upcoming holidays and how they need your product or service to make the holidays that much better.

Like your holiday promotions, your emails should be simple to understand and to the point. 

Be sure to segment your emails so your holiday shopping promotions are targeted, and it could be a good time of year to try and re-engage unengaged subscribers.

8. Get seasonal with ads

Target holiday shoppers with “gift” terms and create specific landing pages with holiday offers and a fun holiday feel. It’s a great way to test different offers and see what your audience actually wants, like free shipping or 20% off. 

Quick tip: If you’re offering a smaller discount, use a percentage, but use a dollar amount off if the discount is a good one. 

You could also follow users with targeted and engaging remarketing ads where your product is popping out of a gift box or you offer a promo code with an additional percentage off.

Social media ads are also great opportunities to reach your current customers and lookalike audiences. Offer current customers, by email address, an extra discount or freebie and encourage new customers to check out your holiday sale. 

9. Work with influencers

When people are going holiday shopping you can be sure they’re reading reviews and finding information about the best gifts for the holidays – and putting their trust into influencers’ opinions.

Why not partner with an industry influencer who can recommend your product or service?

People turn to influencers for inspiration or reviews of products and services and the holidays are no exception. Help your product get added to shopping lists by having it endorsed by an influencer. 

10. Create holiday-specific content

Pinterest is a real winner on social media by grouping similar content so don’t miss your chance to reach audiences already looking for holiday content by creating a holiday board.

Pinterest reports that 87% of pinners say the social channel helps them find the right products for the holidays, and 66% say the network provides last-minute holiday ideas. Reach these holiday-happy shoppers where they’re already looking with content about your offering, videos,  testimonials, and even fun holiday blogs. 

Do you run holiday-specific marketing campaigns? Share your ideas in the comments or over on Twitter!