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The holiday season is often the busiest time of year for businesses. From e-commerce to in-person shopping, brands are preparing for one of the most profitable days of the year: Black Friday. As a matter of fact, it’s called “Black Friday” because this is when many brands transition their balance sheets from the “Red” (loss) to the “Black” (profit).
Seeing success throughout the year and especially during the holiday season isn’t from sheer luck; it can be achieved with a well-planned holiday marketing strategy. From refreshing your landing pages to boosting brand awareness through holiday marketing campaigns, exploring new customer targeting strategies, and everything in between, the list of tasks for a solid marketing strategy seems longer than a certain someone's naughty and nice list!
As a marketer you recognize the significance of this moment as a prime opportunity to make gains and enhance sales before the new year. The holiday shopping season kicks off with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, culminating in a series of December holidays, such as Christmas.
It’s never too early to start your strategic planning for the holiday season. When it comes to holiday marketing success, hope is not a strategy. Remember, like you, your competitors are strategizing!
Creating the Perfect Holiday Marketing Strategy
When it comes to creating the perfect holiday marketing strategy, remember that you do not need to reinvent the wheel. Return to the marketing strategies and tactics that work best for your brand, but with a festive twist.
Also, don’t forget about the power of storytelling. Share heartwarming stories related to your brand, customer testimonials, or behind-the-scenes looks at how your team celebrates the holidays. This builds a deeper connection with your audience and humanizes your brand.
Holiday Marketing Checklist
Let’s take a look at our Holiday Marketing Strategy list, and check it twice (Sorry! We couldn’t resist a little Christmas humor!):
- Audit Your Past Holiday Marketing Campaigns
- Identify Holiday Marketing Strategies for Your Audience
- Creating Your Holiday Strategic Plan
- Holiday Marketing Tips and Strategies
- Mistakes to Avoid with Your Holiday Marketing
- Holiday Planning Templates
- Holiday Marketing Statistics to Know
Audit Your Past Holiday Marketing Campaigns
A great first step to prepare for future success is looking back at past campaign performance. Consider starting your holiday marketing planning with a full marketing audit of past holiday campaigns. Identify high-performing strategies by comparing your performance to marketing benchmarks.
In addition to a full audit, it can be helpful to review your customer journeys, and website user experience, and even launch a customer survey to get a pulse on current customer preferences.
Diving deep into your marketing mix and customer data will help craft the perfect holiday marketing strategy and messaging to increase visibility, engagement, and sales.
Identify Holiday Marketing Strategies for Your Audience
Holiday marketing strategies vary greatly. Avoid copying your competitors' tactics; the success of a holiday marketing campaign hinges on understanding your specific audience. Use your findings from your audit to start crafting unique campaigns for your audience.
Segment your audience based on factors like age, gender, location, purchasing behavior, and seasonal preferences, such as their interest in Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
For example, if you have a younger customer base, such as Gen Z or Millennials, focus on enhancing your social media activities by offering exclusive deals and seasonal promotions.
If you operate a physical store, explore innovative last-minute gift suggestions with convenient options like curbside delivery or buy online, or pick-up in-store.
Creating Your Holiday Strategic Plan
Holiday Strategy and Objectives
Now it’s time to actually create your holiday strategic plan. A well-documented holiday strategy is crucial for businesses aiming to maximize their seasonal sales and engagement. Your strategy should include:
- Clear and defined objectives, such as increasing sales, boosting brand awareness, or enhancing customer loyalty.
- Your target audience and any segmentation so you can personalize campaigns to be more effective.
- Team member roles and responsibilities to ensure everyone is aligned and can work cohesively towards achieving the set goals.
Holiday Marketing Action Plan
An action plan translates the holiday strategy into tangible steps that need to be executed. This plan should outline specific tasks, deadlines, and responsible parties to ensure smooth implementation.
Start by prioritizing key initiatives such as launching special promotions, updating the website with holiday themes, and preparing inventory for increased demand. It’s also important to allocate resources effectively, whether it’s budget, resources, or technology. Regular check-ins and progress tracking can help identify any bottlenecks and allow you to make necessary adjustments promptly.
Additionally, having a contingency plan in place for unforeseen challenges, such as supply chain disruptions or shifts in consumer preferences, can safeguard the campaign’s success.
Holiday Content Calendar
A content calendar is a must-have for organizing and planning holiday-related content across various platforms. This calendar should include detailed timelines for social media posts, email campaigns, blog updates, and any other forms of content marketing.
By scheduling content in advance, businesses can maintain a consistent and engaging presence throughout the holiday season. The content should incorporate a mix of promotional, educational, and entertaining copy and posts to keep the audience interested.
An important aspect of content marketing is that it can (and should) be monitored and updated, if need be. Regularly reviewing and adjusting the content calendar based on real-time feedback and performance metrics ensures that the strategy remains dynamic and effective.
Holiday Marketing Tips and Strategies
As we’ve covered in the above section, your holiday marketing strategy is not a one-size-fits-all effort. Here are some top strategies we are recommending to our clients for you to consider adding to your strategic plan.
Do you want to gain access to more strategic idea thought starters to make your holiday marketing campaigns a success? Download our free resource here.
Let’s take a look at the holiday marketing strategies we’re recommending to our clients.
Keep it Simple
Our first holiday marketing tip is easy: keep it simple. Even well-established brands often revert to the basics during the holiday season. The strategy depends on your team's capacity and the support available for your operations at that time.
Avoid experimenting with new customer approaches during the holidays; instead, conduct A/B tests if needed. The reputation your brand has built with customers will influence their holiday shopping choices.
Align the customer experience with past interactions and use social media marketing to quickly test and workshop messaging and calls-to-action. Consider boosting creative posts that have the highest engagement.
Be Flexible and Ready to Adapt Quickly
No matter the scale of your online platform, having a responsive team in place to address any campaign-related challenges is crucial – whether they arise on your website, digital ads, social media ads, or other promotional channels. It's not just about digital and content readiness when it comes to being prepared during the holiday season. Adjustments to your customer service, shipping, fulfillment, and operations teams are essential to manage the surge in visitors and orders effectively.
It’s crucial to set up frameworks and an overall environment of flexibility between cross-functional teams.
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Use Content and Storytelling
During the holiday season, marketers can significantly boost their sales goals by leveraging the power of content and storytelling. Crafting compelling narratives around their products or services allows them to connect with consumers on an emotional level, which is particularly effective during this festive time of year.
By sharing heartwarming stories and showcasing customer experiences with engaging content such as holiday-themed blog posts, social media campaigns, and video stories, you can capture the attention of potential customers and inspire them to make purchases.
Additionally, storytelling can help brands differentiate themselves in a crowded market, making their messages more memorable and persuasive than their competitors. Ultimately, by weaving stories that resonate with the spirit of the season, marketers can enhance customer loyalty and drive meaningful engagement, leading to increased sales and long-term success.
Start Your Holiday SEO Strategy Early
Starting your holiday SEO strategy early is crucial for maximizing online visibility and sales because getting results from it does not happen overnight. By optimizing your website and content months in advance, you can climb search engine rankings, attract more traffic, and out-ranking competitors.
To increase holiday traffic, businesses can use holiday-specific keywords for better organic search results. Conduct thorough keyword research to identify impactful terms for attracting specific traffic and improving search engine ranking.
Monitor your analytics regularly to track the performance of your SEO efforts. Use this data to make informed adjustments and optimize your strategy as needed. By taking these steps, you'll be well-prepared to capitalize on the holiday season and achieve your business goals.
Optimize Your Website For Mobile
In this tech-savvy era, mobile shopping is the go-to for snagging those online deals. So, sprucing up your website for mobile browsing is like decking the halls for holiday success! Make sure your website looks great on all screens big and small, so shoppers can sleigh their way through your promos and goodies with ease.
When it comes to mobile, speed is key! Prioritize fast loading speed by optimizing images, leveraging browser caching, and streamlining code.
Enhancing your checkout process by incorporating guest options and mobile payment solutions (such as Apple Pay) can improve convenience and increase holiday sales. Consider revamping your mobile navigation and adding more touch-friendly elements to enhance user-friendliness, aiding customers in navigating your website seamlessly amidst the holiday rush.
Keep in Constant Contact with Email
During the holiday and Christmas season, amidst numerous promotions, email marketing remains crucial to attract customers and keep them in the loop. It's essential to ensure that your email campaigns set you apart and effectively highlight the advantages of shopping with you compared to your rivals.
Crafting compelling subject lines is a great place to start, as they are the first thing your audience will see and can significantly impact open rates. Personalization is another key element; addressing recipients by their names and tailoring content to their preferences can make your emails feel more relevant and engaging.
Incorporate visually appealing elements such as high-quality images and festive graphics to capture the holiday spirit. Additionally, consider including exclusive offers, discount codes, or early access to sales to incentivize purchases. Like we mentioned before, don’t forget to make your emails mobile-friendly for users checking on phones to enhance satisfaction and increase conversions.
Festive Influencer Strategies
75% of millennials base their purchase decisions on a brand's social media presence. While the impact of influencer marketing varies across different industries, many businesses leverage social media marketing during holiday seasons.
Social channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn (for B2B-focused brands) serve as effective channels for engaging with audiences during festive periods. You can enhance your visibility among social media users by implementing influencer-driven campaigns.
One holiday marketing strategy is to launch interactive campaigns, like giveaways and contests, to increase engagement and reach. Use analytics to track campaign performance in real-time, refine strategies based on data, and identify future influencer outreach opportunities.
Create Value and Urgency
During times of panic buying, consumers show a sense of urgency and are more likely to make purchases when they fear items may run out. The holiday season offers unique pricing discounts that attract shoppers who are savvy at spotting deals.
When devising your holiday marketing strategies, create a subtle sense of urgency to motivate customers to visit your website and complete purchases. It's crucial to strike a balance between offering discounts and fostering customer relationships. Avoid diminishing your brand's value by over-discounting, as this may deter repeat purchases.
The holiday period is not just about generating sales; it's also about building lasting connections with customers who will return outside of peak seasons. Prioritize customer retention in all your holiday marketing initiatives to cultivate a loyal customer base.
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Holiday Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
Not all campaigns are the same, and there are specific tactics to avoid. Let's explore the key mistakes to steer clear of when developing your holiday marketing strategy.
Don’t Forget About your Customer Personas
Understanding your customers is the cornerstone of any successful business strategy, particularly during the holiday season when competition is fierce. Though it might sound redundant, continually refining and leveraging your customer personas is essential for crafting impactful digital marketing campaigns.
By tailoring your efforts to specific buyer personas, you can differentiate your brand from the competition and foster deeper connections with your audience. This approach not only helps in creating more engaging and relevant content, but also ensures that your messages resonate with the unique needs and desires of your diverse customer base.
Utilizing customer personas allows you to dive deep into data analytics, enabling the personalization of messages and content to meet the distinct preferences of each segment. Sharing authentic stories that align with the values of your audience can create a genuine connection, enhancing their emotional engagement with your brand.
Avoid Oversaturation
A major mistake to avoid with your holiday marketing campaigns is, overloading your audience with too much information at once. Bombarding potential customers with endless emails, messages, or ads can lead to frustration and disengagement. Instead, focus on delivering clear, concise, and valuable content that resonates with your target demographic.
At the same time, be wary of relying too heavily on a single channel for your marketing efforts. Diversify your approach by utilizing a mix of social media, email marketing, content creation, and other relevant platforms. This multi-channel strategy will help you reach a broader audience and reduce the risk of overdependence on any one method.
Last-minute Planning
During the holiday season, businesses of all sizes, from giants like Amazon to small enterprises, often fall into the trap of late planning for their brands. This mistake can lead to a last-minute rush and missed opportunities to maximize sales and customer engagement. To avoid this pitfall, it is crucial to start planning your holiday marketing campaigns well in advance.
Rather than waiting until after Halloween to kickstart your campaigns, consider starting the brainstorming and execution process sooner. By proactively reaching out to these early shoppers, you can capture their attention and drive sales before the holiday frenzy begins.
Remember, it's never too early to start preparing for the busiest shopping season of the year.
Holiday Marketing Planning Templates
We’ve developed some useful tools to help you and your team create your winning holiday marketing strategy. Check them out below!
- Download Your Free 50 Holiday Strategy Thought-Starters Whitepaper
- Book Your Free Holiday Marketing Strategy Consultation Today
Holiday Marketing Statistics to Know
- Last year, consumers spent more than $105.2 billion between November 1st and the 27th.
- Online sales for the 2023 holiday season totaled more than $220 billion.
- Holiday shopping begins as early as October for approximately 30% of consumers (and sometimes even earlier!).
- Incorporating additional payment options (like buy now, pay later) can increase average order values up to 85%.
- 66% of consumers reported the intention to take advantage of promotional events for Black Friday and Cyber Monday when shopping for the holidays.
- Consumers are loyal during the holiday season with 76% of them prioritizing their favorite retailers for holiday spending.
- Major marketing mistakes are being made with 50% of digital ad spend being used on images and videos that were not optimized for their environments.
- In 2023, for the first time ever, more sales were made via smartphone rather than desktop.
