Tips for Planning Your Holiday and End-of-Year Marketing
I remember those last minute scrambles on Christmas Eve where my wife and I were wrapping presents furiously, and assembling toys to be ready for Christmas morning.
Even if you’ve never done the Christmas Eve Dash yourself, you know the feeling when you’re in a time crunch and the minutes are whizzing by.
In marketing, we see this happen every single holiday season when it comes to holiday promotions, or end-of-year communications. It happens for both for-profits, and nonprofits alike.
The truth is – and I’ve seen this happen more times than I can count – that you actually need to be thinking about your holiday season plans NOW in order to be ready THEN.
We know it seems like the kids just went back to school and that the holidays are still a ways off, but you’ve heard that old saying, “fail to plan, plan to fail,” right?
Now is the best time to start planning out your holiday and end-of-year marketing campaigns so that you have plenty of time to later execute your campaigns well. Plain and simple.
So besides starting your planning now, what are some good ideas for holiday and end-of-year marketing?
We know that after the crazy last year and a half that we’ve had, this might seem like a daunting task, but there are some pretty simple ideas that will help you stand out from the crowd.
1 | Flexibility and Agility
Before we dive into some fun and festive ideas that can make your holiday marketing sparkle, it’s important to remember that while planning is good, it’s still important to be flexible and agile in your marketing. Be sure that you are analyzing the data you are getting back from your campaigns and tweak them as needed. You might even have some backup marketing ideas in case your top campaign ideas don’t seem like a good idea anymore; things change fast, especially with the world we are currently living in.
2 | Go Old School
Mixing digital and traditional forms of marketing is a great way to reach a wider audience or reach your target audience in multiple ways. Consider sending holiday greeting cards in the mail for a personal touch. You can also send coupons in the mail for a special VIP sale, or advertise on TV or radio if you have the funds.
3 | Customer Appreciation
The holiday season is all about showing love and appreciation for those around you. As a brand, this includes your followers or customers! This works great if your audience loves tagging you in their social posts regularly. Simply reshare your favorite user-generated content (UGC) for an easy campaign that shows your appreciation for your followers and customers. Don’t forget to tag them in the post! If you don’t want to share UGC, you can show your appreciation by sharing a promo code specific to a particular platform, so your audience feels special.
4 | Hold a Giveaway
People flock to a chance to win free stuff. Hold a giveaway on one of your social platforms with something your audience will love. Some ideas include giving away favorite products, a gift card to your cafe or restaurant, a free appointment for spas or medical offices, etc. This is also a great way to get more followers and promote your brand by making the requirements to enter the giveaway following your account, liking the post and tagging a friend in the comments.
5 | Interactive and Engaging Content
Increase your engagement and promote your brand by sharing engaging videos or interactive content such as polls or quizzes that are festive in nature but still related to your brand. For example, a dentist might share a quiz on which holiday foods to avoid if you want to keep your teeth looking great and healthy. This type of content is perfect for positioning yourself as a thought leader in your industry and provides valuable content to your audience, which is key for building brand loyalty.
6 | Paid Digital Ads
What makes digital or social media ads so great is how affordable they are for just about any brand, so gift yourself with some paid ads that promote your holiday and end-of-year sales. The best ads have eye-catching graphics or feature photos of products. Carousel ads are a great way to feature multiple products or services in one ad. Be sure to set your audience parameters so that you target the right audience. Don’t be afraid to hyper-target by really narrowing it down to an audience that might like a particular product or service you offer over others in your lineup. Then don’t forget to remarket to those window shoppers to encourage them further down the sales pipeline.
7 | Give Back
The holidays aren’t just about receiving, but about giving too. Give a donation to a local or national charity that is special to you or your brand. Let your followers know about your donation and encourage them to give too. For example, a local pet supply store might consider donating to their local humane society. Donating is a great way to show that your brand is a part of the larger community and that you aren’t just there to make money, something that can really pull at people’s heartstrings and build brand loyalty.
Work with an Invested Partner
Need help forming your holiday and end-of-year marketing campaigns? Attuned is different from other marketing firms because we are an invested partner in your success! We bring fresh ideas and out-of-the-box thinking and can roll with the punches for more agile marketing. Contact us today to see how we can help you make this holiday season your best one yet!