In this blog post we outline some creative ways to acknowledge the holiday season and get your audience involved in your marketing efforts. While your customers may not all celebrate the same holidays, there are still a variety of ways to incorporate winter cheer into your marketing efforts!
Start Early
Get the jump on your holiday marketing plan and get your ideas rolling early! You can slowly start incorporating holiday cheer throughout your marketing efforts. A perfect example of this concept in action is Mariah Carey. For many people, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is a staple in festive music and a favorite holiday tune.
At the end of October, Mariah Carey posted her annual Twitter update announcing that it was officially “Mariah Season” (#MariahSZN). Simply seeing her in festive attire instantly reminds us of her iconic holiday album. Even though it was the end of October, her holiday cheer – and her playful video – resonated with her fans and prompted them to start listening to her music.
Get Your Customers Involved
Create a campaign that gets your customers involved! A great example of this was when Starbucks asked their customers to create a holiday cup design by drawing straight onto their cups. They took the winning designs and printed them for widespread use in their stores.
Erin McDonald at Expert Media Design explains:
“You can incorporate the holidays into your marketing on a smaller scale. If you have a physical item, you could ask people to submit pictures of the item in a holiday setting. Attach a catchy hashtag and you’ve created a feed of free marketing. Repost the best ones or offer a prize.
For more service-based businesses, try an interactive ad through social media or even email. Try a Christmas themed poll. You can even create a quiz to help a customer find the best fit out of your products. Make the quiz with holiday puns and graphics. There are plenty of services that offer personalized quizzes.”
Create Holiday Visuals
Include a variety of holidays in any holiday marketing visuals you use.
Services like Canva make holiday posts for social media a breeze. With their pre-made templates and wide selection of holiday graphics, you’re sure to find something perfect for your brand.
Try adding a Santa hat or dreidel to your logo or changing the colors to red and green for the month of December. Create a new Facebook header on Canva and add some festive flare!
Your customers will enjoy the new designs, as holiday trends resonate extremely well with consumers everywhere.
Use Seasonal Google Ad Campaigns
Whether your business is in retail, B2B, finance or insurance, Google Ads is a fantastic place to get seasonal! Start by creating a campaign and targeting holiday shoppers!
For instance, if you sell women’s apparel, you can use targeted keywords like “gifts for mother” or “holiday sweaters,” then create specific ads that offer incentives to shop with your store during the holiday season. Be sure and highlight the exact benefits you’re giving. Whether it’s 20% off or free shipping, make sure the incentive is clear. Make sure to track and review your analytics to ensure you’re getting the most from your ads.
Here are a few quick Google Ads holiday marketing tips to remember from WordStream:
- Lean into the holiday spirit! Include words and phrases like “holiday” and “‘tis the season.”
- Work with the holiday slowdown. The holiday is a time when many customers research the businesses they want to work with in the new year. Soften your calls to action to accommodate the changes.
- Adjust your messaging based on holiday timing expectations. It might be reasonable to say you’ll respond in 24 hours to customer inquiries for the rest of the year, but during the holidays, it may take longer to get back to customers. Ensure your messaging reflects that shift.
Don’t forget that everyone is looking for a deal this holiday season. Pairing special offers with a sense of urgency is also a great way to win potential customers over.
Send Holiday Cards
Sending an inclusive, handwritten card is a great holiday marketing strategy.
Holiday cards are a tried-and-true way of putting a personal touch on a thoughtful idea. A handwritten message shows your customers or clients that you took the time to create a thoughtful note for them. If you can, personalize your cards so your clients know your gift came from the heart. Remember, you don’t know what holidays your customers or clients celebrate, so it’s best to stick to a general holiday greeting and not reference a specific holiday.
Run A Holiday Giveaway
Create a special holiday giveaway and run the competition across all your major social media platforms. Whether it’s a big discount, a free add-on with an order or just something completely free, get into the holiday spirit of giving. Typically, asking your followers to comment, share, like and so on is a great tactic to get even more engagement on your giveaway.
If you’re able to plan far enough in advance, you can include a discount in October or early November and let customers know more discounts will be coming soon. This gets your audience excited and will have them checking your page for the next giveaway!
Get Seasonal In Emails
Email marketing is a magnificent way to keep your customers up to date about your business. Why not integrate some festive cheer?
WordStream says that “If you’re not incorporating the holidays into your email marketing campaigns, you’re making a big mistake! Holidays instill powerful memories into your shoppers’ minds, so enticing them with fun seasonal emails is a great way to connect in their inboxes.”
Pull At Heartstrings
The holidays bring a warm and fuzzy feeling to many of us. While it’s important to remember that the holiday season may not be loved by all, most people have an emotional tie to this time of year.
Emotion drives action, so now is the time to ramp up your marketing efforts. Remember, “emotional” doesn’t mean you make everyone cry. Even using humor in your messages can go a long way during the holiday season.
Get Creative With Video
You customers will love to see a video as part of your holiday marketing strategy.
While images are essential for customer communication, there is no better way to communicate a holiday message than with a video. Get creative with your videos and remember to have fun. As with all your marketing communication, however, ensure that your new video aligns with your brand guidelines.
Show Extra Gratitude To Customers
During the holiday season, consumers can spend a significant amount of time debating how and where they want to spend their money. That means even loyal, long-term customers may shop elsewhere this season.
Show shoppers how valuable they are to your business. While there are many ways you can show gratitude to clients and customers, simply sending out a thank you email shows that you care and are willing to make the effort. Simple acts of kindness go a long way!
What If I’m A B2B Company?
Many B2B companies experience a slower period during the holidays. If that’s the case for your business, focus your energy on those projects you might not otherwise have time for.
That said, don’t expect to be totally out of client work. As companies are looking to drive customers to their website for holiday sales, this may be a time they look for SEO help. The holiday season is a magical time for many of us all over the world. Go the extra mile for your customers and get them excited for the winter season.
Do You Need Help With Your Holiday Marketing Strategy?
If you have questions about how you can integrate holiday flare into your marketing strategy or have any other questions about your marketing strategy, contact us at Three Girls Media. We offer a complimentary no-obligation consultation to discuss the specific marketing needs and goals of your business. Our team looks forward to hearing from you!
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