The holiday season is just around the corner and shopping enthusiasts are gearing up to cash it at full pace. It is one of those festive seasons in which companies find dozens of new customers, rightly by offering new deals and discounts. They utilize top holiday marketing ideas to make the most out of this season, especially when they relate to the eCommerce sector. With the imminent arrival of Christmas, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and other shopping events, it is best recommended to come up with unique holiday marketing ideas early. This will help you to attract customers and build a strong footprint in the market.
Being a marketer, you need to devise marketing plans according to the requirements of every season. It is something that requires dedicated brainstorming and deep analysis to come up with the right plans.
As far as holiday marketing ideas are concerned, it also requires smart research according to your targeted audience. If you are a startup and don’t know how to strategize such plans, look at some creative thoughts below. These holiday marketing ideas will help you to grab customers and build more presence in the competitive market.
1. Create a holiday marketing campaign
When approaching holiday marketing, don’t just think in terms of a one-off marketing piece. Instead, create a multi-channel marketing campaign that includes digital marketing, content creation, email marketing, and social media. Plan early, err on the side of simplicity, and use a content-driven marketing approach.
Holiday Card
In today’s digital age, mailing a printed holiday card enables you to be more personal and adds an element of nostalgia to your campaign. Mailing holiday cards to your vendors, customers, and prospects is a smart business strategy that provides a 10-fold return on investment. Along with mailing it to your customers and prospects, you can promote it through your “owned” channels, such as your website, e-newsletter, and social media.
Holiday Gift
If it fits within your budget, another way to keep your business at the forefront is by mailing a unique gift or token of appreciation along with your marketing piece.
Brainstorm different gift ideas that:
- Complement your theme
- Reinforce your branding
- Include contact information
Bonus points if it can be used all year round and doesn’t require hefty mailing costs.
Special Offer
Another idea is to provide a special offer. Depending on your business, a holiday promotion can consist of:
- An “exclusive” holiday sale
- Limited-time holiday offer that creates a sense of urgency
- Discount codes or rewards
- The free initial report, trial, or consultation
- Bonus content or a free downloadable resource
Consider promotion ideas, your unique selling proposition (USP), and how you want your prospects and customers to come through your sales funnel.
Email Marketing
Holiday email marketing is one of the most cost-effective vehicles to reach prospects and customers to drive the seasonal sales boom. In addition to the impressive data on the benefits of email marketing, email marketing statistics show that people look forward to receiving emails on special occasions, such as holidays and birthdays.
Sending emails during these events can increase revenues by as much as 20%. The special occasion makes it feel less like a “marketing email.” You’ll also usually catch people when they are more receptive to opening your email and converting. To get started, create a marketing calendar that outlines your holiday marketing campaigns.
Social Media
Email marketing makes it easy for users to share information on social media. Regardless of how they interact with your brand, this will ensure that your message will be delivered to your target audiences. To encourage social sharing, post your holiday marketing piece on all of your social media platforms, including the most popular ones for businesses, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Be sure to create a branded holiday hashtag. Rather than using a generic hashtag, such as #HappyHolidays or #MerryChristmas, a branded hashtag that uses your company’s name, allows you to dominate the search feeds on social media channels for specific phrases. Remember, consistency is key. Use your branded hashtag in every holiday marketing message.
2. Team up with a local charity
What’s a better way to get into the giving spirit than to join forces with a local charity during the holidays? Like other marketing initiatives, small businesses should be aligning themselves with local charities all year round and especially during the holiday season. It’s an effective way for small business owners and their staff to be visible in the local community.
Besides the “feel good” benefits, small businesses can share their good deeds on social media. This will show community support and increase positive brand exposure. An added bonus is that you’ll gain followers and engagement.
3. Offer useful, interactive holiday content
The key to any successful content marketing campaign is having an active blog, with high-quality content.
Consider posting interactive content on your blog to further engage your audience. After all, interactive content, such as quizzes, polls, interactive infographics, etc. gains two times the conversions compared to passive content. Remember, it should evoke emotion and involve interaction with your audience.
4. Hold a festive contest to spark social media engagement
People love winning things! Free giveaways and contests create a sense of urgency and demand for “limited supply” items, which immediately becomes more valuable in the mind of your customers. You can consider partnering with other small businesses and offering their products as prizes. Think outside of the box by partnering with other local businesses—such as a restaurant, spa, hair salon, coffee shop, and/or retail store—that likely will donate an item or gift card.
As part of your holiday marketing campaign, think about holding a holiday contest. This will help you showcase your offerings in a fun way. If the person who wins your contest positively shares your business offer or product, that’s an added benefit! Referrals are one of the best ways to gain business and social media is essentially a public referral forum.
5. Start a New Video Marketing Campaign
Every marketer knows the importance of video production and marketing. It is a great way to showcase your products and their features to the audience. These videos create a great impact in the minds of people, encouraging them to buy products quickly.
Working on different holiday marketing ideas, you can consider this option as well. It will inspire your product’s visual representation in the market that will precisely assist in bringing conversions. You can take help from any social media platform to start a video marketing campaign such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.