How to create a highly successful holiday marketing campaign that will break your 2023 sales

Looking around you at this time of the year, you will notice many happy faces and people getting excited about the upcoming holidays.

As humans, we love the holiday spirit, festivities, and any special occasion on which we can celebrate. It’s the time of the year when you can dress up a bit more fancy, get festive, be surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones, and do fun things.

Whether your company is a B2B or B2C, with your marketing efforts throughout the year, you’re promoting your products and services to someone, to people.

At User Growth, we’ve been helping our customers for years plan their best holiday marketing campaigns, and in this article, we will share our expertise so you can break your 2023 sales targets.

We will be looking into why and how you, with your company, can join the holiday cheer, delight the right customers, and boost your business’s product or service simultaneously with a highly effective holiday marketing campaign.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, let’s dive into how you can create a marketing strategy for the holiday that truly resonates with your audience and drives unparalleled results.

Why is holiday marketing important?

The holiday season is the perfect time to connect with your company’s prospects and celebrate those feelings of companionship and gratitude. As a marketer, you can leverage these feelings to have a deeper connection with your customers on an emotional level. This will help build trust and credibility.

People pay extra attention during the holidays to everything holiday-related, like visuals, texts, promos, or anything else that can come to mind. With your company, you want to appeal to everyday emotions while also standing out from the crowd.

Why?

• 89% of U.S. millennials planned to shop on Black Friday/Cyber Week 2022
• 75% of Gen Z planned to shop Black Friday sales in 2022, compared to 53% for all people surveyed.
• The 1.39 billion holiday season returns represent a 63% YoY increase in 2022.
• Mobile shopping spikes on key holidays, with 60% of revenue coming from mobile purchases on Christmas day

And these are not just trends in the US:

• 44% of French women planned to shop exclusively online during Black Friday.
• 60% of German consumers intended to do most of their Black Friday shopping online in 2022
• 70% of U.K consumers said they planned to shop on Black Friday because it offers better deals and prices for gifts
• Nearly 60% of Dutch consumers planned to do most of their Black Friday electronics shopping online in 2022
• 40% of Belgian consumers intended to buy apparel or shoes as a gift to themselves on Black Friday 2022.

So yeah, creative holiday marketing campaigns are kind of a big deal, and you could end up missing a huge part of your sales if you don’t plan and execute an effective holiday campaign.

Below, we will dive into seven steps that will help you get focus during your holiday campaigns and help you get the most out of it.

How to create a holiday marketing campaign from scratch

Launching a successful marketing campaign during the holiday shopping season isn’t just about hanging festive banners or offering seasonal discounts.

It requires strategic planning, a deep understanding of your target audience, and the ability to weave a cohesive narrative that resonates with the spirit of the season.

Having worked alongside lots of businesses, from fledgling startups to established brands, we at User Growth have honed a systematic approach to building holiday campaigns from the ground up.

Leveraging our years of expertise and countless success stories, we’re here to guide you step-by-step on how to construct a campaign that not only captures attention but also drives measurable results.

Whether this is your first attempt or you want to refine your existing approach, this blueprint will provide invaluable insights to ensure your 2023 holiday campaign shines brilliantly.

1. Review your previous holiday marketing campaigns

No matter how busy you are, or how much experience you think you’ve already got from previous companies or previous campaigns, past experiences remain our greatest teachers.

That’s why it’s always good to delve into the data from your past holiday campaigns to discern your victories and pinpoint areas ripe for refinement, before starting any other work. You might have remembered things not 100% like they were last year. Data never lies.

A thorough assessment of earlier strategies ensures that you tread forward with wisdom, sidestepping prior missteps.

Moreover, it’s crucial to immerse yourself in the evolving world of your customers.

Has there been a significant shift in your customer landscape over the past year? Are there new demographic trends to be aware of? What drives and resonates with them now?

Grasping these nuances is paramount; they’ll inform a holiday message that truly resonates and engage customers.

2. Define your target audience

Understanding and defining your target audience is the cornerstone of any effective marketing campaign, especially during the bustling holiday season. By diving deep into your buyer personas, you can unravel the distinct preferences, habits, and pain points of different segments of your audience.

For instance, if your audience skews younger, encompassing Gen Z and Millennials, leveraging platforms like TikTok or Instagram and running vibrant social commerce campaigns with festive deals might be your golden ticket.

On the other hand, if you’re in a fiercely competitive market, standing toe-to-toe with industry giants, an irresistible, unique offer could be the game-changer that sets you apart.

But it’s more than just age groups and promotions. You must delve deeper. Where do your personas spend their digital time? Are they incessantly scrolling through social media feeds on their phones, or do they lean towards the traditional desktop browsing experience?

Such insights are instrumental in guiding your content creation, promotional efforts, and channel selection.

If you’ve already sculpted detailed buyer personas in your overarching marketing strategy, it’s pivotal to fine-tune your focus for the holiday season.

Question the relevance of your campaign to each persona. Will it appeal to all? Or are there specific segments that need to be prioritized, while others are set aside for now?

These decisions can make all the difference between a campaign that resonates and one that fades into the background.

3. Decide on your holiday campaign theme

Now that you know what your audience likes and dislikes, it is much easier to identify which holidays and events will captivate your audience.

You can’t participate in every little cheer if it does not fit with your target audience, so let’s start by identifying which holidays and events are vital for you and your customers.

You can use Days of the Year, or National Day Calendar to help find specific holidays for your business, next to the big ones like Black Friday, or Christmas.

Best practice is to plan this in advance. Holidays always happen on the same dates yearly, so there is no reason not to think about this early.

Some simple searches can already put you in the direction of getting all the necessary dates. Try searching for events and holidays that are:

• Relevant to your country or the countries in which you operate. There are a lot of events that tend to be country-specific, or even events that are celebrated differently in the various countries;
• Relevant to your buyer personas, and to your target audience. If your ideal buyer personas are made of several segments, identify which events work for all and which are only for a subset of your audience. Let’s say that your product addresses young professionals; then you should check for significant events in your target area for these young professionals. But if these young professionals are only a subset of your entire target audience (let’s say all employees), then try to find events that are exciting for all employees and mark those events for young professionals separately;
• Big enough. Of course, if you’ve got a big enough marketing team, it is easier to rally behind every little event you can find throughout the entire year. As a small business, however, you need to pick your battles. If you can only support a smaller number of events per year, go for the bigger ones. If you’re a local business owner, try focusing on local events like major sports events, for example, in your city. If you’re a startup and as a founding team, it’s still all hands on deck. Try sticking to major holidays that are worth your time in both reach and ROI;
• Diverse. Try approaching the search for your events with an open mind. The first thing on your mind with a search like this will result in the traditional holidays (mostly focused around religions). Try thinking about a wider range of events as well, things like sports events, music festivals, spring break, back to school, Cyber Monday, April Fools, mother’s day, etc., etc.;

Write down all the holidays you can find, set down priorities, and try looking at the overall bigger picture. It’s important that there is a good spread of these events throughout the year so that you can support them with your small team or just by yourself.

After you are able to identify the holidays and events throughout the year that you want to support, you should, of course, include them in your content calendar as well. Add some lines for which segment they are most relevant so that you won’t forget!

When you know which events, or holidays you want to participate in, you can develop a campaign theme, the big driving message that your assets, goals, and marketing efforts will revolve around.

The theme needs to be the center of your strategy; picking one that matches your brand’s image and creates a buzz will be the best motif for the holidays.

Sure, it might sound trivial, but anchoring your holiday campaign with a robust theme is critical.

Having a theme not only provides a foundational reference for your team during the campaign’s evolution, but in our experience, it also offers a beacon for consumers, helping them connect the dots. Your theme’s success hinges on its memorability, universal appeal, and adaptability across diverse channels.

That’s why it is essential for your theme to resonate with both your brand’s identity and your customers’ values.

Time-honored themes for the festive season include charity, comfort, togetherness, nostalgia, and familial bonds.

Beyond a cohesive narrative, it’s pivotal to harmonize your visual elements with the chosen theme. Remember, visuals leave a lasting imprint — studies suggest that our brains process visuals almost 60,000 times faster than text. Hence, typography, color palettes, and imagery should echo the theme, creating a unified and compelling presentation.

4. Choose your campaign goals

Before crafting the perfect offer, it’s important not to just jump into creating an offer. Instead, take some time to consider for yourself: What are you aiming for with this campaign? What does success look like for you and your business?

To make sure your campaign works well, make a clear list of things you want to achieve. Use the SMART way – this means your goals should be clear (Specific), something you can count on (Measurable), possible to reach (Attainable), right for your business (Relevant), and have a finish time (Time-bound).

Here’s an easy example of a goal:

“Get [number] people interested in [what you’re selling or doing] by [a certain date].”

So, for the holiday season, your list might look like:

• Get 2,000 people excited about our holiday sale by December 10, 2023.
• Have 1,000 people sign up for our holiday shopping app by December 1st, 2023.
• Raise $30,000 for charity XYZ by December 24, 2023.

Making a clear list like this helps you know what you want to do and how to do it best.

5. Create your offer

Your offer is the heartbeat of your campaign, guiding all the efforts you’ll put forth. An offer can be anything from a prize, a discount coupon, or maybe things like free ebooks, online courses, videos, webinars, etc.

Another enticing option is a digital holiday gift card, similar to what platforms like BHN Rewards provide. With many choices available, picking one that genuinely resonates with your audience is key.

Put yourself in their shoes: Suppose you know your target audience is often crunched for time, especially during the festive rush. In such a scenario, wouldn’t a set of user-friendly templates be more appealing than an extensive ebook?

Spend some time thinking about what kind of offer, or prize will attract your ideal customer.

When crafting your offer, be sure to think about the PROFIT from what you create.

A lot of marketers skip this step, and they end up with significantly more orders, which means more COGs, more shipping costs, more CC transaction fees, and yes, more revenue… but less profit.

Their ROAS looks higher, so they pat themselves on the back, congratulating themselves on a job well done… unless they get a nasty note from the finance team.

That’s brutal. Work backwards from profitability to figure out where the sweet spot is.

William Harris, CEO of Elumynt, the e-commerce growth engine behind over 13 acquisitions and counting

If you are targeting small business owners, an ebook on social media marketing could be appealing. Offering a coupon could be an effective strategy to attract more customers to your store.

Another great offer is using product bundles, or holiday combos to increase the average order value (AOV) of your store.

They are very popular with customers because they deliver greater value than standalone products. And they are offered at discounted prices too.

By offering bundled products at discounted rates, you’ll increase the number of sales you get and bump up your average order value (AOV). It is critical, especially for e-commerce businesses.

If the offer you want to use is a prize, then take the following into consideration:

• One common mistake companies make is hosting a generic giveaway, such as a “win an iPad” contest. While this may result in many entries, it does not guarantee that they will be from your target audience. So, make the prize fit your target audience.
• Companies can generate attention by offering several affordable prizes, such as the opportunity to test-drive a car, sample a new food, or receive a cooking lesson from a renowned chef.

6. Create a campaign landing page

When you know your offer, you need a place to host your specific holiday campaign. This is where landing pages come into play.

Of course, you can also create a separate campaign website, but you need your main domain to get all the attention and backlinks it deserves.

So, creating a separate landing page on your main website is a better play in the long run.

To make sure your landing page is convincing, include at least the following:

• a compelling headline – This is your first opportunity to grab your visitor’s attention. The headline should immediately communicate the value or essence of your holiday campaign. Think of it as your elevator pitch — concise, impactful, and evoking curiosity or emotion.
• interesting visuals that are on-brand, and related to your holiday campaign – A picture speaks a thousand words, and in the digital realm, it could very well be the factor that keeps a visitor engaged. Ensure your visuals not only resonate with the theme of your holiday campaign but also align with your brand’s identity. They should complement the content and enhance the narrative, rather than diverting attention.
• the benefits your offer will give your (potential) customers – What’s in it for the user? This section should succinctly answer this question. Highlight the tangible or emotional benefits a customer would receive from your offer. Will it save them time during the holiday rush? Will it bring a smile to their loved ones? Make sure to emphasize the value they’ll get, making the decision to engage a no-brainer.
• a form to collect information – While gathering information from interested visitors is essential, it’s equally vital not to overwhelm them. Design a user-friendly form that asks for only the most necessary information. This increases the likelihood of completion and signals respect for the user’s time and privacy.

7. Holiday campaign promotion

The success of your campaign depends on how you promote it.

“If you build it, they will come,” said no marketer ever.

Just like when creating content in general, you want to spend 20% of your time creating content and 80% promoting it.

So, you do need to take the time to promote your holiday campaign if you want it to be successful. Make it part of your overall content calendar.

Some things on our todo list always include:

1. installing a website header notification bar like Hello Bar, to make all your visitors aware of the promotion you’re running
2. If your website supports it, you can use sidebar display ads or pop-up notifications on exit intent.
3. Adding call-to-actions on your articles and blog content
4. Updating your social media channels with relevant cover photos about your campaign
5. Posting content on your social channels about your campaign
6. Paying for social media ads to target your ideal customers
7. Using your email list to send out an email campaign to your subscribers
8. Publishing a press release
9. Using influencers to help spread the word

8. Create lead-nurturing content

What happens after someone participates in your holiday campaign? To the leads you’ve generated or to the people who bought from you (once)?

Once the holidays are over, what will you do with these people?

Will they never hear from you again, or will you try to convert them into lifelong happy customers?

As part of any successful campaign, you also want to consider what happens next and create a plan to nurture those new clients or leads.

You can easily do this in most email marketing software: build a set of emails and workflows to re-engage them with helpful related resources.

And, of course, also track your progress by setting a goal for these workflows.

9. Put your campaign live, measure, and report

Now that everything is done, it’s time to do some last internal testing before putting the campaign live and starting your promotion to help drive traffic and sales.

Be sure to set time aside to dive into the performance and see if you need to adjust certain things, if you need to up your promotional budget on certain channels and lower it on others, and, of course, see if those goals we set in step four are actually going to be met.

Six strategies to make your holiday marketing campaigns highly effective

Of course, what we’ve discussed until now are just the basics you need to cover every time you need to create a holiday marketing campaign.

Want to take it to the next level?

Then, keep reading for six strategies to make your campaigns highly effective.

1. Hit key emotions with your campaign.

Many people believe that the way they make a decision is purely based on reason. However, the truth is that all individuals make decisions emotionally, after which they justify their decisions with reason. Keeping this in mind, a successful holiday marketing campaign should be an emotional one.

Try focusing on feelings that fit with the particular holiday, like giving back, or gratitude. Other emotions you can concentrate on are friendship, being home for the holidays, goodwill, etc.

2. Using online media to connect with your customers

Using your existing and different online channels will make connecting with your target audience easier. There are several different ways you can do this:

• Use online influencers – more and more people look online every year for inspiration and advice on what kind of presents they should buy. They trust bloggers more than a commercial because it is more authentic. Try approaching bloggers to help you get in front of a potentially untapped audience;
• Email marketing – consumers are always connected and always have access to their email. Accessing email straight from their mobile or tablets makes email the most efficient form of direct communication with your target audience. Timing is crucial, though, and just in case they might miss your email, try sending them an email before, during, and just around the time that your sale is about to end. The thought of missing out on a great sale is a powerful way to get some last-minute sales boosts;
• Facebook – The biggest social network of them all. Try investing in your Facebook audience throughout the year to build a meaningful relationship with your audience. This way, you’re sure that your post will be seen more when the time arrives for those special holiday promotions. To get the most out of Facebook, don’t forget to use Facebook Ads and sponsored posts specifically targeting your buyer personas;
• Twitter – For certain demographics, Twitter is still the place to be. Try tapping into the conversation by using the right hashtags your audience uses.
• Pinterest – Of all social networks, Pinterest is probably the one that leads the pack regarding social networks that influence holiday purchases and where consumers turn to for inspiration on what they want. From searching for gift ideas to creating boards filled with a wish list. Be sure to inspire your audience throughout the year and use the online influencers as well on Pinterest!
• Instagram – Visual social networks like Pinterest and Instagram are critical to inspiring people. After all, before someone wants to buy anything online, they first want to see it. Just like Pinterest, Instagram can be a great way to showcase your products and how to use them in consumers’ lives.
• TikTok – TikTok’s raw, authentic content style deeply engages a diverse age demographic, offering many brands a chance for viral exposure. The platform’s unique features, like challenges and duets, encourage interactive holiday campaigns. Collaborating with TikTok influencers can amplify reach, making it a fresh avenue for festive promotions.

3. Build hype with relevant contests and giveaways

Giveaways and contests are very cost-effective methods to help engage with your followers, get new followers, and build hype for an upcoming event.

You can get your target audience easily excited about the upcoming holidays and your brand by using giveaways and promotional contests. Depending on how big your team and budget are, these can easily range from a simple Twitter hashtag contest or a photo caption contest on your Facebook page to a complex multi-staged puzzle game.

Try to find fun and creative ways to make the contest or giveaway around the holiday while keeping it relevant for your brand.

Have your fans take pictures of themselves using your products or dressed up for Halloween, ask them to submit their favorite Christmas recipes, and in a second part of the contest, have people vote for their favorites. The possibilities are limitless.

4. Create an easy-to-share campaign.

Although it’s always tough to predict if your campaign will go viral, there is a way to try to maximize the chances of it going viral. The most important element is the ease of sharing your campaign.

If you think of the fact that 74 percent of consumers rely on word of mouth as the top influencers of their purchasing decision, it means that when someone sees your campaign from a friend, they are more likely to act upon the campaign than seeing it in a pre-roll on YouTube or a Facebook ad.

Adding social and email buttons is one easy but often overlooked way to make your content easier to share. These sharing buttons make it easy to share your campaign with just one click.

People love having a bigger chance of winning by sharing a contest with their friends or showing off something they love. This is mostly done in today’s social world by sharing content across their social networks.

Creating shareable, branded content can exponentially expand your brand’s reach. From memes to videos to microsites, as long as it connects with your audience, people are quickly moved to share your content.

Make it easy for your audience to know about your business, by making your content more entertaining than promotional, so people will want to share it.

5. Create a consistent experience across all channels.

Building a marketing campaign across all your channels means you’re providing your target audience with a seamless, consistent, and cohesive experience wherever they go and see your messages. It’s crucial to create a consistent user experience regardless of your customers’ channels.

Consumers expect to receive a consistent experience, whether they’re online, reading email, engaging with you via social media, seeing ads, or even visiting your brick-and-mortar store.

But there’s more to it than recreating your branding and color scheme on social media or in your ads. The deals you’re offering should stay consistent, too.

Even if you don’t have a big budget to spend on your marketing campaigns, you can still focus on consistent branding and message to offer an exceptional buying experience to your customers.

6. Last but not least, marketing segmentation is essential

This means that when you’re thinking about how to market your holiday promotions, you don’t want to waste your profit margins by sending discounts to shoppers who just look for a one-time deal and never come back.

Building profiles around your customers throughout the year makes it easy to segment your customers by lifetime value. You want to give the most special treatment to the brand-loyal repeat purchasers. This can either be a special loyalty campaign or, for example, an extra thank-you discount for the holidays. Any investment you make for the higher value customers will result in higher returns.

Of course, don’t forget that you can build campaigns with relevant content even for your less loyal customers.

The holidays are one of the best times to make and invest in an emotional bond with your target audience. The positive feelings of family, giving, and gratitude are already on the top of the mind of your target audience, and your marketing campaigns can easily piggyback on those emotions.

By segmenting your customers for a truly personalized experience, making your campaigns easily shareable, and delivering hot (online) deals consistently across all of your channels, you’re positioning yourself for maximum success with the upcoming holiday season.

How do you plan to market your business this holiday season? Leave your thoughts and ideas below in the comments to help inspire others!

Frequently Asked Questions about Holiday Marketing Campaigns

How to do a holiday marketing campaign?

Starting a holiday marketing campaign from scratch is quite easy if you follow the step-by-step guide discussed in this article:

1. Review your previous holiday marketing campaigns
2. Define your target audience
3. Decide on your holiday campaign theme
4. Choose your campaign goals
5. Create your offer
6. Create a campaign landing page
7. Holiday campaign promotion
8. Create lead-nurturing content
9. Put your campaign live, measure, and report

What is the objective of a holiday campaign?

The objective of a holiday campaign is to leverage the festive atmosphere and increased consumer spending to boost brand awareness, drive sales, and strengthen customer relationships. The objective for your business, your brand, is to aim to connect emotionally with your audience, presenting enticing offers and engaging content that resonates with the holiday spirit.

The ultimate goal is to maximize revenue while creating positive and memorable experiences that encourage long-term customer loyalty.

What are the 3 keys to a successful campaign?

1. Understanding Your Audience: Know who you are targeting, what they need, and what motivates them to make a purchase. Use data and previous interactions to personalize your messages and offers, ensuring relevance and appeal.
2. Creating Compelling Offers and Content: Design attractive promotions and create high-quality, festive content that resonates with the holiday spirit. Your offers should provide genuine value, while your content should tell a compelling story, connecting emotionally with the audience.
3. Optimizing Multi-Channel Engagement: Utilize various online and offline channels effectively to reach your audience wherever they are. Ensure a consistent and seamless brand experience across all platforms, and pay attention to the customer journey, optimizing for conversion.

These three elements, when executed well, work synergistically to enhance campaign performance, drive sales, and build stronger customer relationships during the holiday season.

How do you attract customers on holidays?

Attracting customers during the holiday season requires a strategic approach, blending creativity with customer-centric tactics. Here are some effective ways to achieve this:

1. Holiday-Themed Promotions: Create special offers, discounts, or bundled deals that are exclusively available during the holiday season. Make sure these promotions provide genuine value to the customer.
2. Limited-Time Offers: Instill a sense of urgency by introducing deals that are available for a short period of time. This could include flash sales, daily deals, or countdown timers on your website.
3. Personalized Communication: Use customer data to send personalized emails or messages, showcasing products or offers based on their previous interactions or preferences.
4. Festive Visuals and Content: Redesign your website, social media profiles, and marketing materials to reflect the holiday spirit. Use festive visuals, colors, and themes that appeal to the emotions associated with the season.
5. Engaging Social Media Campaigns: Create engaging content on social media, including contests, giveaways, or interactive posts that encourage participation and sharing.
6. Collaborations and Partnerships: Partner with influencers, bloggers, or other businesses that align with your brand to reach a broader audience.
7. Exceptional Customer Service: Ensure that your customer service is top-notch, providing quick responses, hassle-free returns, and personalized assistance. Happy customers are more likely to make a purchase and recommend your business to others.
8. Mobile Optimization: Ensure that your website and online store are optimized for mobile devices, as a significant number of customers shop from their phones, especially during the busy holiday season.
9. Gift Guides and Ideas: Create and promote gift guides or lists of gift ideas that make it easy for customers to find the perfect present for their loved ones.
10. Charitable Initiatives: Align your brand with a cause, donate a portion of the holiday sales to charity, or organize a charitable event. This not only contributes to a good cause but also resonates well with customers who prefer to shop with brands that give back.

By combining these strategies, you can create a festive and inviting atmosphere that attracts customers and encourages them to make purchases during the holiday season.

When should I start marketing for the holidays?

Starting your holiday marketing at the right time is crucial for capturing customer attention and maximizing sales. Depending on the size of your brand, the timing might differ a bit from the timing below, but you can still use this as a rough guideline on when to kick off your holiday campaigns:

1. Early Planning and Preparation: 4-6 Months Before

• June to August: Begin planning your holiday marketing strategy, reviewing your previous holiday marketing campaigns, identifying target audiences, deciding on promotions, and finalizing your product or service offerings.

2. Preliminary Marketing and Teasers: 3-2 Months Before

• September to October: Start teasing your audience with sneak peeks of what’s to come. Engage them with behind-the-scenes content, and begin to subtly incorporate holiday themes into your marketing materials.

3. Full-Fledged Campaign Launch: 1-2 Months Before

• November: Launch your full holiday marketing campaign. Ensure your website, social media, and all other channels are fully decked out in holiday cheer. Start sending out holiday promotions, deals, and exclusive offers to your mailing list.

4. Peak Promotional Period: Weeks Leading up to the Holiday

• First Half of December: Intensify your marketing efforts. Utilize flash sales, countdown timers, and last-minute deals to create urgency. Ensure your customer service is ready to handle increased inquiries and that your inventory is stocked.

5. Last-Minute Push: Days Before the Holiday

• Mid to Late December: Focus on last-minute shoppers with express shipping offers, gift cards, and instant-download products. Continue to engage with your customers through social media and email reminders.

6. Post-Holiday Opportunities: Days After the Holiday

• Late December to Early January: Don’t forget the post-holiday period. Many customers are looking for after-holiday sales, or they might have gift cards to spend. This is a great time for clearance sales or promotions on upcoming products or services for the new year.

By following this timeline, you ensure that your brand stays top of mind throughout the entire holiday shopping season, maximizing your reach and potential sales.

Should I run ads on holidays?

Running ads during the holidays can be beneficial, but it’s crucial to approach it strategically. Focus on creating standout, targeted ads, and be prepared for potentially higher advertising costs. By doing so, you can leverage the holiday season to increase visibility, attract new customers, and boost sales. Here are some key points to consider:

Pros of Running Ads During Holidays:

• Increased Traffic: There’s a surge in online activity as people search for gifts, deals, and holiday-related content.
• Higher Purchase Intent: Consumers are in a buying mood, looking for the best deals and ready to make purchases.
• Opportunity for Brand Visibility: With more people online, it’s an excellent time to increase your brand’s visibility and capture new customers.

Cons of Running Ads During Holidays:

• Increased Competition: Many businesses ramp up their advertising, leading to a crowded space and potentially higher ad costs.
• Potential for Higher Costs: The increased demand can drive up the cost-per-click or cost-per-impression.
• Need for Standout Creative: Your ads need to be compelling and stand out to capture attention in the competitive holiday market.

Strategies for Success:

• Start Early: Begin your holiday advertising before the peak season to build awareness.
• Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your ads and landing pages are mobile-friendly, as many users will be shopping from their devices.
• Use Targeted Advertising: Utilize customer data to target your ads to the right audience, ensuring relevancy and higher conversion rates.
• Offer Exclusive Deals: Provide special promotions or exclusive deals to attract users and encourage clicks.

Why are Christmas campaigns important?

Christmas campaigns play a vital role in a brand’s annual marketing strategy. They offer a unique opportunity to boost sales, engage customers, build brand awareness, and create lasting emotional connections. Ensuring your campaign is creative, emotionally resonant, and strategically planned can lead to significant benefits for your business during the festive season and beyond.

Here’s why they hold such importance:

1. Boost in Sales:

• Peak Shopping Season: Christmas marks a peak shopping period as consumers actively seek gifts, decorations, and festive products.
• Promotional Opportunities: Businesses can capitalize on this demand through special promotions, discounts, and exclusive deals.

2. Building Brand Awareness:

• Visibility in a Crowded Market: Creative and engaging Christmas campaigns help a brand stand out in a saturated market.
• Emotional Connection: Festive campaigns often tap into emotions, creating a stronger bond between the brand and its customers.

3. Enhancing Customer Loyalty:

• Rewarding Loyalty: Christmas is a great time for businesses to show appreciation to their existing customers, strengthening loyalty.
• Creating Traditions: Memorable Christmas campaigns can become annual traditions that customers look forward to, enhancing long-term loyalty.

4. Encouraging Engagement:

• Social Sharing: Festive campaigns with a strong narrative or unique angle are more likely to be shared, increasing engagement.
• Interactive Elements: Many Christmas campaigns include interactive elements like contests or social media challenges, fostering engagement.

5. Clearing Inventory:

• Seasonal Products: Christmas campaigns help promote and sell seasonal products, clearing inventory before the year ends.