Holiday marketing may seem more relevant for some brands like e-commerce companies or businesses with a tangible product, but everyone from B2B (business-to-business) to service-based companies can participate in holiday marketing. These 4 tips will help you get started with planning your holiday marketing strategy.
Put a Holiday Spin on Top-Performing Content
Don’t know where to start? Mine previous data for an idea of what works and what doesn’t. The holiday season occurs at the end of the year, so you have almost an entire year’s worth of data to analyze to find top-performing content and review what strategies work the best. Google Analytics can be used to find the most visited pages on your website or your most read blog. Use this information to put a holiday-spin on the information housed on those pages. You can also find top-performing content on your social channels by researching what posts on Facebook or Instagram received the most likes or engagement. Take that newfound data and then strategize how you can recreate something similar for the holidays!
Publicize Your Holiday Traditions
Participating in holiday-themed marketing may be easier than you think. What are you already doing that is holiday-related? Does your office have a holiday party? Is there a friendly gingerbread house-decorating competition? Does your company attend or sponsor a community event like a tree lighting or a canned food drive? Identify what you are already doing and then don’t forget to take pictures during the event, invite others to join you for the event and tag other community partners!
‘Tis the Season to be Service Minded
How can you help solve a potential client’s problem or make their life easier during the holiday hustle? Frame your holiday marketing within the context of solving a client’s problem. Product-based companies may have the right gift, but a service-based company could help free up time and energy for clients to spend more time with family or cross other important things off their to-do lists. Is there some tax advantage or another benefit for the customer if they purchase your product or service before the new year? For instance, there are tax benefits to purchasing a new website before the end of the year. You know the ins and outs of your brand, but many potential clients may be encountering your brand for the first time, so don’t shy away from foundational messaging that can help the consumer.
Read Holiday Marketing Guides from Relevant Social Platforms
Pay attention to the platforms that move the needle the most for you. The one constant of the social media landscape is change. Many social platforms like Facebook and Pinterest publish holiday marketing guides to help businesses craft their own holiday marketing strategies. These guides can be invaluable when it comes to inspiration for new ideas or provide guidance for structuring things like your ad budget. For example, Facebook put out this Holiday Marketing Guide. In this guide, Facebook shared the results of a survey, “an average of 62% of surveyed people report doing most of their holiday shopping in December. Among these people, 1 in 4 make their purchases between December 11–20.” This means that you may want to dedicate the lion’s share of your Facebook ad budget to marketing efforts between December 11th and 20th! You know the platforms that are most valuable for your business, so don’t ignore great advice made available to you.
Need help with your holiday marketing strategy or want to get a head start on your 2018 marketing strategy? We would love to answer any questions you may have and start a conversation with you, contact us here.