Ah, the sweet smell of pumpkin spice and desperation. It can only mean one thing: the holiday season is upon us. Now is the perfect time to get serious about your holiday marketing strategy and start laying the groundwork for a successful campaign.
But where do you begin? Don’t worry — by the time you’re done reading this, you’ll have a clear idea of what you need to do to set yourself up for success this holiday season.
Here are my top five tips to help you make the most of the holidays:
1. Embrace the holiday spirit.
We all know the pain of staring at a blank page at the start of a new project. Here’s the good news: unlike the lazy days of summer, there is more than enough inspiration to go around for email marketing, social media, blogging, and any other form of content marketing you can think of.
The holidays are a veritable cornucopia of clichés just waiting to be used in your content. Turkeys, Santa hats, stockings — if it’s festive, it’s fair game. Don’t shy away from these cultural touchstones. They show the holiday lovers in your audience that you’re part of this moment with them.
2. Make them an offer they can’t refuse.
When you think about brands and the holidays, what is the first thing that comes to mind? For most people, it’s one thing: DEALS.
During the holidays, consumers are more primed to buy than at any other time of the year. That means they’re more likely to listen to what you have to say. A lot of the legwork is already done! All you have to do is make a compelling argument and give them a great deal.
3. Decorate their inbox.
Email marketing is a fantastic avenue to send out holiday wishes to your loyal customer base. As always with email blasts, it is important to send out content that isn’t 100% pushy promotions. A holiday greeting email will do just the trick to make your readers smile and make sure they’re thinking about you when the time to make a purchase comes around.
4. Get personal.
The holidays are about kindness, togetherness, and family. What better time to make a real human connection with your audience? Lift the curtain and show them the people behind the brand.
Whether you post pictures (embarrassing or not) from your Christmas party or your team reaching out to the community for a volunteer event, this kind of content can really humanize your brand. Above all else, this content should be promo-free.
5. Have fun with it!
Cut out some of the promotional posts in your content calendar and make room for some wholesome holiday fun. Take the time to write and design content that your audience will genuinely want to share with their friends and family.
Think festive videos, recipes, crafts, and party tips, just to name a few. Embracing the holiday spirit can be a powerful way to boost engagement and give your audience a way to have a little fun with your brand.
The tips above are a great starting point, but they’re far from exhaustive. Now, it’s your turn. I’ll leave you with one final piece of advice: don’t let the holidays sneak up on you. With a well-developed strategy, the holiday season can be a huge opportunity to increase both visibility and sales. So start planning now, and maybe, just maybe, you can avoid the annual “December Panic™” that we all know and love.
