A Step-by-Step Guide to Holiday Marketing
For a small business, the holidays are likely the most exciting and important time of the year. Don’t believe us? Check out these statistics:
Consumers spent $211.7 billion online over the 2022 holiday season, an increase of 3.5% year over year, per Adobe Analytics.
The top influences for holiday purchase decisions include price (50%), sales or discounts (22%), free shipping (13%), fast shipping (7%), BOPIS (4%), easy returns (4%) (Tinuiti 2022 Holiday Shopper Study).
62% of shoppers plan to “buy mostly online.”
70% of online shoppers foresee making purchases on their phone, 31% on tablet, 55% on desktop, and 8% using a voice assistant device.
This is why marketing matters, especially around “the most wonderful time of the year”.
Investing in your marketing efforts during the holidays gives you an opportunity to significantly boost revenue, connect with customers on a deeper level, and establish a strong brand presence in a crowded market.
In today’s blog post, we share a step-by-step guide on how to crush your marketing efforts during the holiday season.
At REM Web Solutions, we thrive on helping our customers grow their businesses in tangible and impactful ways. If you need support with your digital marketing efforts or website design and development, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our skilled team is always here to support you in navigating the digital landscape.
Let’s get started.
Set the Foundation: Prepare for the Holiday Season
You’ve probably heard that famous quote by Abraham Lincoln, “The best way to predict your future is to create it." Well, we agree.
Step 1: Assess Your Business Goals and Objectives for the Holidays
This entails a thorough evaluation of what you hope to achieve during the holiday season, whether it's increasing sales, expanding your customer base, or enhancing brand visibility.
Step 2: Budget for Holiday Marketing Campaigns
Ensure that you allocate financial resources effectively to various marketing channels and activities, aligning your investments with your desired outcomes.
Step 3: Identify Your Target Audience's Unique Holiday Preferences and Behaviours
This will enable you to tailor your marketing strategies to resonate with their needs and desires during this festive period.
Develop Your Holiday Marketing Strategy
Step 1: Create a Content Calendar for the Holiday Season
Start by planning and organizing your content in advance. A content calendar ensures that you have a structured approach to your holiday marketing efforts, including when to release specific content, promotions, and campaigns. It helps you stay organized and ensures consistent messaging throughout the season.
Step 2: Choose the Right Marketing Channels (e.g., Social Media, Email, Website)
Determine which marketing channels are most effective for reaching your target audience. This may include social media platforms, email marketing, your business website, or even offline methods like direct mail. Tailor your strategies for each channel to maximize their impact and ensure a cohesive brand presence across all touchpoints.
Step 3: Create Compelling Holiday-Themed Content and Visuals
Create engaging and relevant content that resonates with the holiday spirit. This could include blog posts, social media posts, email newsletters, videos, and more. Use festive visuals, such as holiday-themed graphics, images, and videos, to capture your audience's attention and convey the holiday atmosphere. Crafting content that aligns with the season's themes and emotions will help you connect with your audience on a deeper level and drive engagement.
Leverage Seasonal Promotions and Discounts
Strategies For Offering Special Holiday Promotions
Consider offering exclusive holiday-themed products or services that are only available during the holiday season.
Run "buy one, get one" (BOGO) promotions to incentivize larger purchases.
Provide discounts or promotions on popular items or services that are likely to attract holiday shoppers.
Create Urgency with Limited-Time Offers
Use countdown timers or clear expiration dates to emphasize the limited duration of your promotions.
Employ persuasive language in your marketing materials to convey the urgency of taking advantage of the offer before it expires.
Consider flash sales or daily deals to surprise and delight your customers while driving immediate action.
Implement Discounts and Bundling Products or Services
Offer percentage-based discounts (e.g., 20% off), dollar amount discounts (e.g., $10 off), or tiered discounts based on purchase amount.
Bundle related products or services together at a discounted package price, encouraging customers to buy more.
Provide loyalty rewards or early-bird discounts to repeat customers or those who shop early in the holiday season, fostering customer loyalty and early sales.
Engage with Your Audience
Build anticipation through teaser campaigns by creating a sense of excitement and curiosity among your audience by gradually revealing elements of your holiday offerings or promotions before the launch. This not only generates buzz but also keeps your audience engaged and eager to learn more about what your business has in store for the holiday season.
Encourage customer interaction through user-generated content and hosting holiday-themed contests and giveaways. This fosters a sense of community, empowering your audience to become active participants in your holiday marketing efforts while amplifying your brand's reach through their contributions and shares.
Optimize Your Website for the Holidays
Design a Festive and User-Friendly Website
Incorporate holiday-themed visuals, such as banners, graphics, and colour schemes, to create a festive atmosphere that aligns with the season.
Ensure that your website's navigation is intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy for visitors to find holiday-related products, promotions, and information.
Highlight key holiday messages and calls to action (CTAs) prominently on your homepage and product pages to capture visitors' attention.
Implementing Ecommerce Enhancements
- If you have an ecommerce website, streamline the checkout process to minimize friction and cart abandonment. Offer guest checkout options for convenience.
- Add product recommendations and upsell features to suggest complementary holiday items, encouraging customers to explore more of your offerings.
- Enable reviews and ratings on product pages to build trust and help customers make informed purchase decisions.
Ensuring Mobile-Friendliness
Optimize your website for mobile devices to accommodate the increasing number of shoppers using smartphones and tablets during the holiday season.
Test your website's mobile responsiveness to ensure that all elements, including images and buttons, are accessible and functional on smaller screens.
Consider implementing mobile-specific features like click-to-call buttons for customer support and mobile-optimized forms for easy contact or purchase.
Holiday Email Marketing Campaigns
Create Engaging Holiday-Themed Email Content
Design holiday-themed email templates with festive visuals and seasonal colours to capture subscribers' attention and create a holiday atmosphere.
Create compelling and personalized email copy that highlights your holiday promotions, products, or services, emphasizing their value to recipients.
Use storytelling to evoke emotions and connect with readers on a personal level, such as sharing heartwarming holiday stories or success stories related to your products or services.
Segmenting Your Email List for Personalized Messages
Divide your email list into segments based on various criteria, such as past purchase history, demographics, or engagement level.
Create tailored email content for each segment, addressing their needs and interests during the holiday season.
Implement dynamic content and product recommendations in your emails to make them even more relevant to individual subscribers.
A/B Testing Subject Lines and Content to Maximize Open Rates
Experiment with different subject lines to find the ones that resonate best with your audience and entice them to open your emails.
Test various elements of your email content, including images, headlines, and call-to-action buttons, to optimize click-through rates and conversions.
Analyze the results of your A/B tests to refine your email marketing strategy continually and improve performance throughout the holiday season.
Leverage Social Media for Festive Engagement
Create a detailed content calendar outlining the posts, visuals, and captions you plan to share on your social media platforms throughout the holiday season. Ensure that your content calendar aligns with your overall holiday marketing strategy, with posts that promote your holiday offerings, showcase your brand's festive spirit, and engage your audience. Schedule posts in advance to maintain a consistent and timely social media presence, reducing the last-minute stress of content creation.
At REM Web Solutions, we thrive on helping our customers grow their businesses in tangible and impactful ways. If you need support with your digital marketing efforts or website design and development, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our skilled team is always here to support you in navigating the digital landscape.
