It’s that time of the year once again. People exchanging gifts while endlessly feasting on the tastiest delights and listening to stories by the fireplace. It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year, even for us marketers.
Christmas is undoubtedly the peak-spending season of everyone. Just about every person is ready to splurge on all kinds of products and services. That’s why it’s an essential critical season for marketers and businesses alike. Considering all the competition you have right now, you want your business to stand out.
For all of us, marketing during the holidays means ending the year with a bang. So if you are looking to do the same, here are holiday marketing tips as shared by pros.
- Plan for holiday marketing early
Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean it’s the only time you’re going to try and cook up something for a better holiday cheer. You want to begin as early as possible and have a solid plan as to how you’re going to promote your products and services this season.
Ad Roll’s Elliott Moore shares, “According to research, 40% of consumers begin their holiday shopping by Halloween, which means your campaigns should launch by mid-October. This not only lets you take advantage of the Thanksgiving rush, but it also spreads awareness of your brand for Cyber Monday and the rest of the holiday season.”
- Zero in on the niche
We all want to catch as much fish as we can. After all, we have to make as much as we can before another year wraps up. However, that doesn’t mean you should exert your marketing efforts for everyone in your demographic range. That may mean investing more than earning. Furthermore, you may end up failing to focus on enough that will help drive people to buy your products and services.
Try not to do so much. Forbes’ Jayson DeMers explains, “You may ordinarily cater to multiple demographics, but for your holiday campaign, it’s better to focus on one niche at a time. This will give you the chance to speak more directly, with more appropriate visuals, narrative devices, and wording in your campaign. This is especially important when you start focusing on empathy, which I address further down in this list.”
- Give away free samples
If you have a physical store and you want to attract more people to buy your products, one of the best ways to do so is to provide free samples. It makes it easy for people to get oriented with what you have to offer without fearing of paying for something they may end up disliking. Plus, free samples will encourage more people to buy what you are offering simply because you gave them an opportunity to try something for free.
Small Biz Trends’ Annie Pilon shares, “For those businesses that sell food items or anything that customers might want to try out before buying, giving away free samples can be a good strategy to encourage more sales and get more people through the door.”
- Show them a live snippet
The boom of “live” videos has catapulted countless businesses to instant stardom and viral success. This strategy has given them the opportunity to showcase their products and services in a more personal and relatable way, thereby making them more attractive to their market.
Twitter’s head of content, Stacy Minero explains, “Live video has exploded this year. Although that’s in part due to better technology, it’s also because people are eager for quick hits of inspiration — especially during the holidays. When brands embrace the idea of being “live broadcasters,” they’re giving fans an inside look behind the scenes or at an event that they couldn’t attend.”
- Create holiday-specific content
Last but certainly not the least, it’s important to highlight holiday-specific content during this time. You want your campaigns and promotions to center on this season because everyone is currently into it. Moreover, it makes your marketing efforts relevant, interesting and engaging.
Search Engine Journal’s Anna Crowe says, “Now that you have the keywords, you want to target begin writing holiday-specific content paired with keyword terms. If you’re targeting similar keywords from the past, you’ll want to unarchive past landing pages to utilize the momentum, links, and performance from those pages.
It is the same scenario if you’re creating a new page targeting a holiday-specific keyword. You don’t want to delete that page, just archive it for future repurposing. And, try to give yourself a 45-day window to publish content ahead of the time.”
Make this season count by being strategic with your marketing efforts. By next year, you will begin on a strong, high and profitable note.
