Yep, it’s nearly that time of year again. The decorations will soon be up, and Michael Bublé carol covers will soon be blaring out of every shopping centre speaker in the nation. While it’s a time for family, friends and relaxation, Christmas also brings a wealth of opportunity for savvy marketers – after all, nearly a fifth (19.2%) of retail sales take place over the holiday season.
Here are some tips for your Christmas marketing campaign:
Start a Campaign from Scratch
Last year, we told you to ‘tug the heartstrings and give stuff away’ when planning Christmas marketing. While that advice is still valid, businesses should be aiming high with targeted and diverse marketing campaigns for the holiday season.
Neil Patel, our real-life marketing Santa Claus, encourages advertisers to start all-new marketing campaigns for the holidays, rather than simply wrapping old campaigns in tinsel. Doing so will allow you to revert back to your old campaign after the holidays with minimal fuss.
You can strike gold with Adwords and PPC campaigns in the holiday season. Certain phrases and words can yield great results when paired with ‘Christmas’ or ‘holiday’. Do some research and take advantage.
Remember, Christmas marketing doesn’t need to be in your face – it needs to be on-brand and memorable. Check out this H&M advertisement directed by Wes Anderson and this video of Ron Swanson drinking Lagavulin whiskey for 10 hours straight for some inspiration. You may not have celebrities at your disposal, but you have creativity – think of your own unique spin on Christmas and use it to promote your products or services.
Start the Campaign Early
Don’t put off the start of your Christmas campaign until December – it will gain far more traction (and better results) if you start around Halloween. You might want to launch two separate campaigns, one focusing on Christmas sales and another on Black Friday, which is the biggest online shopping day of the year.
Reciprocity is Key – Reward Long-Term Customers
Christmas is the perfect time of year to reward your customers for their loyalty. This can be in the form of gifts, vouchers or sales. At the very least, we recommend that you send high-quality Christmas cards to your customers (these can be paper or electronic). If possible, these cards should include personalised greetings, as this establishes a relationship between you and your customers and builds brand loyalty. At Christmas time, reciprocity is key.
Craft a Christmas Campaign With Studio Culture
Whether it’s general digital marketing, Adwords/PPC, strategic social media and email marketing or remarketing, Studio Culture can help to bolster the digital presence of your organisation over the holiday period. We’ll be in office in the lead-up to Christmas, helping to drive sales for all of our clients.
To learn more about what we can offer you, contact us online or call 1300 200 113.
Note: Our office will be closed from December 25 to January 8.
