For most businesses, the holiday season is the busiest time of year.
Whether it’s creating brand awareness with fresh, new holiday marketing campaigns, cleaning up your landing pages, or finding new ways to target a new demographic and everything in between, the list of tasks this most wonderful time of year can feel overwhelming and endless. However, business owners and marketers understand that while it may seem daunting, the holidays are an opportunity to make a big move and it will be your last chance to increase sales before the new year.
The holiday shopping season usually begins with Black Friday and Cyber Monday and leads up to the December holidays, and it’s never too early to start planning; being ahead of the game with help you avoid missing promotional opportunities or holiday sales.
As more consumers shop online, the preparation phase is the most crucial part of a successful season. Here are five holiday marketing tips to use this season to make those holiday promotions shine.
Review previous holiday marketing campaigns.
You can always learn and prepare from past successes – or failures. Look back at your data from previous years to understand where your strategies excelled and where you could use some improvements. Analyzing your previous campaigns will help you avoid making similar mistakes.
In addition to performance data, consider analyzing customer details and ask your team these questions:
- Has your consumer base changed a lot in the past year?
- What do they value?
- What are the main demographics?
Understanding these critical elements of your ideal customer will help you craft holiday messaging that clicks.
Be ready to adapt quickly.
No matter the size or style of your website, you’ll need to have a quick and fast-acting team available to resolve any issues that may occur on your site, your social media, or with your holiday ads.
It goes beyond digital and content preparations. Consider adjusting your customer service and operations teams to handle the extra visitors and orders. Additionally, have a plan in place for when things do not go according to plan.
Use a content-driven approach.
Your customers are highly familiar with holiday campaigns. They encounter the same thing every year, so their eyes may glaze over at the traditional marketing tactics.
Adding a content strategy piece to your holiday marketing ideas can bring on big rewards, especially if you implement a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. Optimized content, that is optimized well, will help drive organic traffic to your website as customers search for products you sell.
If you’ve introduced a new brand message or marketing strategy recently, be sure to weave that new messaging into your holiday campaigns; otherwise, it may result in a fragmented customer experience.
[Click here to download our holiday marketing toolkit!]
Consider an influencer strategy.
Influencer marketing, also known as branded content or working with creators, is a guaranteed way to expand your brand’s reach on social media. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tik Tok are clear avenues for brand interaction during the holidays. So, consider an influencer strategy this season.
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to making an influencer strategy work, so a lot of it is research and trial and error. However, with the proper planning, just about every business can benefit. Make your presence known to online consumers by applying a social media influencer strategy that can carry your business throughout the holidays and into the new year.
Partner with a non-profit.
After all, this is the season to be merry, and consumers are looking forward to the tradition and magic of the season.
For many, this means giving back. Consider partnering with a non-profit to encourage the holiday spirit while sharing your brand message with your customers. Think about partnering with a local organization or tapping into your customers to learn which organizations are close to their hearts. End the year on a positive note.
A surge in online shopping paired with a constant barrage of tough competition makes it harder for brands to succeed during the holidays. Still, you can take steps in advance to position your brand above others and earn loyal customers.
Start planning now, optimize your content, keep your customers in mind during every decision you make, and don’t forget about establishing lifetime value with your brand. If you need more holiday marketing tips and are ready to your brand and marketing campaigns to another level this holiday season, be sure to reach out to the experts at Sage Island today!