We just left Halloween behind us, and this means only one thing: it’s time for your holiday marketing campaign. This is that time of the year when you can increase sales and get new customers!

Here are some marketing tips for holiday season to survive the madness and get the best out of it.

The customer journey starts on mobile

As said in the previous post, nowadays many customer journeys start on mobile. And it’s ok to assume the holiday shoppers are not different. 

People look at their phone for information on a product and they want to find the most relevant one to their search regardless of the brand providing it. So, try to give them the answer they are looking for and they will be more likely to purchase from you.

Mobile users are also increasingly more impatient. Give them a seamless online experience, especially for what concerns the payment, but also in store. For instance, provide the opportunity to pre-order an item online, so that they can just come and pick it up. You will make them save some time, and they’ll love it.

Look at your past holiday marketing campaigns

Look at your data from the past. Which products sold the most? What got the most engagement? On what dates did you have the biggest sales peaks? This is very valuable information to help you prepare for this year:

• Get enough stock of last year’s top sellers
• Create campaigns that address that specific need
• Adjust your calendar with tactics and promotions according to the business spike days
• If you sell online, make sure your website can handle extra traffic on those months

Plan a social media campaign

Social media are key in this season. You should plan your strategy in advance to make sure everything is ready and you can actually focus on customers and sales. However, this doesn’t mean you can just let the campaigns run without ever looking at them

• Be creative with compelling and attention grabbing visuals
• Don’t forget video
• Provide enough information why your product is a season must have
• Interact on Facebook groups to show the human side of your business, don’t focus on ads only
• Be responsive to people’s questions to show you care about them

Holiday season is also a great opportunity to provide value to your target audience. So, go to the “places” where they “hang out” and comment, offer useful information and, of course, promote your products. Your goal is to grab your fans’ attention, in order to get them do the job for you and save some money on ads.

 

Plan your email campaign

Your email marketing campaign for the holiday season should obviously be mobile friendly, as many of the customers will read the emails on their phones.

The first step is a compelling subject line that will make people open the email. To stand out you should write something that makes them feel the need to buy immediately or that contains blessings or words of gratitude. If possible, personalize it to deliver a more authentic experience and put funny emoji. If you have a special offer for holiday season, put it up front.

In the body of the email, add a call to action, especially with a “buy now” button that smoothly redirects the readers to your website.

Create holiday coupons, specials and discount codes

Create a coupon or special for the holidays, to attract more people to your store. Make people feel FOMO (fear of missing out). Use a slogan such as “going fast”, “last chance” etc. They will have a further reason not to miss your product!

It’s also good if you create deals:

• Make a deal for new clients, to attract them
• Create another one for returning customers, to encourage them buying again

This way you make them more loyal to your brand, and they will visit you again, even after the holidays.

Of course, promote those offers on social media and in your email campaign.

Create a product that will be available only during holiday season

Sell a specific product at that time of the year only. People will feel FOMO and will want to buy it, as it will be something exclusive. 

If you sell online, create a specific landing page for that offer and optimize your entire website around it. This will give it the right visibility while creating expectations for that unique product.

This message should also be integrated into your social media and email marketing campaigns, to make sure everybody knows about it. 

Create an early holiday preview sale in November

Running a sale in November is a smart move for many reasons:

• You will get rid of some hard to sell products
• Your customers won’t be in the holiday rush
• People will buy, even if just for themselves and not feel bad about it
• Satisfied customers will come back to you to buy more gifts
• You will stand out from competition

You should promote this campaign very heavily, on social media and with your emails. Don’t worry if you feel like you’re exhausting your clients, you’re doing something special and they need to know about it. An idea is to encourage them to spread the word and bring some friends, rewarding them with additional discounts.

Segment your holiday marketing campaign

It’s always easier to get an existing client come back rather than acquiring a new one. Customization can be a very good tool to effectively re-engage your customer base and stand out.

First of all, pick your list of people who purchased in the last 6 months and segment it. It can be based on demographics, purchase preferences, how much they spent etc. Some individuals might fall in different categories, but it’s important to have each one in only one group.

Then, create targeted messages and offers for the different segments and reach out to them on the channel that best suits them.

Quality is better than quantity! You might get to fewer people, but they will be more valuable and more likely to convert.

Don’t forget to measure your results and check them in January. This will help you figuring out what worked and what didn’t and if your segments were accurate. You will replicate this model next year or in other peak seasons, but in a revised and improved way.

Don’t forget about the last-minute shoppers

Your customers are probably as busy as you are before the holidays and some of them will want to buy last minute. Google reports that in 2016 there was a peak on Christmas Eve for searches such as “where to buy”, “shops open on Christmas Day”.

So, make sure you still have enough inventory and, especially, inform your clients about your opening hours during the holidays. Put this information already on the landing page of your website, share it on Facebook and in your email campaign.

Send a post-holiday email

Once the holidays are over, keep your customers engaged. The best way is to send a post holiday email where you thank them for their purchases, but you also inform them about new sales.

You can send this email in early January, wishing them a happy new year and informing them on a limited time offer you made for your loyal customers. They will keep you in mind over the year. It’s also a great way to remind those people who received a coupon from your store to use it.

 

So, are you ready to rock this holiday season? Check out my services for further support.