7 Ways to Up Your Holiday Marketing Game

The holidays are almost here, and its t-minus three weeks from Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Do you have a plan of action? If your answer is no, congratulations, you’re just like every other company out there. Most businesses procrastinate when thinking about their holiday marketing strategy, so you’re not alone. However, planning in advance can have its benefits. Here are seven ways to up your marketing game to make the most out of the holidays.

1.  Develop A Content Calendar

Planning your content in advance is always ideal but especially when it comes to the biggest shopping days of the year. Having a well-thought-out strategy and compelling mix of content will keep your brand consistent, and you’re messaging on point. Being proactive instead of reactive will keep you focused during one of the busiest times of the year when the competition is fierce, and the stakes are high.

2.  Stand Out

The average consumer sees about 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day (yeah, crazy, right?). This average is even higher around the holidays. When developing your holiday strategy, you must think long and hard about what makes your business different from all the rest. Then, think about how you can translate that into eye-catching creative and messaging that grabs your audience’s attention at a glance. Consider anything to help you stand out against all the other noise of the competition.

3.  Research Your Competition

Regarding competition, frequent websites or stores that are considered your direct competitors to see if they are leaking any details about their holiday deals and incentives. Most deals are published in early November so keep an eye out. The beautiful thing about digital marketing is that you can adjust/undercut the competition if needed with just a click and a little notice.

4.  Incentivize

You would think this one would be a given, but you’d be surprised at how many companies ignore this low-hanging fruit. One-third of shoppers say holiday weekend purchases are driven by promotions. Nothing will entice shoppers to pull the trigger on their loaded cart more than a discount or incentive. Money talks and customers want to feel like they are getting a better than average steal for Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals. So what if a deep discount isn’t possible for your line of business? There are creative ways to incentivize consumers to take action, such as BOGO deals, giveaways, free gifts with purchase, rewards, and cash/credits to spend at a later date.

5.  Timely Messaging

When promoting your brand around the holidays, timing is everything. Make sure you’re posting during peak times when your customers are online. Also, consider time-sensitive promotions or incentives urging your customer to take advantage of a special offer before it’s too late! Amazon is a pro at this with their Amazon prime day deals. Having a clock that counts down to when the deal starts and ends creates a sense of urgency to purchase.

6.  Engage

When creating content, you always want your customer to engage, whether that’s liking or sharing a post, or ideally, purchasing a product or service you’re offering. Around the holidays, think of fun ways for your customers to interact with your brand. One amazing example of this is the Office Depot/Office Max Elf Yourself campaign. Millions of people have interacted with their website, creating unmatched brand exposure during one of the busiest times of the year. And what’s so great about it is that it’s so darn cute, which makes it highly shareable. That’s a home run for the holidays!

7.  Up your Mobile Game

More than half of shopping-related searches happen on mobile. It’s wise to make sure any holiday marketing communication (website, emails, ads, etc.) is mobile-friendly. To go a little deeper, you want to give your customers a seamless experience when they decide to purchase. Test your “check-out” process and identify any issues prior to Black Friday & Cyber Monday when web traffic tends to spike.

So there you have it. I hope these tips have sparked a few holiday marketing ideas of your own this season. Wishing you the best of luck!

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Sincerely,

Anna Teal