how to sleigh your festive marketing campaigns
Now I know that the Summer Hols are only just coming to an end but …. The ‘BER months are coming, which means it’s time to get your Christmas marketing plans in place.
The great thing about getting all the planning under your belt now, is that when the busy Christmas period arrives you’ll be able to focus on delivery and maybe even have time for eggnog and festive fun!
Plus, research shows that due to tighter budgets people are actually starting to look for Christmas presents earlier to give themselves plenty of time to compare prices, take advantage of sales, and plan their spending more effectively.
So dust off your fave Chrimbo jumper, grab a hot chocolate and let’s dive in to my top ten tips for “sleighing” your festive marketing campaigns.
1. think about Last Christmas …
When it comes to campaigns, we don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. Take some time to look at what worked well last year, was there an email that performed better than the others? Did a certain product sell quicker than others? What socials had the most engagement and reach? All of these insights will help you to piece together your plan for this year.
It also helps you to understand your customer behaviour a bit more and target them with things that you know will resonate. E.g Targeting customers with comms about similar products / services to what they purchased last year, or with special offers if you know they are bargain hunters.
2. Work backwards…
There can be a lot of moving parts when it comes to your Christmas campaign, so start by looking at posting dates or the last date you want to take orders for. Then take into consideration key dates such as black Friday, Cyber Monday (if you take part in them) and any markets or events you have planned in the diary. Once you have these key dates in the diary in makes it a lot easier to plan in supporting social posts, product photoshoots, email campaigns and any PR activity.
3. Deck the halls with a deal or two
We all love a bargain, so promo offers are a great way to get more people buying from you, think about short term offers / flash sales, or bundles.
Alternatively if you don’t want to offer discounts this year think about drawing attention to the way that you add more value. For example do you have gift cards that are great for last min shoppers, do you offer a gift wrapping service for people who are time poor, is there only a limited number of certain products or perhaps you have excellent shipping or click and collect options.
4. #Festive
Using social to promote your Christmas campaigns is a no brainer, it’s cheap, has great reach and you can also run some paid ads to give your activity a boost if / when it needs it. Set some time aside to create a list of popular hashtags you can use over the coming festive season #FestiveVibes (make sure you capitalise each word to make it more accessible – Christmas is for everyone after all)
If you have events running or just want to people to share their purchases and experiences of buying from you think about creating a unique hashtag that customers can use when sharing their content. This will help to increase your reach AND it will give you some lovely User Generated content you can repurpose throughout the campaign.
When it comes to creating your content set aside a decent chunk of time in the diary to plan your key messages, call to actions and any templates you need to create to make your content.
Then when it comes to the content mix varied, make sure you keep it varied, think carousel, single images, reels, stories, polls, knowledge sharing and maybe even a competition to increase that engagement and reach further.
5. Deliver Christmas cheer directly to inboxes
Email is a really powerful tool for Christmas campaigns. Get a good mix of fun and sales you don’t want to just be showing up in peoples inbox shouting “buy me!!”. Personalise emails where possible using previous purchase data to highlight things you’ll know they will love.
People might not want “full festive” in September / October so think about easing them in with some more toned down Christmas content, before going full Buddy the Elf in November and December.
Also be mindful that not everyone celebrates Christmas so if you are going to go all out with your emails think about offering people the option to adjust their preferences before your campaign gets underway.
6. Christmassy collabs
Team up with other small businesses to create a win-win situation. Whether it's a joint giveaway, a bundled product, or a special event, collaboration can expand your reach and attract new customers.
Plus, it’s a great way to support your fellow small biz friends and split the cost of marketing your businesses.
7. Have a holly jolly shopping event
Hosting a Christmas shopping event is a great way to really showcase your products, build customer relationships, and create a brilliant customer experience that keep shoppers coming back for more.
They can be open to all to help increase your brand awareness and create a bit of a buzz in your local community or you can use them as a reward for loyal customers.
8. Give the gift of content
Create Christmassy content that provides value to your audience. Think blog posts with gift ideas, DIY decorations, or festive recipes. Not only does this engage your customers, but it also positions you as a go-to resource for Christmas inspo.
It also gives you lots of content to repurpose on your socials and in emails on the run up to Christmas, just make sure you add in calls to action where you can.
TOP TIP : Pinterest is a great place to share this content as research shows that “Pinners” usually start looking for and saving Christmas content as soon as September begins. Make sure any content you share has a link back to your site to get those visits to your site coming in.
9. make your brand shine bright with PR
Using PR as a part of your campaign can help you to reach a wider audience. Pitch your festive story to local newspapers, radio stations, podcasts and influencers focusing on all the great reasons to shop with you (e.g sustainability, local produce, handmade, limited quantity etc).
TOP TIP : Keep an eye out for gift guide requests on #JournoRequests on X or in your target publications, whilst some publications will have been doing call outs as early as July there is usually still some great opportunities in September to.
10. having a wonderful Christmas-time?
Measuring your Christmas marketing campaigns as they are running is crucial to ensure you're on track to meet your goals. By monitoring performance in real-time, you can quickly identify what's working and what isn’t, allowing you to make adjustments that maximise your ROI.
This helps you allocate your budget more effectively, optimise your messaging, and boost engagement during the crucial festive season.
Plus, understanding your campaign’s impact as it unfolds enables you to respond to changing customer behaviours and any trends that are happening.
Let’s wrap this up…
Whether it's through creating compelling offers, engaging with customers on social media, or hosting festive events, each strategy plays a key role in capturing the magic of the season.
Remember, the festive period is not just about selling – it's about connecting with your audience and making their Christmas brighter. So, plan ahead, stay creative, and most importantly, enjoy the process of sharing your festive spirit with your customers.
Need more support? Book in for a Power Hour we can chat about what you want to achieve and come up with a plan to get you there AND because I love Christmas I am offering £50 off all power hours booked before the 20th September with the code FESTIVEAF.
