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Written By The Art of Business Content Team
This Christmas, over 11% percent of Canadian consumers say they intend on spending over 1000 CAD on gifts. (Statista, July 2020).
Surprised? Considering that so many have been affected by COVID-19, you might be. However, the coronavirus has caused many to turn to online shopping even more than they did before.
Will your business be prepared for the surge? It sure will with these 12 brilliant Christmas marketing tips we’ve prepared for you!
The first Christmas marketing tip is that you PREPARE for the coming increase. From today, if you haven’t already, start working on a holiday season campaign with both content and scheduling. Doing this in advance means you will be ready to implement any deals or specials.
You should definitely read the room and keep in mind the effects of the pandemic. But take note, people are eager to have a sense of holiday spirit in their homes after months of dismay for many.
Preparation is also key when it comes to getting goods out on time. Many have been shopping way in advance due to known delays and because, well, many of us are sitting at home somewhat idle anyways.
Since many are taking to the web to get their holiday shopping in for this season, make sure you have the foundations in place and that your website is working smoothly. No hiccups while pages are loading or while completing a purchase. Savvy shoppers won’t tolerate it!
Keep track of where any shoppers might be dropping off before buying goods and see which areas need to be addressed. If you’re not on the web, now is the best time to add an option for e-commerce.
Additionally, make sure your site is mobile and tablet-friendly. If you have an app, see to it that you address all bugs and tweak it to its optimum performance. Whether on a laptop or on an app, try to execute a live chat element for assistance.
Don’t forget to put Christmas cheer on your website! Remember, the festive feeling should start as soon as a potential consumer comes into contact with your brand. Your website, of course, is the main face of your brand.
Redesign the home page and any other pages which you’d like to reflect the Christmas season. While it might take something out of your market budget, it’s worth the expense. User experience is essential to getting your Christmas marketing in a groove.
Once your website is well-prepped for visitors, make sure you bring your best items to the forefront. The home page is the best place to showcase your newest products or services.
Label a section with ‘Top Holiday Gift Ideas’ or the like. If you’re not sure what to include here, go with your bestsellers or top-rated items. If it’s a match, this will really bring joy to your visitors and make them feel your Christmas offerings are specially dedicated to them.
Consumers will especially appreciate Christmas competitions this year due to the unfortunate struggles many of them have had. You can run a competition on your website or via social media by having customers like a post, tag a friend, share the post, or perform an action.
Maybe you might want them to sing their favourite Christmas carol and then send the video your way. This will not only help with exposure, but it will also increase the loyalty of existing customers and build a sense of community for your brand.
If you’re a retail business, giveaways are an ideal way to gain exposure for new lines of products and to improve your SEO ranking through exposure. For a business like a hotel or a restaurant, which were heavily impacted by COVID-19, giveaways are especially useful.
You can offer gift cards, vouchers, a free product or service with a purchase, or a classic two-for-one deal. All of these, based on how they are enacted, have the potential to go viral and gain tons of traction for your business’ growth — just remember to be empathic in your campaign.
Christmas is a time of gratitude and humility. By now, your business should have done its part to help out those in need during the pandemic. Don’t be afraid to let others know about this.
The point is not to show off your giving spirit, but to encourage others to do the same, and to show that you understand and care about what’s going on. Consumers are paying attention.
As part of your Christmas marketing, give back and suggest ways others might do the same. This will establish trust for your brand and increase the likelihood that consumers buy goods from you.
Social media has made Christmas marketing better for both businesses and consumers alike. Instagram’s stories is now accompanied by their new feature, “Reels.” Use both to your advantage.
Have consumers answer polls as to what items they might want to see in a Christmas lineup. Make it personal by asking questions about how they’re spending their holiday. Remember, Christmas is primarily about the people, not the products.
Customizing goods where possible is a great way to boost your Christmas marketing efforts. Families worldwide have been separated, so personalized gifts are one of the few things that can really re-establish that connection between them.
Collaborations with other businesses are a great way to show that we’re all in this together, and to boost exposure for both you and a business partner. If you two can collaborate by giving back (with a giveaway or similar promotion), this would definitely work in both your interests.
Bonus: Instagram has just added a new branded content option. Both on Instagram Live and Reels, creators can now add a tag to show their content is under a paid partnership. This revenue-generating strategy from Instagram is a gift to influences for the holidays.
Christmas marketing email campaigns can let your customers know about all the above and more. While it’s a great time to send emails, don’t overdo it. Consumers are probably getting tons of Christmas emails already and yours could get lost in there.
Make your email stands out with a good subject line. In the body, you might employ techniques like sequenced emails that countdown to a giveaway. You might also send thank you messages to your consumers.
Along with Instagram, Facebook has also switched things up in time for the Christmas holidays. Back in July, the longstanding social giant added a data insights dashboard which is both interactive and extremely useful.
The dashboard displays seasonal trends you can use for your Christmas marketing. Facebook further gave businesses a campaign planning guide that runs for 26 pages. There’s a checklist, a list of tools, a calendar layout, and a breakdown of the best ad promotions Facebook offers for the holidays.
Christmas marketing this year need not be as hard as this year was overall. Here’s what to take away:
We hope that you reap the rewards this Christmas for all your hard work in marketing. And if it’s a bit too red on your side — not in the Christmasy way but in the “I’m so angry I’m turning red way — reach out to us, and we’ll guide you!