Many companies have started their holiday marketing campaigns months ago to try and get ahead of the chaos.
If your sales are lackluster or you feel like you need to play catch up, don’t worry. We’ve gathered our favorite holiday marketing campaign strategies—and all of them are things you can do in this final week before the end of the year.
1. Create a Sense of Urgency – (ONLY 1 DAY LEFT!)
You have a sense of urgency about your holiday sales (we’re assuming that’s why you’re reading this) but do your customers?
The holiday timeframe is the most competitive, crowded marketing window of the year. In fact, in one study last year by YesMail, an email service provider, they estimated that consumers received nearly 50% more emails in the October to January time frame than they typically do on “normal” weeks throughout the year!
Despite the massive uptick in emails received, the same study found that subscribers maintained their usual open rate. This means more emails will be read during the holiday time frame – yay!
But, the fact remains that your subscribers’ inboxes are bursting at the digital seams. Stand out from the crowd by creating a sense of urgency and thanking your best customers.
- Consider limited-time offers for your loyal VIP customers
- Notice that you have a wide segment of shoppers who lag? Hit them harder, with additional reminders prior to your biggest sales.
- Not sure if you have the margins to do as deep a discount as you wish? The warm and fuzzies go far over the holiday season. Thanking your customers and putting extra effort into amusing and fun creative may do the trick.
2. #Hashtag Your Heart Out
Savvy shoppers will take to social media before they even hit the stores, searching for the best deals and biggest bang for their buck.
‘Tis the season to take advantage of holiday-driven hashtags and help get your promotions noticed. Don’t forget to include links! Also, consider offering a social media only sale to give a special benefit to those who follow you online.
Top holiday #Hashtags this season include:
- #sales
- #deals
- #superdeals
- #cheap
- #markdowns
And remember, the holidays are not a time to drop the ball on customer service. Shoppers will tweet at you for answers—and given the time crunch, they’re going to want answers in near real-time.
Now, more than ever, is a good time to dedicate someone full time to social media.
3. Go for SMS Messaging
Or in other words, go where your customers are.
If they’re like most adults, they’re glued to their smart-phones. Invest in your mobile marketing for the holidays. It will pay off. Even if this is your first time trying this channel, it’s a safe time to test.
But first, make sure the experience is optimal the entire way through the sales process. If a shopper receives a friendly, timely SMS message, and then clicks through to a clunky site (not mobile-optimized) they’re not going to be patient. They’ll support another retailer.
4. Get Real Personal
When in doubt, let your personal, warm and conversational side shine through. No one wants to interact with a robot on Twitter, or buy from an ice queen! Weave stories into your holiday campaigns.
For example, tell the story of your brand and why this time of year matters most to your business; share a favorite holiday recipe; post pictures of your office holiday party online; offer up your best gift ideas.
Humanizing your brand not only helps on the sales front, it helps to form long-lasting relationships with your customers.
5. There’s Still Time to Research Holiday SEO Keywords
Put your knowledge of best practices and new keyword research work to use to make some fast and easy changes to your site that could give way to big results.
Tools like “Google Suggest” and “Related Searches” will give you a sense of queries that you may have missed. And add in no-nonsense word goodies like “best” and “top” and “deal” to hit what folks are looking for. Like, “best reindeer socks”. (Hmmm?)