The Ultimate Guide to Marketing During the Christmas Period

Make Sure You Know Your Marketing Goals and Strategies Heading into This Christmas Period 

Before commencing a marketing campaign during the Christmas season, it is essential that your marketing team finalizes and clarifies what exactly they hope their campaign achieves during the busiest time of the year. Specifically, what are your sales targets? What are the characteristics of your target audience, how can you appeal to them this season, and how do you want your brand identity to appear this Christmas? With increased competition to stand out as the best service during this festive season, your marketers must remind themselves what your brand identity is and what makes your company special. It is essential your marketers stick to this and don’t go off-brand, otherwise, your brand may become lost in the traffic of festive marketing this season.

 Utilize Storytelling in Your Campaigns to Engage Customers.

The most successful marketing campaigns are the ones that are interesting and are set out as a story. As humans, “we are wired to process, relate to and remember stories”. Customers will be more interested in these types of advertisements and are more likely to remember these campaigns and therefore shop from your brand. Your marketing team can “stick to ideas or events that will benefit and arouse emotion in your target audience”. These could tap into the Christmas narratives of holiday nostalgia; being surrounded by family and friends and feeling grateful. These positive storylines are an advantage to your marketing campaign, as it is generally easy to appeal to your target audience through these positive storylines.

Use Remarketing to Make Existing Customers Feel Special. 

Don’t forget to make your existing clients and customers feel special this Christmas season! They cannot be neglected. You should aim to strengthen these relationships during this period to ensure they will be remaining loyal to your brand and purchase their Christmas gifts from you. If these customers feel remembered or valued, it is likely they will purchase from your brand. How do you do this and make existing clients feel special? You can “acknowledge them by offering special gifts, discounts or handwritten holiday cards”. Basically, you have to offer your valued customers discounts or early access to shopping experiences to stand out against your competitors and consequently increase the chances of your existing customers shopping at your store this Christmas season. If these individuals don’t feel valued by your brand, it is likely they may look elsewhere for their Christmas shopping.

Email Marketing

Extending upon the above point of the importance in making existing customers feel valued, using email marketing is the perfect way to achieve this. Email marketing, ‘unlike social media, is one of the few marketing channels that offer ample opportunities for personalization’. Sending emails to clients allows your marketing team to personalize messages that are guaranteed to reach the inbox of your customers. Your marketing team can use an existing customer list of individuals that are already interested in your products and services, with a history of their consumer behaviors with your company. Your marketing team can tap into this information, reaching out to customers by name and recognizing what products or services they typically favor. The personal element of marketing is extremely important during this Christmas period, as this generates a 6X higher transaction rate. This is because people desire to be seen as individuals who your brand recognizes by name and behavior. Your team must utilize this marketing tactic during the Christmas season, as to stand out against competitors during the busiest time of the year you must reach consumers in a personalized manner.

Suggest Ideas for Gifts to Make Shopping Easy and Efficient for Consumers

Everyone is extremely busy during this Christmas period; typically juggling long work hours alongside attempting to last-minute find the perfect gifts for family members and friends. Assist your customers by suggesting unique gifts and saving them time. These gift suggestions should appear generous and complete; ready to deliver to the present receiver. These presents could be specific gifts tailored to your target audience’s characteristics. These could be displayed on your Instagram or Facebook page with easy access to your website's shopping page. If you make shopping easier for busy consumers this festive season, you are enhancing the likelihood of them purchasing from your brand.

Use Your Social Media Networks- Instagram and Facebook 

Lastly, but not least important, it is integral to use your social media networks to inform customers of your Christmas specials. These social media platforms are basically where all your customers can be found. Your company must be generating interesting and inviting content across all social media platforms this season. Facebook and Instagram are also where you attract potential customers. Your advertisements may pop up on Facebook and Instagram due to their mutual friends liking or following your company page. However, what will make these potential consumers end up on your website is the attractiveness of your social media. You should be keeping up to date with social media trends of 2021; such as live streams and the popularity of video and visual content. Incorporate these into your Instagram and Facebook pages to increase the chances of potential customers clicking on your website through these platforms. 

The importance of marketing perfectly during the Christmas season is undeniable. There is increased competition and traffic amongst all brands. Make sure you are marketing advantageously for your company by following this guide and seeking assistance from professionals. Get in contact with Marketing Eye today to safeguard the success of your marketing during this Christmas period.

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