Prepare Yourself For The Holiday 🎊 Season!
The holiday season is approaching.
With the holiday season approaching, your marketing plan is probably looking a lot like Buddy’s (a character in an American Christmas comedy film, called “Elf”) list of holiday must-dos - making creative, building audiences, trafficking cookies 🍪, and more. Just like any campaign to-do list 📋, your holiday marketing strategy and execution need to be ready for prime time.
For the 2021 holiday season, digital marketing will be particularly important, since customers have been spending more time online due to the coronavirus 🦠. This holiday season will undoubtedly look different from previous years - less travel, more online 💻 purchases, and virtual or socially distanced gatherings with loved ones.
With a little thought 💭 and preparation, you can adapt your holiday marketing strategy 🧠 and execution to make the most of your new holiday landscape. You can even make it better with some help, especially from us!
Inspired by some wise words from one of the best holiday movies, Elf, here is a list of the 5 🖐 tips for your holiday advertising campaigns.
1️⃣ “Santa’s 🎅 Coming!”, so start now
This tip might be an obvious one, but it should not be overlooked. The holiday shopping 🛍 season will be longer than ever with COVID-19, changes to the back-to-school season, and increased online shopping. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), “40 percent of customers begin their holiday season shopping before Halloween 🎃.”
Beginning your digital advertising strategy at least two to three months in advance of the prime holiday shopping season is ideal. For most customers, the buying 💰 process will start much earlier than when the purchase is made. It would be best to spend time ⏰ and budgets, showing your potential customers why they should buy with you well before they are ready to buy, and nurture them through the sales process.
By doing this, you are allowing an ample amount of time for the customer to become aware 👀 of your brand. This will enable you to ensure you are serving an audience 👥 that is most likely to buy, rather than initiating customer discovery at a time when sales are very critical. If we can learn anything from Buddy, it is that the best elves and marketers plan well in advance.
2️⃣ “The best way to spread Christmas 🎄 cheer” is engaging creative
The holiday season is a time to stand out with your creative message ✉️. Creating eye-catching, creative assets is one of the best ways to reach your desired audience. Your creative assets for your holiday campaign can be festive, emotional, or humorous 😂.
However, it should be bold and fit with the overall theme or focus of this year’s efforts. With the state of 2021, you should think about how you can evolve your creatives and messaging to reflect 🪞 your target audience’s current situation and context.
Another way to engage your target 🎯 customers is to include any special offers or deals on the creative, especially for returning shoppers. These can be displayed as the main headline, “Save with us this holiday season,” or the call-to-action 📞 “Save 15% Today”. Most importantly, ensure you create unique touch points with shoppers who visited you over the past few months by serving up relevant offers 📣 appropriate for the holiday season. This way, you are reaching an audience that is already aware of your brand.
3️⃣ “Ow! Son of a nutcracker,” that did not work
After an unprecedented year, many customers and retailers are looking forward to the holiday season, but they know that many traditional activities like Black Friday shopping 🛒 are not a reality. More brands and stores are focusing on e-commerce sales, which is expected to increase 📈 competition even more.
Around 61 percent of retailers expect more activity through digital advertising channels, and businesses are ramping up their holiday marketing plans. It is essential to note 📝 that many unknowns and strategies will not always work as we approach the holiday season, but fret not, there are adjustments you can make to be successful.
4️⃣ “You did it!” and keep going
Customer behaviours will take center stage this holiday season as they could shift and change quickly. Like the rest of 2021, the holiday season may bring some surprises 😮 that will require marketers and brands to adjust their strategies. Looking at trends from previous years and how the pandemic has shifted preferences and habits, this year's holiday shopping will be different, and brands should prepare for that as they plan 🤔 their digital strategies this holiday season.
5️⃣ “You want me to help 🤝?”, we are here for you
This year, many businesses and marketers are looking forward to the holiday season more than ever. You are not alone in hoping that the holiday season could help to make up for lost revenue during the beginning of the year and start 2022 with a positive 👍 note.
So, we are here for you. Reach out to our AK47™ team of experts, and we will help sprinkle your advertising campaign with some holiday cheer 🤩😎.
Reference:
Sullivan-Jenks, M. 2021, August 5. Lessons learned from Elf: Five tips for your holiday marketing strategy.
