Marketing during the holidays can be madness! There’s so much going on and so much competition it can start to feel overwhelming. However, by following these simple dos and don’ts you can stay a step ahead this season.
- Do take time to make a specific holiday marketing plan that incorporates detailed goals and lays out the tactics and strategies you’ll use to reach those benchmarks.
- Do plan ahead and get your press releases and pitches out early. There’s going to be a lot of activity in the coming weeks and the earlier you get your plan and assets together the more likely you’ll be to secure coverage.
- Do take advantage of digital marketing and all its targeting capabilities. If you haven’t segmented your audience yet, now might be the time to try it! Your customers will receive customized advertising messages that speak to them, leading to more potential click-throughs and subsequently more sales.
- Do consider doing something special for your customers like a virtual event. Since big, in-person events are on hold, your customers will appreciate the opportunity to connect with your brand virtually. Think of a fun holiday theme or activity and make sure to promote it with press releases, pitches and on owned channels. Don’t forget a custom hashtag!
- Do take last year’s holiday marketing campaigns into account even though this year may be quite different depending on your business model. What insights can you gain that will help you this year?
- Do invest in social media including creating a holiday-themed cover photo, developing special holiday posts and increasing your budget for social ads. There will be stiff competition during the holidays, so you’ll need to increase your cost-per-click bids during this season.
- Do keep your thoughts on your customer. We can’t say it enough, but marketing during the holiday season during a global pandemic is going to take just the right messaging. Make sure to focus on your customer and communicate authentically with them.
- Don’t put all your eggs into the Black Friday basket. With online purchases being a huge shopping strategy this year, customers can buy at any time without having to head to the store on Black Friday. You don’t have to ignore Black Friday, but make sure to have a consistent push throughout the entire season.
- Don’t ignore your website and ecommerce storefront. Since you’ll likely be directing people to your website for more information or purchase, it’s vital that it’s easy to navigate and complete a purchase. If you’ve been putting off some updates, you might want to get those wrapped up before we’re deep in holiday season.
- Don’t make every post on owned channels a sales post or holiday post. One sure way to lose both your authenticity and your followers is to constantly push sales or over-post about the holidays.
You’ll be on point this year if you follow these helpful dos and don’ts for marketing during the holidays.