There’s no denying that Black Friday, Christmas and Boxing Day sales are some of the most anticipated online holiday sales each year, and we’re here for them!
Thanks to the increasing growth and success of online shopping, thousands of businesses take advantage of annual holidays every year to run giveaways, sales and special deals, and it’s no surprise that many businesses reap the financial rewards.
So, how does one plan a successful holiday marketing campaign, stand out from the rest and manage to bring in revenue for their business?
I’ve put together my top 5 tips to help you plan and roll out your next holiday campaign smoothly and successfully.
Start planning early!
It can be easy to get caught up in the excitement and opportunity of an online holiday sale, or even feel a little bit of FOMO if you’re not running a deal – I get it!
But I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to hold a sale or campaign every time there’s a significant holiday. Infact, doing so could cause more harm than good and there are a couple of reasons for this;
- Understandably, plenty of time, money and resources are invested into pulling a holiday campaign together. While taking every opportunity you can to bring in sales or increase engagement might seem like a good idea, it’s important to find a happy place where you aren’t putting in more time and energy than the reward you’re receiving in return!
- If you provide your followers with countless opportunities to snag a bargain each year, you may just find you’re doing your business a disservice - taking away the anticipation of a sale and giving your potential customers a reason to “not purchase this time”.
My suggestion? Be purposeful when locking in your holidays. Think about how the holiday aligns with, or relates to your brand, product or service offering. For example, a Cake Decorator may choose to run a giveaway in the lead up to the Easter long weekend, or a Florist might choose to offer ‘2 for 1’ deals on all Christmas-themed arrangements across the holiday season.
Australian Marketing Calendar
January - New Year’s Day, Australia Day
February – Valentine's Day
April - Easter
May – Mother's Day
June - EOFY
September – Father's Day
November – Melbourne Cup, Black Friday/Cyber Monday
December – Christmas, Boxing Day
Ensure your branding stands out
In my opinion, the branding element of your campaign is arguably one of the most important factors in its success. The key here is to theme your campaign in alignment with the chosen holiday, while still maintaining your business’ own style.
It’s important to remember that your business won’t be the only business running a campaign across the holiday period – make sure you stand out!
How do you do this? There are a number of ways to style your campaigns while still achieving brand recognition:
- Change only colours. The idea here is that you would maintain your business font/s and graphics, changing only the colours to match the theme of the holiday.
- Add only graphic elements. With this branding option, you might simply add some themed graphics to your regular brand style that reflect the chosen holiday. Your fonts, colours and overall style remains the same.
- Change everything except your logo. If you’d like to go the extra mile with your holiday campaign, and see a great opportunity to create some killer artwork, our suggestion would be to ensure your logo remains visibly prominent across the artwork. Remember, you still need to stand out!
- Add subtle characteristics to your logo. Simply adding a set of bunny ears or a Santa hat to your logo is a great way to keep your brand style clean and consistent, while still drawing attention to the chosen holiday.
Keep your campaign simple!
One sure-fire way to stand out from other businesses during a holiday campaign is to remove any barriers for your potential customers to:
- engage with you,
- buy from you, or
- enter your giveaway.
Of course, you still want to maximise your opportunity for increased followers and engagement through your campaign, so don’t sell yourself short when setting the rules for your giveaway or deal.
Here are some small changes you can make across your social media to increase your engagement and sales:
- Avoid asking your followers to jump through hoops to enter your giveaway. Pick a strategy that you know works for your followers and stick to that
- Add pop up links to your webpage that promote the current campaign
- Utilise your database and send a newsletter out to your warmest audience
- Update the link in your Instagram bio to take the end user directly to the campaign information/dedicated web pages
- Add swipe up links or web links to your social media stories
- Spell out your offering in your post graphic and text so the end user doesn’t need to go searching for the information
If you are planning to host a giveaway on social media, remember to check the platforms guidelines along with your governing regulatory body (https://legalvision.com.au/lotteries-and-competitions/).
Remember what the holiday is really for
While it’s exciting (and easy!) to get lost in online shopping, bang-for-your-buck bargains and the overall frenzy of a sale, as a business it’s incredibly important to not lose sight of why we have a holiday in the first place.
Remember to acknowledge the true meaning of the holiday. It may seem like a small part of the campaign planning process, but it’s something that shouldn’t be glossed over. For example, ANZAC Day is not an appropriate 'holiday' to run a campaign.
At the end of the day, holiday campaigns can be a lot of fun! The potential for financial return is fantastic when your campaign has been implemented with planning, purpose and strategy.
Need a hand putting together that perfect holiday campaign?
Don’t be a stranger! If you’re looking for advice and guidance on running your own online holiday campaign our experienced team is here to help and, let’s be honest, we love a good sale!
Click here to get in touch with us about maximising your financial and business growth opportunities online.
Author Bio
Michelle Trimble is a degree qualified marketing specialist who is passionate about breaking down the barriers business owners face when it comes to digital marketing!
After nearly 10 years working in the industry, Michelle decided to start Poppy Seed Media with the mission to provide more accessible marketing services.
Every business has the right to incredible marketing!
Michelle has provided marketing training to hundreds of individuals, working with businesses around the world to improve their overall strategies. Outside of the working world, Michelle is a mum to three young boys and loves any opportunity to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.
If you would like to book a free discover session with Michelle, please reach out.
