Consumers who do most of their shopping online tend to make more impulse purchases, but also tend to be savvier about seeking out sales and special deals. They also start shopping for the holidays much earlier than you’d expect! While people used to wait until Black Friday to start checking out holiday specials, ecommerce stores are now offering huge sales and promotions from summer onwards. In order for your business to compete in the online marketplace, you should start planning your holiday marketing now. Take a look at our suggestions for your 2022 holiday marketing checklist and then create a strategic marketing plan of your own.
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If your holiday marketing creates an immersive experience for customers, they are much more likely to stay on your site longer and spend more money. For instance, if you do a full site overhaul so that each page, from the home page onwards, is geared towards the holidays, customers will want to keep exploring to see what else you have to offer. A memorable holiday marketing campaign is one that creates an emotional connection with the audience, and that carries those holiday vibes through their marketing emails, social media posts, online promotions and contests, website, print ads, and more.
Customers are more likely to spend more money if your holiday marketing campaign creates a sense of urgency. Words like “limited edition,” “going fast,” “one of a kind,” and “flash sale” all make customers more likely to buy now and buy more. Offering free gifts to the first 100 customers or marketing a limited-time offer will also bring more people to your site. A free gift or special sale will end up encouraging customers to spend more in order to get the freebie or discount.
You can also use your holiday marketing to encourage impulse purchases. Whether you’re targeting customers on social media, your website, or via email, you can use holiday marketing strategies that make customers more inclined to buy something right away, even if it’s something they didn’t realize they needed. For instance, a holiday advent calendar allows you to spotlight a new product every day leading up to the holidays. Combining the advent calendar approach with a sense of urgency, such as “today’s advent deal – get it while it lasts!” will make customers feel like they have to have it, right away.
Giving your customers added value through contests and giveaways increases your brand awareness and allows you to reach more customers. Customers will share your contests and giveaways with friends and family, especially if doing so increases their chance of winning. Your audience will grow, and you’ll create goodwill among your customers. Even customers who don’t win will be tempted to buy your products for themselves once they’ve discovered them.
More and more consumers are shopping on mobile devices than ever before, and there’s no reason to think that will change during this year’s holiday season. If your company doesn’t have a mobile app for customers to shop on, you should review and refresh your website’s mobile experience to make sure it is fast, easy to use, and doesn’t have any snags. Customers give up easily, and if your site isn’t optimized for mobile, they might be encouraged to move on to one of your competitors.
Customers are more likely to choose you over your competitors if you tap into their sense of holiday nostalgia. Create holiday gift guides that encourage them to make more personal choices with their gift-giving. Create ads and social media posts that are classic and timeless and remind them of happy holidays of the past. Even if a customer thinks they’re done with their holiday shopping, the right ad at the right time can draw them back in and encourage them to make an impulse purchase.
Another way to generate interest in your brand and products, especially with a new audience, is to plan special, one-time-only holiday events. You could host an in-store pop-up with a local artist or collaborator and create limited edition products to go along with the partnership. You could ask a local musician to play a special holiday concert in-store or stream it online on your social media sites. Or you could have a local chef do an in-store or online cooking demonstration using your products. Be creative and use your holiday marketing to generate buzz and encourage interaction and engagement.
The end of the holiday season doesn’t mean the end of your marketing plan. Think of ways that you can continue your customer engagement into the new year. One way to do this is to offer a coupon with each purchase that can’t be used until 2023. That will encourage customers to come back in January and make another purchase. You could also offer a sneak peek at post-holiday sales, giveaways, or products to incentivize customers to come back in the new year and check them out.
Wondering where to start with your company’s holiday marketing efforts? The Group6 Interactive marketing team is highly rated, experienced, knowledgeable and standing by to help. We create comprehensive marketing plans and engaging web design for businesses of all sizes throughout Vermont, and we can discuss your marketing goals, budget, strengths and weaknesses, and products and services to create a holiday marketing plan that works for you. Our diverse team of experts has years of experience in creating memorable marketing campaigns for both local businesses and large national brands. Our robust marketing strategies can grow your customer base, engage site visitors, and encourage sales this holiday season. To learn more or to schedule an initial consultation, call us today at (802) 342-4656 or contact us online.
