Posted on November 18, 2022 by Claire Page
Many consumers want to start holiday shopping earlier than expected to beat the rush and get the popular items before they sell out. Businesses should take note and start their holiday marketing campaigns early to reach those desirable customers.
Marketing strategies have had to evolve over the past years with the increase in influencer marketing, the pandemic, and an increase in online shopping. Customers are looking for the best deals on new and trending gifts and want them before they are gone.
Here are some useful tips for planning your holiday marketing campaign.
1. Start planning your holiday marketing strategy early to get a head start on the competition
Everybody wants to be first, so many businesses will plan for Christmas and holiday marketing strategies in the late summer months. With Black Friday’s kickoff of holiday shopping, most physical stores will start with those holiday promotions. For online retailers, Cyber Monday is the start of the holiday season.
You can encourage customers to shop earlier with your Black Friday campaign but to increase sales, you still need shoppers to continue shopping until Christmas.
You can start the upcoming holiday season with marketing campaigns geared toward holiday gift inspiration and shopping earlier to get the best deals. From there, you can maximize sales by having popular items put on special or “back in stock” to encourage consumers to continue buying.
2. Use more video content in your holiday season campaigns – it’s becoming increasingly popular and is more engaging than traditional text-based marketing
Influencers have created their own marketing strategy when it comes to holiday shopping. Trends such as #TikTokmademebuyit have become increasingly popular and have created a buzz around trending products. Creating video content and using your brand to work with popular influencers can help small businesses increase their retail sales and build their brand.
Emotional storytelling can help build an emotional connection with your customers when creating your own advertising content. Ads with happy endings and engaging stories resonate well with customers and can help positively influence your brand.
Use all sorts of social media platforms to promote your great deals. Remind people to start early for the 2022 holiday season. Post-engaging holiday content and the perfect gift for those in their lives.
3. Focus on Consumer spending
The holiday season is a time of giving, and customers want to know they are getting the best holiday deals. With the continuing rise of inflation, consumers may spend less this year than in previous years, so the cost will be a big factor in their decision-making.
Consumers want sales and will go to great lengths to find them. Holiday sales are the largest annual increase to businesses during the year, and it’s going to be tough when holiday shoppers are looking for the best deals.
Choose items that are popular but can be discounted. Look for brands that carry good quality items but are less expensive. Increase discounts on overstocked items to help move them out of the store.
Create a marketing strategy that helps customers find the perfect gift at the perfect price.
4. Gift Cards are Increasing in Popularity
With shipping delays and product popularity, it’s easy for shelves to become empty and sales to be lost. For those who find gift shopping a tedious task, gift cards might be the right answer for them to allow their receiver to choose what they want.
Having a good assortment of gift cards on hand for the holiday season can still give you the sales you require during the holiday shopping season and can help boost sales going into January when the receivers come to purchase items.
To further increase gift card sales, businesses can offer discounts on purchased cards in the hopes that this will increase spending in the New Year.
5. Have a Large Online Presence for Holiday Shopping
Holiday shoppers will likely search online for holiday sales and new deals on popular items. Having a website is not enough for consumers to see you.
Social Media Marketing is the best strategy for your business as there are numerous platforms, and all have their target audience. It’s best to find the right social media platform for your business based on your customers over the past few years.
Creating video content is fun and exciting and allows you to better engage with shoppers. Give them shopping inspiration with holiday trends and new technology. Create posts with holiday gifts perfect for everyone in their lives and gifts for those who mean a lot to them.
Offer special discounts for followers on your social media that only they can use. Cyber Monday is a great way to start the holiday shopping season for online retail sales, so start with online promotions to increase traffic to your retail websites.
6. Create a Unique Holiday Email Campaign
The competition is especially severe over the holiday season, and your customer’s inboxes will be flooded with unique 2022 holiday advertising campaigns and limited bargains. There’s nothing wrong with jumping on board, but if you want to stand out, try something new.
For example, you could send your consumers lists of all the people they could be buying for, causing them to remember a co-worker or neighbor they would have forgotten about. It’s a basic yet attractive 2022 holiday advertisement that doesn’t appear to sell anything while providing many opportunities to inspire consumers to buy from you.
The holiday shopping season is starting soon, and consumers want to start shopping as early as possible. A strategy for your physical stores and online website will help your customers with their holiday shopping and create a positive working environment for your staff.
With the increase in social media, holiday trends will be very different this year. Sales will be interesting to watch, as more gatherings can occur, and travel is allowed. Give your business an advantage over others by having a smart plan and working with your staff to create a great shopping experience for your consumers.
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