1. Countdown to Christmas
What better way to build anticipation and excitement around the holidays than by creating a countdown calendar?
This is a great way to get people excited about the season, and it's also an easy way to remind them of all the great things you offer year-round.
You can also create a popup with a countdown timer using a popup builder to promote your products as well!
Gamified popups are great for engagement as well!
2. Holiday Theme Everywhere
Set up a Christmas theme for your website and all social media channels.
If you don't already have one, this could be as simple as changing the background image on your homepage and adding a few festive graphics to posts on social media channels.
You could even create an online advent calendar where people can access exclusive content each day leading up to Christmas Eve.
Include a countdown timer on your website until Christmas day, so people know when it will happen.
You can also include this countdown timer in your email newsletters so that people know when it's time for them to shop for gifts online or offline at your store.
3. Festive Video Content
With the rise in the popularity of video content, it's no surprise that marketers have been creating more and more videos to show off their brands, products, and services.
This can include festive videos to help people get into the Christmas spirit. As well as promoting your brand, these kinds of clips can also be used as a way to engage with your audience.
For example, if you're running a campaign on social media or have created an online shop, you could create seasonal videos that people can watch while browsing your stock.
4. Release a Christmas Catalog
A Christmas catalog is a great way to showcase your products and draw attention to special offers.
You could also include a wish list section where customers can write what they want for Christmas.
The catalog should be easy-to-navigate and easy to use - this will help it become more than just an advert in the mail, but rather something that can be used as inspiration for buying presents throughout the festive period.
5. Special Packaging for Christmas
If your brand already has Christmas-specific packaging, make sure it stands out in the market. It should be something memorable and unique.
The first thing that comes to mind is to make it festive. Use red, green, and maybe some snowflakes for a winter theme.
Another option is to go for traditional colors like gold or silver if you want to go with Christmas tree designs on the packaging.
You could also choose one color as your brand's signature color and use this as inspiration for your Christmas packaging design.
You can also include handwritten notes with each order. This shows customers how much effort you put into making their gifts look great (and tells them that you care about their opinions).
6. A Thoughtful Thank-You Message
Email marketing is a great way to stay in touch with your customers and keep them informed about your products and services. You can send holiday greetings, discounts, promotions, and more!
When people receive an email from you, they expect something valuable. So, think about what your customers value most—what would be meaningful for them?
You can send a thank-you message that includes top products, promotions, and special offers (such as discounts or free shipping) that customers can take advantage of before the end of the year.
You should also use email marketing to collect customer data so you can use it for future campaigns.
If you collect enough info about people's interests, you'll be able to send them relevant offers that speak directly to their needs.
This will improve your messages' quality and ensure more people actually read them!
Lastly, if all goes well with these first few steps, you will get into building relationships with customers using email marketing campaigns!
7. A Holiday Contest on Social Media
A holiday contest is a fun way to get your customers involved and excited about your brand. It's also a great way to generate content for your future marketing campaign or social media posts.
A successful holiday contest will generate engagement and increase followers on social media.
The first thing you'll need for this campaign is an idea of what kind of prize you want to offer as the grand prize winner.
You might consider giving them an expensive gift card or something else that will help them save money on their next purchase from your business.
You could also give away some free merchandise like t-shirts or hats with your logo on them if you're launching a new line of products at the same time as this promotion!
Next up: choosing how many winners there will be (it's always best practice not too many people win because then no one feels special) plus deciding whether they will all receive prizes or just one person gets everything.
This depends mostly on what type of prizes are being offered (if everyone wins something, then maybe add another category into play, so everyone still has something special).
In addition, make sure all entries have some proof attached - whether it means taking pictures before entering (like with Instagram) or submitting receipts after winning takes place.
8. User-Generated Content Encouraged with a Hashtag Contest
A hashtag contest can get your customers and fans involved in the conversation.
You can run a contest where users submit photos or videos of themselves with your product that they took or encourage them to share their photos or videos on social media.
The winner will be selected based on creativity, originality, and relevance to Christmas.
For example, you could give away a prize like an iPhone X if the photo or video has hashtags including "#christmas" and "#christmascampaigns" captioned out loud by whoever submitted it.
The best part about this type of campaign? The content is entirely organic!
There's no need for expensive ads here because people already share their stuff for free!
As long as you're getting some kind of product involved (a phone case would work well), you have fun engaging with customers and giving them something tangible back, too…
And who doesn't love free stuff?
9. Gifts for Purchases
Give away a gift card
This can be a great way to incentivize spending and help you reach your sales goals.
If you're running an e-commerce site, this is especially useful because it allows you to capture the email addresses of potential customers who can be targeted with future promotions or discounts.
Give away a free product
Depending on your industry, giving away a free product (like samples) could encourage repeat purchase from people who are already happy with their initial purchase.
And if they buy something else from your store later? You've just converted them into loyal customers!
Give away a free service
If your business offers services rather than physical goods, try offering a complimentary service as part of every purchase from now until Christmas Day (and beyond!).
For example, if you run an online marketing agency that helps businesses grow their online presence through paid advertising campaigns (such as Google Ads), offer social media management as part of any new campaign package purchased during this period!
10. Treat your Loyal Customers Extra Exclusively
Even loyal customers will be distracted by sales and offers of other brands at Christmas. That's why you need to offer exclusive discounts, offers, and deals.
For example, if you're a retailer, you could offer a discount on your products during Christmas.
This is a great way to get people to buy from you before the holiday rush and incentivize them to stay loyal to your brand.
It also helps increase spending with you during this time of year and after it ends because they know what kind of products you love from your store!
11. Launch a Christmas Product
If you have an existing product line or business, the best way to use Christmas as a marketing opportunity is by launching a new product.
This could be anything from a new flavor of something you've already been selling to an entirely new product.
The key is that your new product should fit into the season and be relevant to your audience.
12. Use Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a great way to reach your target audience. It allows you to leverage the influence of another person's network and social media presence to help promote your brand.
When used correctly, influencer marketing can effectively drive traffic, increase awareness, and enhance sales.
Think about the influencers you want to work with:
- What kind of people do they have as followers?
- How big is their following?
- Will they be interested in promoting your product or service?
Create a list of potential influencers who resonate with your brand values, then reach out and ask them if they are interested in working together on this project!
13. Involve your Employees
Employees are the greatest asset of your company. They can help spread the word about your brand and bring in new customers.
They're also an excellent resource for helping you promote on social media!
Giving employees a break during the holiday season is important, but it doesn't have to mean shutting down your company entirely.
They can show their personalities while supporting your brand by letting them participate in Christmas marketing campaigns.
14. Try Christmas Bundles
Product bundles are a great way to introduce new products and increase sales.
Offer a bundle of products that go together, such as a set of mugs and matching plates or a gift basket filled with wine and chocolate.
You could offer many different bundles, so have fun brainstorming what would be best for your business.
15. Christmas Remarketing
Remarketing is a method of advertising that shows ads to people who have previously visited your website.
When you remarket, you're targeting visitors who are more likely to return on their own accord and make a purchase.
This technique allows you to boost sales by focusing on returning customers who have already expressed interest in your products or services.
Tip: You can also consider other options, such as display ads or retargeting banners (ads displayed on other sites).
16. Support a Charity Cause
A charity partnership can be a great way to give back to the community, engage with your audience, and show your company's values.
If you're looking for ways to give back this holiday season, consider partnering with a local charity. By working together, you can help them spread their message in an effortless way.
Plus, collaborating with a charitable organization shows that you care about making a difference in the world—which customers will appreciate no matter what kind of business they work for or how much money they make each year.
In addition to being an easy way to promote your brand's interests while giving back simultaneously (a win-win!), charity partnerships are also an excellent opportunity for exposure.
Many people who want to support good causes might not know where or how they can do so effectively; by showing them exactly how they can contribute through a straightforward action—like buying from your store—you become part of their process toward taking action themselves.
17. Festive Quizzes
A quiz is a great way to engage your audience and create something people want to share, especially if it is Christmas themed!
A good quiz will have multiple questions; each should be easy so that everyone can answer it correctly. If it gets too hard, it will be ignored easily.
On the face of it, quizzes are simple. But when executed properly, quizzes can drive engagement, increase website traffic, and generate business leads.**
18. Segment your Audience
The best way to make money during the Christmas marketing campaign is by segmenting your audience. You can't sell effectively unless you know who your customers are.
You can segment your audience by creating an email list to send out special offers to specific groups of people.
For example, if you're selling toys and games for children, you can create an email list for parents under 10 years old and send them special offers that could help them buy gifts for their children.
It's important to segment your audience based on their interests so that you can send them offers that they actually want or need.
If you aren't sure what email content works best for your audience, try sending out different offers and see which ones generate more sales.
Christmas Marketing Campaign Examples from the Industry Giants
1. eDreams Odigeo
eDreams ODIGEO is an online travel company that was formed as the successor of eDreams with the merger of online travel agencies eDreams and GO Voyages, and the acquisition of Opodo.
They have a sweet take on the Christmas campaign to increase brand awareness. This idea is a great example to show you don't always need to promote your products for long-term investment.
It will warm the viewers' hearts and positively impact the company.
2. Microsoft
Microsoft is a technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services.
The main theme of their Christmas campaign is bringing peace to the earth.
If you observe the Microsoft's Christmas video, you'll see that it starts showing a Microsoft tablet followed by the employees of Microsoft walking to Apple's office (they are rivals in the industry).
So, Microsoft is holding out an olive branch to Apple to let peace surround the world in this festive season.
It is a very appropriate message and a very smooth execution, so Microsoft got everybody's respect.
3. McDonald's
No introduction is needed for this next brand, McDonald's, a fast food chain founded in 1940 as a restaurant.
McDonald's #ReindeerReady Christmas commercial was a big hit, loved by especially kids but adults as well.
But they didn't stop there! McDonald's also launched an app called Reindeer Ready Live that lets you record a video of Santa's reindeer stopping off at the house to impress the kids on Christmas morning.
We can say that the idea of supporting the campaign with an app or free products (they included free carrots in their menu to feed the reindeer) is totally genius, as one would expect from this industry giant.
4. Domino's
Who doesn't like pizza? Even if you don't, you may change your mind after seeing this Christmas special campaign of Domino's, a pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960.
This ad is good for more than a reason. It's short to ensure you see it till the end. It is humorous as they included subtitles to the lyrics (which are totally irrelevant). They used their brand's name in a very effective and catchy way (I'm still signing Domin-oh-hoo-hoo in my mind).
They also let you know about their Christmas special and give you a glimpse of it in the final scene, leaving you craving for it. Well done, Domino's!
5. UPS
Sometimes a Christmas ad is more than just a Christmas ad.
UPS is a package and document delivery company operating worldwide, and this time they decided to deliver "wishes."
This Christmas marketing campaign made us feel all the feelings: there is a strong message about diversity, volunteering, and social change.
The idea of accepting, supporting, and caring for your loved ones in every possible way is a great match for this time of the year.
UPS showed generosity and presence for sensitive issues, leaving a mark on the hearts of everyone who watch it.
Before You Leave…
Christmas is a time of year when people are spending more, so it's a great time to market your products.
People spend more during Christmas because they want their children and loved ones to feel special during this magical time of year.
If you've got an online shop or business, consider what you can do with your website to get people interested in buying from you at this time of year.
Do some research into what other companies are doing for Christmas marketing campaigns and see if there's anything you can add that will work well with yours - may be creating a special offer?
What kind of special Christmas marketing campaign ideas do you apply?
Meet me in the comments below!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. When Should I Start a Christmas Marketing Campaign?
If you're wondering when you should start your Christmas marketing campaign, the answer is simple: as early as possible.
The best time to start your Christmas marketing campaign is early September. By this point in the year, people have started thinking about what they want to get for the holidays and how much money they want to spend on gifts.
They also start thinking about their holiday traditions and rituals (e.g., where will you go for Thanksgiving dinner?).
If you launch your campaign at this time of year, you'll be able to reach more consumers who are actively thinking about what they would like to buy or do during the holidays.
2. What to Be Careful about while Creating a Christmas Campaign?
Ensure you have enough stock, as you don't want your marketing efforts to go to waste.
Be creative: nobody wants to see the same old campaigns repeatedly.
Enjoy! This is a festive time, so don't forget to take some time for yourself with your family and loved ones as well.
