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Christmas season is fast approaching. Now is the time when all marketers and small business owners are thinking about Christmas, and how to make the most of this fantastic seasonal marketing opportunity.
Here is your early Christmas gift! A "Christmas Marketing Checklist" to help inspire your emails, promotions and social media posts around the festive season.
But to create that feel good glow, be sure to know your Christmas messaging etiquette. Read on to learn more…
1. What do you want your festive marketing to achieve?
Get people in the holiday spirit
Increase engagement
Spike seasonal sales
For many businesses Christmas is their busiest period. Supermarkets, retailers, gifting market, toy and games wholesalers and food and drink manufacturers all want to maximise profits at this time of year. For them, this is the perfect time to offer sales promotions. Bundle pricing and special offers, help win more sales from your savvy online shoppers.
For Professional Services it's a different story. After a busy year, Christmas is seen as a time of celebrations and getting together. It's officially party season, office parties, getting together with clients and thanking loyal clients and suppliers for their support throughout the year. Therefore engagement, might be your primary marketing goal.
If this applies to you, it's time to have a bit of fun and make your social media posts more lighthearted and heart-warming. So perhaps, a Festive Quiz or The Big Day countdown, might be more appropriate?
Whatever you want your messaging to achieve, be clear and focused from the outset and make sure you plan ahead.
2. How do you want to make people feel?
It’s very important to get the tone of your messaging right, especially at Christmastime. Get your message tone wrong and your marketing message could paint your business as money grabbing Scrooges, rather than warm, generous St Nick’s!
For your campaign to be successful, it needs to be promotional of your business, work towards building brand awareness and lastly create a sense of community. Your focus should be creating a subtle campaign that is more about the festive spirit than blatant advertising of your business. Learn how retail giants John Lewis and Waitrose put the feeling into their Christmas Advertising. Watch the end result below. What emotions do you want your marketing message to evoke?
3. Remember to be inclusive
Not everyone celebrates Christmas. There are several religious and cultural festivals in December and early January. (Useful list of multinational festivals in December and early January and December Holidays around the world.)
You might like to be more inclusive and instead of using the word Christmas consider using an alternative, here are a few you could choose.
Happy Holidays
Seasons Greetings
Joyous Noel
Once you’ve got those 3 factors sorted, here are a few ideas to inspire your content:
Christmas Marketing Inspiration
1. Say thank you to your clients
The festive season is the perfect opportunity to thank our clients for their custom and continued loyalty. From treating them to a special meal or festive drinks, sending them a token of our thanks in the post or by simply saying thank you in your December emails. If you are thinking about sending a gift, calendars and food hampers are OK. Wouldn't you prefer your clients to feel really special and remember the present you thoughtfully created for them? Take a look at this great website that offers a few thoughtful, personalised gift ideas: https://corporate.wonder-awe.com/
If you really do like the festive hamper tradition, why not try giving a hamper with a twist? A chocolate hamper, golf hamper , wellness hamper, or even a protein hamper for your more health conscious clients?
2. Say thank you to your staff
The past couple of years has seen enormous changes to the way we work. Show your adaptable, dedicated and hard working staff how much you care. Thanking your staff extends that happiness vibe throughout your company - literally bringing goodwill to all.
3. Spike Seasonal Sales
Choosing the right seasonal promotion is crucial. Get it wrong and it could spell the difference between a bonus or a lump of coal in your stocking!
Christmas Giveaways offers your clients the chance to buy but offers them something for free in return for their custom.
The perfect example of this is the 3 for 2 offer. You're encouraging your clients to spend more, by gifting the lowest price item.
Learn the best way to phrase your special seasonal offers, from retail giants Boots and their Christmas 3 for 2 campaign.
"Because there’s ‘snow’ way you can miss out on a fabulous festive freebie!"
4. Send Charity E-cards
Sending an e-card from your chosen charity, helps raise their profile and allows you to donate at the same time.
The amazing Dontsendmeacard.com website makes it extremely easy for any business or person to send charity e-cards and then donate the amount you would normally spend on cards. Not only is it great for charities but it helps save our planet too.
5. Opening hours
Your clients need to know when you’re available over the festive season. A quick image, or animation like the one seen below, containing when you close for the festive period and when you’re reopening for the new year, is all they need.
6. Social media greetings and reminders
There are a host of official holidays throughout December and extending into January, choose the ones most relevant to you and your clients and wish them well.
Christmas Eve - 24th December
Christmas Day – 25th December
Boxing Day – 26th December
New Year’s Eve – 31st December
New Year’s Day – 1st January
Bank Holiday Monday - 3rd January 2022
Returning to work - Tuesday 4th January 2022
For a full list of official Public Holidays in the UK visit the gov.co.uk website.
7. Professional branding and graphics
Canva is my go-to design tool. Whether you're designing an e-card or social media posts, there are plenty of easy to use design tools and templates available.
Here's a little inspiration from one of my client's social posts. Professional branding with a simple message.
8. Don't forget Boxing Day!
Boxing Day is the one of the busiest days of the year for high street retailers. Think about offering discounts to get people through your door and remind customers of your opening and closing times to manage their expectations.
Successful Christmas Marketing Campaign
For the best Christmas Marketing Campaign yet, remember:
Set your goals
Think how you'd like people feel
Be inclusive
Choose from our list of ideas, the activities you think best suit your business and customers.
Need some professional advice?
Still not sure or have a question you'd like to ask, no problem, we'll be happy to help.
Simply email helen@citrusweb.co.uk leave your phone number and when you're free and I'll get right back to you.