HERE COMES CHRISTMAS!
Let’s delve into Christmas Marketing!
When is the right time to develop your Christmas marketing plans? If you’re a big company with lots of stakeholders and a marketing budget for tv commercials and advertising, then I hate to tell you, but your already behind the jingle bell! However, for us smaller, more nimble businesses there is still time to plan a special Christmas marketing campaign and make the most of the silly season. So don’t panic.
In order to plan properly, we need to be realistic. 2023 is going to be a tough year for retailers and service providers. The 2023 Retail Holiday Report, from Deloitte, surveyed executives and senior management from Australia’s leading retailers and found that 71% expect higher levels of discounting than Christmas last year and 43% of retailers think it’s unlikely, consumers will pay full price. With cost of living high, consumers are going to be a little bit more thrifty this year and there is also a much higher likelihood that many purchases will be made online especially for items including toys, clothes and apparel.
So what does that mean for your Christmas marketing plans? You need to be smart and come up with some well thought out ideas that stay true to your brand and offer more value than just a discount. Remember, as I always say; the key to branding is to be authentic and consistent. You can’t just throw that out the window at Christmas in favour of a tacky Christmas marketing and sales campaign and expect to get results.
Many brands think they can just put up some decorations, add a Christmas tree and some pretty images on their website and post a few Christmas greetings on social media and that will do the job but unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy. As with all things branding, you need to appeal to your target audience and build a connection with your Christmas marketing plan.
Start by thinking about what you want to achieve and what your customers need from you at this time of year. Are there any special traditions that you can tap into with your product or service, is there a way to tug at their heartstrings and add real meaning to what you offer or perhaps it’s just about giving back and showing that you care.
Your Christmas marketing campaign should be:
Authentic:
Stay true to the essence of your brand. As I said before, just because its Christmas you can’t throw your brand guide out the window and go crazy. You still need to stay on brand. Keep it subtle and classy and make sure whatever elements you add, blend with your existing brand, not clash with it. Change your colours or add a Christmas motif but don’t go overboard. Customers still need to be able to recognise your brand and feel connected to it.
Positive:
Keep your values front of mind and tie them into your Christmas marketing. If you’re all about giving your customers a great experience than make sure that remains your number one priority even when your run-off your feet. What can you do to make it extra special when they come in store or visit your website? Or if your business is all about giving back to the community, make sure your marketing campaign continues this tradition. Perhaps you can sponsor a Christmas charity event or organise a toy drive.
Engaging:
Your campaign Christmas marketing message shouldn’t just be focussed on sales or discount offers, it needs to engage your audience and evoke emotion. Can you use an element of storytelling or offer a limited-edition Christmas version? Can you celebrate different cultural Christmas traditions or do good in the world? Is there a way to get your customers involved in your Christmas marketing campaign with some user generated content? Perhaps sharing stories of their experience with your product or service, or a pic from Christmas day as the recipient opens the gift? Run a giveaway competition to increase participation and reward them for spreading the word about you.
Consistent and Widespread:
Make sure you are consistent across all your marketing platforms. Update your website, share your Christmas marketing campaign across all your social media channels, bring it to life in store and embody the spirit of your campaign in how you act, your communications and all your interactions with your customers. Spread joy!
And above it, keep it real! Christmas offers so many fantastic opportunities to build loyalty and strengthen the connection and relationship between you and your customer when done well. Remember Christmas is a time of giving and of spreading happiness, avoid tacky sales tactics and focus on building relationships.
Need some inspiration? Check out this great article by Contact Pigeon showcasing some of the best Christmas marketing campaigns ever!
The 30 Best Christmas campaigns we’ve ever seen – ContactPigeon | Blog