Three Keys to Your Holiday Marketing Strategy This Year

Now that we’ve passed Halloween, the season of late fall and winter holidays is officially beginning for many people. Decorations are going up, plans are being finalized, and budgets are being assessed as the end of the year approaches. For your brand, this is a time to really think about the coming months and devise some a marketing strategy for capitalizing on the holiday season. Here are three keys to keep in mind.

Know Your Audience

First, you’ll want to think about how your target audience is spending the season. Will most of them be celebrating holidays? If so, which ones? You don’t want to alienate anyone by focusing on certain holidays but not others, and if your target audience includes people of many different beliefs, make sure to be inclusive! Just like the iconic Starbucks holiday cup that is already drawing speculation, your clients may have expectations that should be taken into account.

The second step to this is to think of how they will be spending those holidays, and how that will relate to your business. For example, many retail businesses will be gearing for Black Friday around this time, preparing special deals and discounts to draw customers in. Restaurants and other food service businesses should have a plan for the holidays that most families will spend at home, and another plan for those days and nights when many people go out. Knowing your audience is something we’ve written about before, and this time of year it’s worth thinking about some more.

Social Media

The holidays should definitely be a factor in your social media strategy for the next few months. Capitalizing on the festive season will boost your engagement and help you to stay relevant with the ever-changing trends on Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms.

There are a ton of creative ways to connect your brand with the holidays on social media. A few of them are:

• Photo contests—get your clients to send in their best decorations!
• Donation Drives
• Giveaways—it’s the season of giving!
• Themed events—trade your Halloween costumes in for ugly holiday sweaters!
• Puns—your wit is your friend when it comes to attracting web traffic.

Holiday-themed trends and campaigns are an essential part of your marketing strategy this holiday season.

Don’t Get Lost

Odds are, if you’re using the holidays as a jumping-off point for your marketing strategy, so are your competitors and many other businesses. It’s important to make sure that while you share in the collective good spirits, you still stand out among all the noise on social media and other online traffic.

Staying true to your brand guidelines is the key here: think about your company’s values and how they shape your brand. This will help in determining how your brand elements can be adapted for the season. Our comprehensive look at brand elements here might be a good starting point, as you can think about the goals of your brand in relation to the season. Your unique twist on the holiday spirit will help you and your brand stand out from competitors.