A few days ago, Netflix began notifying me about new Christmas movies, which served as a fairly welcome reminder that the most joyous season is rapidly approaching. I'm not going to lie; I like Christmas rom-coms, corny plotlines, and the general positive energy these films convey.
My employment, though, is another aspect of Christmas that I like. When the websites we use to purchase turn red and unveil Christmas-specific items, it is really rejuvenating. Additionally, fresh and really fantastic Christmas marketing strategies from corporations start to appear on our social media.
But marketers are at a loss for ideas as they strive to create campaigns that stand out that consumers will remember for years to come.
The best managers are those that thoroughly plan their campaigns and then use a social media management software to schedule them all.
The following is a collection of some of the most incredible Christmas marketing concepts we have found in recent years.
Let's start working now!
24 Ideas for Christmas marketing that you may use as inspiration
Consider some of the most effective Christmas marketing concepts that are currently trending and soar in the inspiration zone. Let's start right away without further ado!
1. Share nourishing Christmas updates
During the Christmas season, it is ideal for sharing as much joy as you can, whether via social media or your website. One of our favorite Christmas marketing concepts is this one since there are so many options. You might post a positive update indicating that you are preparing for the most wonderful time of the year.
Alternatively, you might upload images of your holiday décor; at the very least, you could share a clever GIF of a Santa hat!
Anything that fills your heart and the hearts of your team is the appropriate choice for this article. After all, the holidays and positive energy go hand in hand!
Check out Happy socks' thoughtful post by clicking here. It is only a product advertisement with a memory of Christmas!
2. Advertise a holiday or festive contest
Holiday competitions are among the greatest Instagram Christmas marketing strategies for clothing accounts. Additionally, they demand the least amount of effort on your part. All you have to do is add a filter or hashtag just for Christmas. Request that individuals post photos of themselves or their friends wearing your goods.
You don't have to have just one winner because it's Christmas; you may have two. Little items like a Christmas card and a blouse or scarf from your wardrobe might be the winner.
When it comes to competitions, there are a TON of options. By working with micro-influencers that are relevant to your industry, you can also include influencer marketing into your strategy. Send them a goodie package or urge them to advertise. In this manner, you may enjoy Christmas while obtaining long-term marketing.
What's best? You'll remain in your audience's thoughts, and you could even end up being their holiday present of choice.
3. Publish a holiday catalog
For this Christmas marketing plan to be live before everyone logs out for the holidays, you'll need to start working on it at least a month in advance.
Create an online catalog with a handful of your favorite clothes. There are several websites with pre-made layouts and filters that you may utilize. Additionally, you may ask each member of your social media team to choose a page from your collection. Your collection will appear more distinctive and inclusive if you do it this way. People celebrate the season in a variety of ways and with varied perspectives.
This is your moment to win over the new audience you have been lagging behind for so long!
Like this opulent Neiman Marcus catalog!
4. Publish a Santa Wish List
A Santa wish list is a fantastic way to exhibit several goods or services at once. And it almost takes no effort at all. Put all the product images you've gathered over the previous several months in one place and publish a carousel of them to your feed.
You might go into more depth regarding the aforementioned items by using a humorous caption to clarify your notion. Additionally, you may utilize Instagram's store tab to include pricing or links to your website in the images.
5. With Orders, Send a Holiday Greeting Card
Sending holiday greeting cards in the modern digital age is really simple and won't burden your local post office. What, then, is a letter in contemporary times? The email!
Being grateful to your consumers for supporting you throughout the year and their company is one of the finest Christmas marketing strategies. To send to your email list, ask your designers to create a lovely digital card with a little personalized greeting.
Better, create a different card for each part of your email list based on where they are in the buying process. Customers on the customer list may be thanked with a 5% discount off their subsequent purchase, those who have already checked out could get a 10% discount, and so on.
Get the card out as soon as you can so that others will think to put you on their gift list. Use Christmas-themed colors like red and green, maybe with some mistletoe in the center. To enhance your open rate, make the subject line as intriguing as you can.
Use this greeting card as motivation right now!
6. Introduce holiday-specific packaging
Packaging should be at the top of your list of Christmas marketing ideas since it is one of the most crucial aspects of branding. You might create a limited edition holiday packaging that is an improvisation on your present one, as changing your full package every year is undoubtedly difficult.
You may create an advent calendar using a handful of your items. Alternately, you may make an offer for a brief package in fresh, holiday-themed packaging. Maintain the bags' original appearance; make little adjustments that seem significant overall.
Every year, Sephora releases an advent calendar featuring a handful of their best-selling products. For it, they make a festive box, and they display it in their shops!
Look at it here.
7. Create a holiday gift guide
This is your opportunity to create a gift guide utilizing your goods or services as everyone is shopping for Christmas presents at this time of year. I mean, a lot of folks want to know what they ought to gift their boss and siblings. Not everyone like wearing a sweater!
Every year, publications like Vogue publish Christmas gift guides, so even if you don't want to take the time to do it yourself, you may try adding yourself to their lists.
There is already a list for 2023.
Even influencers may use this chance to put up a gift guide using their annual collaborations!
8. Offer holiday guides and downloads on your website
Businesses often struggle in the last three months of the year, but by providing downloadables, you may assist other marketers in coming up with Christmas marketing ideas. This might be a booklet, a collection of templates, or even a manual outlining various Christmas marketing tactics. You may leverage the data from all the leads produced by this campaign to complete more transactions by immediately storing them in a lead generation CRM.
The actual meaning of Christmas is to spread happiness, so why not do both while growing your subscriber base? Everything benefits from this arrangement. The greatest thing, though? Content from the holiday season is always in vogue and may be used the following year. Repost it after updating it to reflect that year. One piece of material may be utilized in SO many different ways that you will undoubtedly appreciate the editorial team's idea.
The same information in that tutorial may be utilized to create content for social media and more!
9. Start your holiday marketing campaign right now
Start your marketing campaign at the appropriate moment is one of the most crucial steps!
Therefore, the period immediately after Halloween is the best to start, therefore you should start writing down all of your Christmas marketing ideas before the fourth quarter begins. This would give you plenty of time to put the concepts into practice. Additionally, this allows your team the creative freedom to explore and produce exactly what you want.
In addition, if your company produces actual goods, you will need to factor in the manufacturing time.
Take a note from Starbucks' brilliant holiday marketing. The coffee shop starts even earlier since they release their Christmas items in October!
Source: https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2022/starbucks-unveils-this-years-most-festive-holiday-gifts/
10. Introduce a holiday product
Launching a seasonal product is one of the top Christmas Marketing Ideas since everyone enjoys a little holiday happiness in the form of gift items. You may even launch a simple item like a hat this Christmas.
Make it a limited-time edition or simply include it as a gift with all orders. There are several locations, like Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, and many more, where you may get inspiration. Here is a Krispy Kreme illustration that we just adore:
11. Christmas-themed promotions and gift cards
Spread holiday happiness like confetti this year by providing exclusive discounts and deals all month long. Create a theme, such as "product of the day" or something similar, and extend a number of discounts throughout the course of the month. Go for a long-term offer throughout the month if you are unsure about the concept or believe your audience would prefer a more constant offer.
With such Christmas marketing concepts, you have a plethora of alternatives for using the power of your audience. Choose a deal that you are certain your audience will accept. But because it would also make a great present, we advise getting into the holiday mood with Christmas packages and more.
The following Etsy gift card:
Source: https://www.etsy.com/
12. Establish a Christmas Countdown
Christmas is one of the most eagerly anticipated seasons of the year because so many people look forward to it and want to make the most of it. The Christmas countdown should thus be at the top of your list of Christmas marketing ideas. What better way to decorate your feed than to start a countdown to Christmas?
This is why many companies use countdowns in their holiday or Christmas marketing efforts. This is a pretty wonderful approach to increase interaction and keeps their profiles active and pleased.
Here is Jo Malone London's awesome countdown:
13. Create a Holiday Photo Booth
When we can enjoy the memories we've created over the years, Christmas delight is multiplied. How, however, can you contribute to your customers' holiday memories? When thinking about Christmas marketing ideas for this year, you should be asking yourself this question.
You are basically encouraging your clients to join in on your festivities by offering a virtual photo booth. The photos kids take with you will likely be a part of their life for many years.
Let your clients know that you're holding a picture contest and give them some easy rules to follow. You may offer your clients a financial incentive or perhaps a few complimentary months of service in exchange.
14. Recipes for the Holidays
It's something we've stated before, and we'll say it again. Talking about or sharing food is the best way to enjoy the holiday season. Similar to this, sharing recipes that have a Christmas theme is one of the top Christmas marketing concepts. There is no greater concept than this, especially if you own a business that deals with food, are a chef, or a blogger.
Play to your strengths and develop dishes based on the food you are used to, or try something new that you have never eaten before. You may assemble well-known Christmas recipes from across the globe and turn them into successful content if you appeal to a broad range of people.
Here is an illustration from Pure Wow, where they provided a list of Ina Garten's top Christmas dishes.
15. Making use of user-generated content
This holiday season, if you are not using user-generated content to its greatest potential, you are surely losing out on a lot. One of the finest Christmas marketing strategies this season is to start a UGC campaign. You may achieve next-level visibility and learn how the public views your brand by using user-generated material.
Be careful not to mix up influencer marketing with user-generated content, however. Try to avoid paying influencers to produce content for you as a result. Simply go out to your audience and ask them to help you develop content.
The king of Christmas marketing, Starbucks, is also the best example of user-generated material! Check out this year's #RedCups campaign.
Source: https://www.starbucks.com/
16. Advent calendar for the holidays
People begin planning for the holidays in November so that December will be filled with presents and positive energy. So, if you haven't already, use your site and publish a holiday gift guide!
Given that there is no set formula for a gift guide, this one point may help you come up with several Christmas marketing concepts. With this, you can generate a grid of photographs for your Instagram account and show off your items to their maximum potential. Make sure your consumers can simply buy the items by using the shopping tab.
Consider using this Natura.usa sample for your next advent calendar.
Source: https://www.naturabrasil.com/
17. Make it Red
Christmas is all about the bright colors—reds, greens, and a gazillion fairy lights—and the corny, cheeky décor. By coincidence, red is the color that will draw people to your offer. So why are you still waiting? Spread joy like never before by using red on your website and social media.
This year, take a note from Bath & Body Works' holiday marketing campaign. They ensure that their items remain in the spotlight by using both the colors and the décor in an incredibly elegant way.
In addition to the holiday-themed red and green color scheme on the website, they have used words like "merriest" and "Santa Approved" to make their products seem special. Here are a few more instances of them using their website to promote Christmas happiness.
Their social media is entirely focused on Christmas.
18. Christmas bundles, please
By giving and sharing happiness with others, the Christmas spirit multiplies. Therefore, on Christmas morning, we exchange presents. The same frame of mind should guide you when you come up with unique Christmas marketing concepts for this year's campaigns.
On Christmas morning, there is nothing more cherished than a gift that has been exquisitely wrapped.
When it comes time to do your Christmas shopping, have some wonderful pre-made presents and packages on hand. Or a collection of top-notch goods that may be given as a set. You are set to go if you can provide a gift-wrapping service.
Increase your sales by assisting your customers in finding the ideal present for their partners.
Here is a fantastic illustration provided by Nordstrom. They not only have some amazing Christmas gift options, but they also have them organized by price and recipient.
Every year, Sephora also comes out with holiday-specific presents. People eagerly anticipate obtaining these offers for themselves since the majority of them are absolute steals.
19. Experience a Trip Down Memory Lane
Congratulations if you've run a successful campaign recently! Think of your work as being done in half. Think about revisiting the past and giving it a new spin. Remember that it is not a good idea to duplicate the current campaign in its entirety. Then it would simply be monotonous. Think of bringing it back but including something fresh.
One of our favorites this year is the Happy Potter Wizarding World's Christmas newsletter. The magical realm of Hogwarts is something that half the globe longs to visit. We've all experienced disappointment when a letter we sent never materialized.
With a winter word hunt, the Harry Potter universe is inviting us to the renowned Yule Ball. Word puzzles and quizzes are excellent ways to get visitors to the website. Who wouldn't want to know how well they would fit in the mythical kingdom, after all?
20. Product Names With Christmas Themes
Utilize the atmosphere of the Christmas season to generate original titles for your items. Either launch a brand-new product or create a special festive version of your main offer. You may use adjectives like festive, peppermint, sled, and the like because it's Christmas. Or you can always name things after hues like red, green, or white.
Similar to that, a festive title might help your brand come off as more cheery. Another excellent method to group all of your Christmas offerings together is to create a memorable Christmas marketing catchphrase. It might serve as a lovely bow to cover all the boxes. The phrase may be printed on a ribbon, which you can then attach to the orders.
If you can summon your inner holiday spirit and express it in your Christmas marketing ideas and campaigns, your chances of seeing strong sales will certainly rise.
During the Christmas season, Starbucks often goes all out in terms of celebration. We strongly advise spending an hour at the coffee shop if you are ever lacking in Christmas cheer. Your mood will be lifted by the wonderful aroma of freshly made coffee and baked pastries. Starbucks created four distinct varieties of Christmas-themed coffee beans this year, much as in previous years.
Source: https://www.starbucks.com/
There are four: Decaf Christmas Blend, Espresso Blend, Holiday Blend, and Blend.
21. Be Open to All
During the Christmas shopping season, your website likely attracts a diverse readership. Your customers come from a diverse range of ethnic and religious backgrounds. Since not everyone will celebrate Christmas and New Year's on the same day, it is reasonable to presume that some will.
You are now in a difficult situation. However, it most certainly does not imply that you should stop doing holiday marketing. Consider utilizing neutral greetings in your seasonal marketing activities to ensure that everyone is represented. The tone is created straight away with taglines like "Season's Greetings," "Happy Holidays," or "Enjoy the Winters."
Don't be scared to try something new this year and say anything other than Merry Christmas. You might demonstrate that you respect your readers' views by beginning with a straightforward request.
The ideal illustration is this email marketing campaign from Kate Spade New York. The email has a nice aesthetic, replete with seasonal glitter and a pastel color scheme.
Source: https://www.katespade.com/
22. Provide further value
The main themes of Christmas are sharing and receiving love. So why not provide your consumers with something extra valuable throughout the Christmas season? giving them the ideal opportunity to stuff their stockings even more?
Giving something away is a great approach to attract clients and drive some delicious holiday traffic to your website. Trial-size items, a loyalty program, points, awards, or even free delivery are all options. However, you must be innovative and provide an alternative to the commonplace free shipping. If you are a cosmetics company, you may give away a little tube of mascara in exchange for a full-sized palette. You'll be able to win some hearts and give your customers a chance to check things out for free. It seems like a scenario where everyone benefits!
The Christmas marketing email from Estee Lauder is spot on. With the ideal color scheme, presents at the conclusion, and outstanding branding, they really outdid themselves on this one. Additionally, they are including an additional incentive and 20% discount. With every purchase of merely $50, they provide three DELUXE-sized samples in place of the customary-sized ones.
To encourage people to shop, they have kept the price cheap. If you often use Estee Lauder cosmetics, you probably already know that spending $50 on the website is nothing to be concerned about. Even if you added a serum to your basket, the cost would still be more.
Set a goal that you are certain is feasible for your brand if you chose to pursue the same course of action. Don't set a restriction that the majority of people won't be able to attain.
Another freebie from Estee Lauder is available here. For the price of one full-sized serum, you may receive 33 other cosmetic necessities with any purchase up to $75.
Source: https://www.esteelauder.com/
Here are some other creative suggestions for freebies.
Free membership whenever a certain amount is added to the cart
Personalized loyalty cards for repeat clients
2X or 3X points for every dollar spent
One more month of the trial period
Access to limited edition goods only
Discounts on upcoming reservations
Free workshops or webinars
Free updates to software or paid versions
Your early Christmas marketing initiatives may get off to a great start by including complimentary goods with every sale.
23. Play With Your Feelings
Christmas is a time of year when most individuals eagerly anticipate spending time with their families. All of them are searching for wonderful presents and items that will make them miss their families even more. Consider how dated commercials may affect us emotionally.
Check out this incredible commercial from Disney UK for ideas.
It chronicles a girl's development from childhood till she is of legal age to work. With the iconic Mickey Mouse and the snowy backdrop, the advertisement strikes all the right notes.
McDonald's has another great advertising campaign.
Their hashtag "#ReindeerReady" depicts a mother doing her best to instill a Christmas spirit in her kid.
24. Conduct a Charity
One of the most timeless concepts is the operation of a charity. Any company may throw a fundraiser and enjoy themselves. Use it as a marketing initiative that may change lives, especially at this time of year when people are seeking to donate. One of the finest ideas this year is to conduct a charity event in light of the last year.
If your business is already a non-profit entity and you conduct such charitable endeavors all year. Then you may tell tales of individuals you've helped or who have given via you. More individuals will give to your cause when they see the impact their gifts are having. Don't forget to provide many donation options so that people have additional possibilities to become engaged. Apart from monetary contributions, take into account other forms like sponsorships and point contributions.
Once again, this is a win-win scenario because not only will you sell your goods, but consumers will feel good knowing that they are improving the lives of others!
A Christmas Campaign by Marks & Spencer will donate $2 million to various charities. The nine celebrities that are participating in the campaign choose all the charities. This M&S Christmas campaign is already generating buzz.
The link to their completely updated Christmas playlist is provided below.
Running charities is a great Christmas marketing strategy for businesses since it helps them establish their brand by demonstrating their concern.
Make the most of your holiday marketing ideas by using marketing tools
Let's face it, the holiday season can be quite stressful, and nobody likes to post on social media on significant holidays like Christmas Day.
The easiest way to ensure your social media postings is to prepare them ahead of time by utilizing social media management software.
An interactive social media platform called Social Champ was created exclusively to advance and widen marketing objectives. This makes it easier to schedule posts so that an increasing number of people see them and spares you the hassle of having to rewrite them.
In order to sit back, relax, and enjoy your trip to the fullest, use Social Champ to prepare weeks or months' worth of social media material in advance, handle various web-based social networking records, and screen everything using the web-based or mobile application.
___________________
Salty Red Dog Marketing, LLC is a marketing agency in Red Bank, NJ, Westport, CT, and everywhere in between. We service businesses with marketing strategies, digital marketing, social media, and consultations.
Contact: info@saltyreddogmarketing.com
Phone: NJ: (732) 783-4822 // CT: (203) 429-9671