Poppy’s Guide to Holiday Marketing
The holiday season is make or break for many small businesses. We can’t deny that this time of year is stressful and the pressure to shop is HIGH, which means the pressure to have stand-out marketing campaigns is even higher. Holiday marketing is something that we spend months planning for, and waiting too long can derail your whole game. We know how overwhelming it is to juggle photoshoots, sales emails, product launches, and website updates, especially with the added time pressure of the holidays.
To help you get ahead of the holidays so you can, dare we say it, relax, we’ve put together some of our favorite seasonal marketing tips and strategies. With these, you can optimize every marketing touchpoint and max out your ROI (and sleigh this season).
2023 Holiday Marketing Guide
Deck your brand and products out in seasonal cheer
Turn your brand aesthetic and product packaging into a winter wonderland. If you’re not printing any new packaging specifically for holiday, take this opportunity to do a holiday-themed product shoot so you have on-theme creative for all of your campaigns. We recommend this as the last step, so you can go into your shoot knowing exactly what creative you need for your entire marketing plan. If you have the time and budget, grab some evergreen content for Q1 while you’re at it, so you can relax at the end of the year without having to plan another shoot.
Optimize website pages for holiday SEO opportunities
Audit your website to identify opportunities for holiday-specific SEO. This will make your page more festive, of course, but it will also send signals to search engines that your site is relevant for seasonal keywords and should rank for related search queries.
Seasonal homepage banner or pop-up
Holiday gift guide to showcase your products
Holiday shipping FAQ page to share info about order deadlines and shipping options
Add a product category or landing page for holiday-themed offerings.
Include holiday-related image titles and alt text for any relevant images
Create irresistible holiday email campaigns
Inboxes are absolutely flooded with sales emails this time of year, so standing out is key. On the plus side, you’re not battling algorithms or big ad spenders for real estate. You have the same opportunities as the Nikes and Sephoras of the world, as long as you have an email list (and if you don’t have one, check out our post about why it’s critical). Here are a few tips on how to boost sales with email marketing:
Send early bird Black Friday deals before the rush
Offer exclusive Cyber Week flash sales to create a sense of urgency
Reward your most loyal customers with VIP offers
Create seasonal bundles and gift cards to provide easy gifting opportunities
Share appreciation with follow-up emails following purchases
Send abandoned cart reminders highlighting important shipping deadlines
It’s a good idea to run A/B tests for subject lines to maximize your open rates. You can also A/B test other things like CTA buttons and creative, but be sure to only choose one thing to test per send.
Showcase giftability and urgency in merchandising
Show how your products make perfect gifts. And then do it again, and again. Create gift sets and holiday bundles to make it even easier for your customers to shop for friends and family. When products have low stock, show counts to create a sense of urgency. Add a “sold out” banner onto products that are sold out, and create wait lists so you can notify customers when their favorites are back in stock. You can also offer promotions like free shipping to help encourage purchasing. Also, be sure to verify that your desktop AND mobile checkout processes are seamless. Over 60% of holiday purchase happen on mobile devices, so make sure to pay attention to both.
Optimize Social Media for Holiday Marketing
Social media creates a huge opportunity for holiday visibility. We know that not everyone is going to hop on a TikTok dance trend, but don’t be embarrassed to hop on small business trends as they arise. Create gift guides for social, add shop links to your posts, and think about running a holiday giveaway. You can even encourage UGC through hashtags. If you have the time and budget, you can use influencer marketing to be included in gift guides and other holiday marketing content from creators with similar audiences to your ideal client.
Use all of your marketing channels to show customers appreciation. Personalized messages show you care and build brand loyalty.
Let Poppy Help!
Since holiday marketing can start to feel like a full-time job, offload some of the work to Poppy. We specialize in executing strategic holiday marketing so you can truly enjoy the season. Contact us to chat about creating a custom marketing plan designed to maximize your visibility and sales this holiday season.
