Be on time with your Christmas marketing campaign
Christmas season is not just the warmest family holiday of the year, but can also be a true goldmine for traders. Marketing campaigns organized during this period are often highly expensive, however analysis shows that this is money well spent. Research conducted last year by Shoppercentric suggested that 65% of shoppers consider Christmas ads effective.
There are numerous ways of using the right platforms effectively. Wearable devices, the Internet of Things, social media and cross-platform browsing are the new elements in the Christmas mix. Each provides a source of data on the behaviour and actions of consumers targeted in a campaign. Viewer reactions can be evaluated after a Christmas commercial appears on TV or is watched on YouTube, as the subsequent actions of consumers can be tracked, monitored and analysed.
Most major stores and shopping centers start to populate their shelves with all manner of Christmas-special products around twelve weeks before Christmas. Your marketing campaign strategy should follow the big stores’.
To reach the utmost amount of engaging parties, the campaign should kick off at least six weeks before the big day. This schedule will give your campaign enough time to generate a buzz around your products or promotions and reach as many potential customers as possible.
You should define your parameters at the start, don’t forget that a crucial characteristic of a campaign is being in some way measurable. Think about what you wish to achieve with your campaign – more sales, increased awareness, engagement – then consider how this will be measured, both during and after the campaign has ended.
Ecommerce stores should also consider the practicalities of a marketing plan – what products will be pushed, deadlines for order or delivery and the target audience.
Creating your own and original Christmas story can win the attention of millions. People are looking for heartmelting and family-centered narratives. Make your campaign loveable and personal, as the audience is more sensitive to adorable topics during the holidays.
It’s important to enfold not only the presents, but also your ideas in attractive wrapping.
Align your content marketing channels with seasonal branding – a custom banner is eye catching and raises awareness of your marketing activities. Banners are quick and simple to create but create huge positive impact. They can easily be applied to everything from your website to your email headers and your social profiles.
A simple but useful aid can be an editorial calendar to mark out key dates or milestones during the campaign, as last order dates for ecommerce sites.
In the new year make sure to leave time to analyse the results of your campaign so you can evaluate its success and fine-tune your marketing activities for next Christmas. It is also a great opportunity to catch up with any leads generated but not converted over the Christmas period in an effort to kick off your new year sales.
