It’s Not Too Late to Start Your Holiday Marketing Campaign

According to the latest data from the National Retail Federation (NRF), American consumers spend an average of $997.73 on gifts and holiday items each Christmas. That's approximately the same as the median pre-tax weekly salary of $1,001.

That said, how early is too early for you to start building awareness for your products to get your share of that holiday revenue?

First, you need to break down the numbers a bit more to see how and when that money is being spent.

According to LocalIQ, 56% of people planned to complete their holiday shopping before December. So it’s safe to say that you could have started warming up your holiday messaging in August – or at least the beginning of September.

43% of Americans begin Christmas shopping before the end of October. So, it may feel too late if you haven't already started running your holiday campaigns.

But is it?

Even if you find yourself marketing your new product in December, you can still find unique ways to get your product into the hands of consumers this holiday season.

Win Your Wishlist

Most consumers have their shopping done, but they still have room under the tree. Why not give them a chance to win some gifts?

With ShortStack’s “Win Your Wishlist” template, you are providing potential customers a way to get your product in their hands for free while collecting some data along the way.

Ideas for the wishlist can vary. From your best-selling item to a new product, or even a swag bag with your company logo, the objective is to bring brand awareness to your company. That is the ultimate goal of a campaign like this. You want to stay top of mind with your followers, so they think of you the next time they’re in the market for something specific.

Giveaways

A simple giveaway can be an easy way to stand out this holiday season. 

No matter your product or service, hosting a giveaway can be a great way to get your product into the hands of potential customers while building your mailing list for next year.

While not as festive as the Win Your Wishlist campaign, you can have a bit more flexibility with how people enter a giveaway. Tie it to a feed, import comments, or even use a basic form to collect information. The choice is up to you!

The goal is to build awareness for your product or service and follow up with your leads in the future. 

Flash Sales

One thing to keep in mind, shoppers can be procrastinators. Affluent.io lists that six of the top 10 holiday shopping days fall in December. So boost sales by offering last-minute shopping opportunities with a sense of urgency.

A flash sale is a great way to get potential customers to “act now,” as they only have a limited time to take advantage of it. A great holiday deal that only lasts a day or a few hours could be your best bet on bringing in some extra revenue and having one last sale push before the new year.

Well-timed flash sales, or any type of last-minute deal, is a great way to generate business. Be creative with it. Try hosting a 12 Days of Christmas sale event where you offer a discount on different products each day.

Remember, these “last-minute shoppers” could be people who are just looking for a sweet deal on your products, not necessarily a gift for someone else. So these sales are great for the individual looking for a blowout sale and the procrastinator looking for the perfect last-minute gift.

Want to add a little something extra? 

Add in some gift wrapping to save them time when the gift arrives or expedited shipping. It’s a nice little touch to end the holiday season, and your customers will be thankful for it.

Personality Quiz

Are your followers similar to the Grinch? Ebeneezer Scrooge? Maybe they’re most like Mr. Clause himself! They won’t know until you give them the opportunity to find out with a personality test.

While it may not immediately help with your bottom line, a quiz could provide some additional leads for your company the following year. Think big picture and start building your list for next year while allowing users to have some fun and learn more about themselves and your products.

Take this idea an extra step and tie the users' outcomes to your products. For example, if you are a cookie company, you could match heart-shaped cookies with those that scored the outcome of the Grinch and chocolate chip cookies with those that scored the outcome of Santa. This not only allows them to have some holiday fun, but it saves them time by making their selection of your products easier.

Not convinced it will work? 

Create some extra incentive to take the quiz by providing discounts or even an instant win. The key here is to build your brand awareness during the holidays and use the information gathered to grow your business the following year.

Exit Intent Pop-ups

Exit intent pop-ups allow you to incentivize page visitors that may be on their way out. Use them to display a coupon to entice them to make a purchase. According to Conversion Sciences, 10-15% of lost visitors can be “saved” by exit-intent pop-ups.

You will want to be sure to keep these messages short and to the point, as many page visitors aren’t going to want to read a paragraph if they are on their way out. This also means you don’t need to invest much time into building it.

While it may not always get a customer in the door, these pop-ups will help with building your leads list for next year's promotions.

Email Follow-ups

Email follow-ups are a way to show appreciation to your customers while bringing their attention back to your brand.

Following up post-purchase with a coupon code, sending a notification about another product or service, or even thanking them for trusting your company is a great way to stay in buyers' minds and allow them to take another look at your offerings.

Don’t overthink this, but mix it up and try new things to see what works best for you.

Your customers will appreciate any generosity or kind messages during the holidays which, let's face it, can be a bit hectic for everybody.

Conclusion

When it comes to the holiday marketing push, it is better to get started early, but it’s also never too late to make a final push! Whether it’s one of these ideas or some not listed, we’d love to help you make your next marketing campaign a successful one.

So why not get started today? Just sign in, or create a free account here and let us know how we can help!