Prepare Your Holiday Promotions Now

Have you been to a big box store recently?! The holiday season is here! It seems like just yesterday we were hoping for warmer weather and planning summer promotions. No need to sweat it if you haven’t started yet! But there’s also no time to waste. The holidays are notoriously busy with family, shopping, end-of-the-year business and more. To make your life a little easier, we have put together a list of some of the best holiday marketing campaigns and ideas to get your business in the holiday spirit! Whether you run a small online business, brick-and-mortar store, ecommerce brand or a rockstar side hustle, these holiday marketing strategies are sure to inspire some holiday promotions that don’t require months of planning and execution!

1. Plan your holiday marketing campaign

First things first, plan a holiday marketing campaign. Regardless of whether you run an ecommerce brand, small online business or brick-and-mortar store, creating a solid holiday marketing campaign is at the core of being successful during the holiday season. If you aren’t sure where to start, begin by mapping out the specific products/services and promotions you want to push, and then map out how you plan to reach customers. Make the campaign interactive with a fun holiday-themed quiz on your website that suggests gift ideas for loved ones, or create a clickable holiday gift guide to promote via email or social media (more on that below). Anything to make the season a little easier and festive for your customers.

2. Decorate your website

We love decorating for the holidays, and each year our efforts get a little more…intense 🙂 Who says that holiday cheer has to stop at your driveway? Consider “decorating” your website too! When customers are shopping and they land on a festive yet tasteful website (hold the tunes, please), it can increase their endorphins and inspire them to explore your promotion. Think holiday-themed images, a holiday-themed hero with promotion info and/or a holiday popup (make sure it’s easy to close!). Halloween will fly by! Be ready for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas and New Year’s Eve/Day.

3. Create + promote gift bundles

Earning a spot on our list of the best holiday marketing strategies is creating and promoting holiday gift bundles! Gift bundles are easy to create on WordPress (and Squarespace and Shopify) and are appealing to customers looking for a one-stop holiday gift shop, especially if the savings are significant. Think about how you could tailor them to appeal to potential customers. For example, you could create a bundle for the “person on your list who has everything” or a bundle for the “momprenuer in your life.” Promote your gift bundles across multiple platforms, including your website, emails, social media and advertising.

4. Build a holiday landing page

We understand the additional work that goes into creating holiday-specific branding and collateral for your business around the holiday season. If you’re already going to the effort, why not show off your promotions on a special holiday-dedicated landing page that makes it as easy as possible for customers to find your deals and make a purchase. If you have a brick-and-mortar location, you can also extend this to your shop by having a dedicated section, area or shelf that features your in-store holiday items and promos and includes the items patrons may have seen online.

5. Add a gift price filter to your website

Some of the best holiday marketing campaigns have at least two things in common: they reach a targeted audience and they make the shopping experience incredibly smooth and tailored to that audience. One easy way to make your online shopping experience smooth is to add a gift price filter to your shop page. It also demonstrates that you’re conscious of shoppers’ budgets. If you have a brick-and-mortar business, you could also consider organizing a section of your store by price to provide a similar seamless experience to your website.

6. Put together a holiday gift guide

Last but not least on our list of holiday marketing strategies is to put together a holiday gift guide! Gift guides are fun to browse and quick to scan, and again they make life easier for your clients. Tell them what they need. Make a list of five to 10 of your most popular products, turn it into a holiday gift guide that can be shared via your website, email marketing list and on social media! Canva is an easy and affordable way to develop a gift guide and supporting graphics.

Start Your Holiday Promotions Now

And there you have our list of the best holiday marketing strategies for the season. There are tons of ways to promote your brand, products or services over the holiday season. Spend some time brainstorming holiday promotions, then get started! Whether you’re marketing directly to consumers or to other businesses, it’s a busy time of year and ripe with opportunity to gain new clients, forge new vendor relationships and get involved in your local community.

Pro tip: Your website is your digital headquarters. Most of your other marketing efforts — social, email, paid advertising, messaging — lead back to your website. Do you have a strong foundation? If not, we can help! Whether your website needs an update or you’re starting from scratch, CTMH builds websites with gusto that will woo your audience. If you’re not sure where to start, take our website quiz!