Ho Ho Ho, marketing enthusiasts!
While Christmas is twinkling on the horizon, let’s not forget it’s merely the beginning of a whole parade of holidays that 2024 has in its store, each bringing along a treasure trove of marketing opportunities to rocket your brand and sales into new heights.
At Inceptly, we’re all about leveraging the festive zest to give your brand that sweet spot in the market. And as the holidays inch closer, the buzz of consumerism is already in the air, and the early bird, as they say, gets the worm—or, in this case, the customer’s attention way before the competition does.
If you’re confused about holiday marketing? Fear not.
We’re serving you an early festive treat—a meticulously crafted guide to ace your holiday marketing game in 2024. Be it New Year’s euphoria, Black Friday frenzy, or the cherished Christmas spirit, this guide is your playbook to resonate with your audience amidst the holiday hullabaloo.
Each section will offer you insights, examples, quick tips, AI prompts, action steps, and even tools to help streamline your holiday marketing campaign—making it more efficient and effective.
Here’s what’s on the holiday marketing menu today:
- Understanding Your Audience 🎯
- Starting Early Is Key 🗓️
- Unique Selling Proposition (USP) 🌟
- Setting Up a Timeline ⏳
- Choosing The Right Channels 📡
- Engage, Don’t Just Promote 🤝
- Stock and Logistics 📦
- After the Holiday 🎊
- Measure and Refine 📈
- Practical Insights: How to set up and optimize your holiday campaigns 💻
- VidTao 2.0 🥳
- Holiday Ads Breakdown 🧑💻
Want to brainstorm with our team on new ways to scale your business with YouTube ads (and other performance video platforms)?
Join us for a free YouTube ad brainstorming session by clicking the button below 👇
So fasten your sleigh belts—and let’s get straight into Inceptly’s guide to crushing ANY holiday marketing campaign.
1. Understanding Your Audience 🎯
Before laying the first stone for your holiday marketing campaign, a thorough understanding of your audience is pivotal. Knowing whether your audience is comprised of early birds or last-minute shoppers, their preferred shopping channels, and their response to past campaigns can significantly shape your strategy. For instance, an understanding of their shopping behavior during Halloween can reveal whether they are impulse buyers or meticulous planners. This is where tools like Google Analytics and social media insights come in handy, painting a vivid picture of your audience’s preferences and behaviors.
Before dreaming up any holiday offers, get acquainted with the folks on the other side of the transaction.
Example: Analyzing behavior patterns to find out if your audience shops early or last minute during the Halloween season.
A quick tip: Leverage Google Analytics and social media insights to unravel your audience’s shopping behavior and preferences.
AI prompt: “Analyze consumer shopping behavior during [insert holiday] over the past three years.”
Action Steps:
- Survey your audience to grasp their holiday shopping preferences
- Dive into analytics to understand past shopping behavior during similar holidays
Useful tools 🦾
- Google Analytics: This tool provides detailed insights into website traffic, user behavior, and demographics.
- Facebook audience insights: If your audience is on Facebook, this tool helps you understand their interests, demographics, and behavior on the platform.
- SurveyMonkey: Conduct online surveys to gather direct feedback and preferences from your audience.
2. Starting Early Is Key 🗓️
The adage, “the early bird catches the worm,” holds water, especially in the realm of holiday marketing. Initiating your planning phase well in advance, say for Black Friday deals as early as August, not only provides a cushion for unforeseen hitches but also allows for comprehensive market research, A/B testing, and fine-tuning of your promotional strategies. Tools like Trello or Asana can be your allies in orchestrating a well-organized preparation timeline, ensuring every cog in the wheel runs smoothly as D-day approaches.
The early bird doesn’t just catch the worm; it crafts a winning holiday campaign…
Example: Planning for Black Friday deals as early as August to ensure smooth operations.
A quick tip: Utilize project management tools like Trello or Asana for a well-organized preparation timeline.
AI prompt: “Draft a detailed preparation timeline for our [insert holiday] marketing campaign.”
Action Steps:
- Identify potential hurdles and brainstorm solutions
- Allocate ample time for A/B testing promotional strategies
Useful tools 🦾
- Trello: A project management tool that helps you organize tasks, set deadlines, and collaborate with your team.
- Asana: Another project management tool that simplifies task management and team collaboration.
- Monday.com: A versatile work operating system that allows for project planning and tracking.
And you can simplify your holiday marketing strategy and streamline your 2024 planning with a special gift from us: a ready-made calendar featuring all the essential holidays! 🎁
Easily access and plan around the important dates of 2024 by using our FREE calendar HERE!
3. Unique Selling Proposition (USP) 🌟
In a market saturated with holiday offers, your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is your trump card. It’s what sets you apart from the competition. Whether it’s free personalized gift wrapping for Mother’s Day gifts or exclusive limited-edition products, your USP should resonate with your audience and be prominently featured in all your marketing communications. It’s about providing a value that’s unique to your brand, which could be anything from exceptional customer service to a loyalty program that keeps customers coming back.
In a sea of holiday sales, what makes your wave stand out?
Example: Offering personalized wrapping for Mother’s Day gifts.
A quick tip: Highlight your USP in all marketing materials for easy recognition.
AI prompt: “List potential unique selling propositions for our [insert holiday] campaign.”
Action Steps:
- Determine what sets your offerings apart from competitors
- Prominently feature your USP in all holiday marketing materials
4. Setting Up a Timeline ⏳
A meticulously crafted timeline is the backbone of any successful holiday marketing campaign. From content and creation ad approvals to scheduling email marketing blasts and social media posts, every step should be delineated with clear deadlines. For instance, a detailed timeline leading up to a Valentine’s Day sale could entail teaser campaigns, announcements of sales, and post-sale engagement. Utilizing scheduling tools like Hootsuite and HubSpot can automate processes, ensuring timely execution and reducing the margin for error.
A well-orchestrated timeline is your roadmap to holiday marketing success.
Example: A detailed timeline leading up to a Valentine’s Day sale, including content creation, ad scheduling, and email marketing.
A quick tip: Use scheduling tools like Hootsuite for social media posts and HubSpot for email campaigns.
AI prompt: “Create a detailed marketing timeline for [insert holiday], including key milestones and deadlines.”
Action Steps:
- Break down major tasks into sub-tasks with deadlines
- Keep a buffer for unexpected delays
Useful tools 🦾
- Hootsuite: Schedule and manage social media posts across various platforms.
- HubSpot: An all-in-one marketing platform with a scheduling feature for emails and social media.
- Trello: Making the list twice – this trusty tool is sure to keep you on track.
5. Choosing the Right Channels 📡
Every marketing channel has its unique strengths. While Instagram may be perfect for showcasing visually appealing holiday-themed images and videos, email might be your go-to for personalized offers and detailed storytelling. The key is to identify where your audience spends most of their time and tailor your content to suit the strengths of each channel. By analyzing past successful interactions, you can pinpoint the channels that resonate most with your audience and allocate resources accordingly.
Meet your audience where they are, not where you want them to be.
Example: Focusing on Instagram for visually appealing Valentine’s Day promotions.
A quick tip: Analyze where your past successful interactions came from, be it email, social media, or elsewhere.
AI prompt: “Identify the most effective marketing channels for [insert holiday] based on past campaign data.”
Action Steps:
- Choose channels based on past successes and audience preferences
- Tailor content to suit the strengths of each channel
Useful tools 🦾
- Google Analytics: Analyze where your web traffic is coming from and which channels are driving conversions.
- Buffer: A social media management tool that helps you plan and schedule posts for multiple platforms.
- Mailchimp: Email marketing platform with analytics to track the performance of email campaigns.
6. Engage, Don’t Just Promote 🤝
The holiday season is ripe with emotions and a sense of community. It’s a golden opportunity to forge a deeper connection with your audience. Rather than solely focusing on sales, consider sharing stories about how your products played a part in customers’ holiday celebrations or perhaps run holiday-themed contests. Encouraging user-generated content not only fosters a sense of community but also provides you with authentic content that resonates well with prospective customers.
Turn the holiday season into a conversation, not a monologue.
Example: Sharing stories about how your products played a part in customers’ holiday celebrations.
A quick tip: Encourage user-generated content to foster a sense of community.
AI prompt: “Suggest engagement strategies for [insert holiday] to foster brand-audience interaction.”
Action Steps:
- Run holiday-themed contests or polls
- Share user-generated content, acknowledging and appreciating your audience’s engagement
Useful tools 🦾
- Hootsuite: Engage with your audience on social media by responding to comments and messages in one dashboard.
- Sprout Social: Another social media management tool with engagement features.
- Wishpond: Create and run contests, polls, and other engaging campaigns.
7. Stock and Logistics 📦
The harmony between stock availability and logistics is crucial for delivering on your promises. Ensuring your website can handle the traffic surge and your inventory is well-stocked to meet the demand is paramount. It’s about creating a seamless shopping experience from the moment customers land on your website to the point they receive their orders. Collaborating closely with shipping partners and utilizing inventory management software can ensure a smooth operation, leaving a positive, lasting impression on your customers.
Ensure your sleigh is well-stocked and the reindeer are ready for a smooth ride!
Example: Collaborating with shipping partners ahead of the Christmas rush to ensure timely deliveries.
A quick tip: Use inventory management software to keep real-time tabs on stock levels.
AI prompt: “Forecast inventory requirements for [insert holiday] based on past sales data.”
Action Steps:
- Regularly update inventory levels and ensure your website can handle the anticipated traffic surge
- Coordinate with logistics partners for smooth operations during the holiday rush
Useful tools 🦾
- Inventory management software: Options include TradeGecko, Zoho Inventory, and Fishbowl.
- Shipping partner integrations: Many e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce offer integrations with shipping carriers like UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
8. After the Holiday 🎊
The end of the holiday season is not the end of your marketing efforts. It’s a transition into a different phase of customer engagement. Expressing gratitude, gathering feedback, and introducing post-holiday sales or loyalty programs can help maintain the momentum. It’s about building long-term relationships and turning holiday shoppers into loyal customers. A simple thank-you note or a feedback survey can go a long way in showing appreciation and understanding of their shopping experience.
The holiday may end, but the relationship-building continues.
Example: Sending personalized thank-you notes post-Valentine’s Day sale.
A quick tip: Use this time to gather feedback and insights for future campaigns.
AI prompt: “Design a post-[insert holiday] customer engagement and feedback survey.”
Action Steps:
- Express gratitude to your customers
- Seek feedback to understand areas of improvement
Useful tools 🦾
- Mailchimp: Send personalized thank-you emails and gather feedback through post-holiday surveys.
- SurveyMonkey: Create post-holiday surveys to collect feedback and insights from customers.
- Zendesk: Use customer service software to address any post-holiday inquiries or issues promptly.
9. Measure and Refine 📈
Every campaign is a treasure trove of insights. Analyzing the performance metrics of your holiday campaign will reveal what resonated with your audience and what fell flat. Tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Insights can provide a granular view of your campaign’s performance. Understanding the click-through rates of your New Year’s email campaign or the engagement levels on your social media posts can help refine your strategies for the upcoming holidays, turning insights into actions for better outcomes.
Every campaign is a learning curve. Glean insights, refine, and get ready to dazzle again!
Example: Analyzing the click-through rates of your New Year’s email campaign.
A quick tip: Tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Insights are your pals in dissecting campaign performance.
AI prompt: “Analyze the performance metrics of our [insert holiday] campaign to identify successful elements and areas for improvement.”
Action Steps:
- Set clear metrics for success beforehand
- Post-campaign, delve into analytics to understand what worked and what didn’t
Useful tools 🦾
- Google Analytics: Analyze website traffic, conversions, and user behavior to refine your strategies.
- Facebook Insights: If you use Facebook for marketing, analyze post performance and audience engagement.
- Hotjar: A tool for website heatmaps and user behavior analysis to identify areas for improvement.
📊 Expert tips for holiday campaign success🎄
No comprehensive guide is complete without some practical insights. So, here are some top tips from our Senior Media Buyer, Jovan Simic, who is responsible for over $30M in profitable ad spend at Inceptly. He will help you set up and optimize your holiday campaigns:
- 🖼️ Ad copy and creatives: Ensure your ad copy and visuals (videos, images, headlines, descriptions…) match the holiday spirit and specific occasion.
- 📑 Landing page optimization: Design your landing page with a holiday theme and crystal-clear calls to action (CTAs) related to the specific holiday.
- 📞🌐 Leverage ad extensions: Enhance your ads by including extra information like location, phone numbers, and site links using ad extensions.
- 🎯 Audience targeting and segmentation: Divide your audience based on their behavior and preferences. Explore various options like Affinity and In-Market audiences, and proactively create custom segments tailored to your offer and the holiday season.
- 🛍️ Remarketing campaigns: Develop remarketing campaigns to reconnect with previous site visitors, gently reminding them about your products or services as they embark on their holiday shopping journey.
IMPORTANT: Create these audiences (like Landing Page visitors, Add to cart, Checkout page visitors, and customers) in your ad account well ahead of the holiday season. This ensures they’re ready and waiting for retargeting.
- 💰 Budgeting: Allocate an appropriate budget for your holiday campaigns, and be prepared to increase it during the peak holiday periods when competition is fierce and consumers are actively spending.
- 📅 Campaign setup: Timing is crucial. Start creating your campaigns at least 3-4 days before the launch to allow for approvals and to ensure you’re fully prepared for the campaign launch when the specific holiday season kicks off.
- 🛑 Campaign pause: After setting up your campaigns, promptly pause them to prevent premature spending. Google will continue to review and approve your ads within campaigns, even when they’re paused.
When the big day finally arrives, simply enable your campaigns, and you’re all set to capture the holiday magic! 🎉✨
🍰 And here's the real icing on your Christmas cake…
For those who haven’t heard yet, brace yourselves for the upcoming launch of VidTao 2.0, your ultimate marketing advantage. It’s like VidTao but with a turbocharged suite of new and improved features:
🔍 Seamless ad, brand, and advertiser search: Effortlessly discover trending ads, brands, and advertisers you need for inspiration.
💰 Discover profitable offers: Quickly uncover lucrative offers to incorporate into your campaigns.
📊 Analyze offer performance: Dive deep into offer analytics to optimize your strategy like a pro. Track the life cycle of winning ads. Stay on top with rankings pages.
📺 Explore top ads, landing pages, and funnel insights: Easily access high-performing ads and landing pages for reference.
🌎 Filter by category, country, and time: Conduct in-depth category searches to understand market trends and opportunities.
📊 Visualize data with charts and metrics: Utilize visual data representation for actionable insights and informed decision-making.
Plus so much MORE.
If there’s anything you add to your marketing arsenal – let it be VidTao 2.0 (more info to come!)
🔐 How to access VidTao 2.0
Already a VidTao Premium Member?
As a VidTao Premium Member, you have full access to current VidTao 2.0 features, just go here and log in with your existing info: https://next.vidtao.com
Not yet a VidTao Premium member?
Go here to sign up and save before price increases: 👉 https://vidtao.com/vidtaopremium
Through VidTao’s search capabilities, we’ve effortlessly identified three standout holiday marketing ads.
Let’s explore why they’re killing it and use their success to supercharge your campaigns! 🚀🌟
1. Online shopping tools, Christmas
And here’s how it’s doing on VidTao 2.0:
This direct-response ad shows how any successful ad can become a holiday sensation.
How? Just add a holiday-themed hook in the first 5 seconds.
As you can see here – simply adding: “Before you kick off your holiday shopping, here’s a game-changing money-saving tip for online shopping.” at the start is a quick, cost-effective way to give the ad a festive touch. Then you can mix and match depending on the holiday.
The key is to smartly link the holidays to your product and keep the audience engaged throughout the ad.
And you can discover awesome ways to do this by checking VidTao’s eCommerce YouTube Ad Checklist HERE! 🎁🛍️
2. Manscaped, Christmas & Black Friday
According to the VidTao 2.0 database, this ad had the highest ad spend of all Manscaped’s holiday ads:
This is a fantastic ad with much more to unwrap and a prime example of how to sleigh your holiday marketing efforts and leave your competition in the snow.
🎁 Holiday hook: This ad grabs attention right out of the gate with a captivating hook. It taps into the festive spirit and creates an immediate connection with the audience.
🎯 Clear targeting: It speaks directly to its target audience – those looking for unique and thoughtful gifts during the holiday season. The message is crystal clear: “This is the perfect gift for your loved ones.”
💡 Highlighting benefits: The ad doesn’t just talk about the product; it highlights how it can enhance the holiday experience. It’s not just a gift; it’s a solution to a common holiday challenge.
💬 Engaging copy: The ad uses engaging and relatable language. It’s like having a friendly chat with a trusted friend, making the audience feel comfortable and connected.
📣 Social proof: There’s a sprinkle of social proof in the form of reviews or testimonials. This reassures potential buyers that others have already found value in this gift.
🌟 Emotional appeal: It taps into the emotions of the season – love, joy, and the desire to make loved ones happy. Emotions sell, especially during the holidays.
✨ Call to action: The ad ends with a clear call to action, making it easy for viewers to take the next step – purchase the product and make someone’s holiday brighter.
And if you check this ad by Manscaped, you’ll see the same clever strategy we discussed earlier. They started with a Black Friday-themed hook within the first 5 seconds, seamlessly transitioning into their proven high-performing ad. It’s a simple and cost-effective way to tailor winning ads for any holiday season.
3. Blender Jet, Black Friday
Here are some VidTao 2.0 stats for this ad:
As we’ve seen before, the Black Friday deal grabs your attention right from the beginning. It showcases the portable blender as a “Game Changer,” backed by Forbes, and a gift of convenience. This compelling copy not only builds trust but also positions it as a valuable solution that can make a real difference.
Like all exceptional e-commerce ads, it continues to highlight its key features and benefits while presenting the product as the “ideal gift for everyone.” This only enhances its appeal for Black Friday shoppers.
With VidTao 2.0, you can quickly discover winning strategies to supercharge your holiday marketing. It’s the ultimate tool to stay ahead of your competitors and understand what’s hot and effective all year round.
Inside VidTao 2.0 we have we have coverage on Google/YouTube (and soon Facebook also) for over 8 million YouTube ads, and over 65 million search and display ads (plus the landing pages).
🔐 How to access VidTao 2.0
Already a VidTao Premium Member?
As a VidTao Premium Member, you have full access to current VidTao 2.0 features, just go here and log in with your existing info: https://next.vidtao.com
Not yet a VidTao Premium member?
Go here to sign up and save before price increases: 👉 https://vidtao.com/vidtaopremium
And that wraps up our guide to crafting a successful holiday marketing campaign. We hope it helps!
Now, it’s your turn to shine this holiday season. Use these tactics to craft a winning holiday marketing campaign and make your brand the gift that keeps on giving! 🎄🎅🎁
If there’s anything you’re curious to learn more about – let us know!
Until next time, happy campaigning!
Holly
Holly Preston, Lead Copywriter
Holly is the person behind most of Inceptly's successful creatives, supporting the team with her experience and imagination, which makes her an invaluable asset to Inceptly.
Like this post? Let's continue the conversation!
Get in touch with us by shooting us a quick email or tagging us on LinkedIn or Instagram, and sharing your thoughts. Your feedback helps us keep our blog relevant and interesting.
Like the advice but not sure how to implement it? Let us help!
Contact us to discuss avenues for your brand’s growth with performance advertising.
You’ll get an insightful evaluation of your ads + actionable tips to help amp up your direct response revenue. No strings attached!
Get Our Newsletter
Need Help?
Get in touch with us for an insightful evaluation of your ads + actionable tips to help amp up your direct response revenue
