One of the biggest mistakes around the holiday season is waiting until the last minute to find presents for loved ones. Similarly, companies often wait too long to plan their holiday content. According to Twitter, talks about the holiday festivities were up 61% in August compared to the previous year. The holiday season is fast approaching, and now is the time to fine-tune your ideas!
Determine Goals
Before planning this year’s content, it’s important to reflect on the previous year.
Take the time to look at past experiences and results to analyze how that might impact your future planning. Although this might feel like an extra step to take, it becomes a time-saver because you can pull things from past campaigns that worked while learning from previous mistakes. By auditing the previous holiday campaigns, you can also set realistic goals for this upcoming season.
Here is a brief list of holidays to keep in mind as you plan:
- Thanksgiving (November 24)
- Black Friday (November 25)
- Small Business Saturday (November 26)
- Cyber Monday (November 28)
- Giving Tuesday (November 29)
- Green Monday (December 13)
- Hanukkah (December 18-26)
- Christmas Eve and Day (December 24-25)
- Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1)
- New Year’s Eve (December 31)
Identify Strategies for Your Target Audience
Not every marketing strategy is created equal. Depending on your audience, specific trends might fall flat. Therefore, your plan on how to approach this campaign should change depending on who your target audience is; in doing so, you’re better able to create messages and offer promotions that are relevant and appealing to your consumers.
Personalize Your Profiles
A large part of the holiday season's appeal is the atmosphere of joy and cheer. Revamp your site and branding to enhance user experience and bring them along for the festivities. Whether you’re just changing the colors on your home page or adding a personalized holiday greeting, these special touches show that you’re willing to make the extra effort to make your holidays memorable.
Consider sprucing up your packaging to fit into this festive theme. This doesn’t have to be an entire overhaul of production; simply using holiday-themed packing tape or adding a custom sticker can
Create Content
Now that you know what to shoot for, it’s time to start creating content for your audience.
Don’t be afraid to flex your creativity! Consumers are used to seeing an onslaught of sales and promotions after being exposed to holiday e-commerce shopping for so long, so make sure your holiday content is original. You don’t always have to lean into what people might expect from your company.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Many people stress when it comes to finding gifts for their friends and family. Creating a gift guide can make it easier for consumers to navigate your products and find the perfect present for their loved ones.
- If your target audience is Gen Z, create meme content from classic holiday movies and songs.
- Create content that ties into the tone of the season: think joyful, heartfelt, and warm.
- The holidays are a time to give thanks and give back. Partner with an organization or a good cause to let your company’s values shine.
- Don’t be afraid to share useful and educational content relevant to your market! This makes the content engaging for your audience.
Once you’ve wrapped everything up, don’t forget to keep track and measure the analytics so that you can start the next holiday season off on a merry note too!