Quick! Holiday Marketing Tips for E-Commerce Brands.
The holiday season can be a daunting leap for CMOs and e-commerce brand founders. But the reality is this: going from Halloween to holiday is the jump scare your audience isn’t ready for. Not only are they not ready, planning this transition can be a challenge, and presenting your offerings too early can lead to content marketing burnout. So to ensure you have a smooth start to your holiday marketing season, here are some tips or guidelines to consider.
WISHFUL THINKING.
Begin your November campaign by narrating the story of your products before delving into the concept of gift-giving. Identify the motivations behind gift choices and use these insights to shape your marketing materials. Think about how or why someone decides to gift a product, and use that “why” to shape your marketing materials. Introduce your target personas to stimulate interest and establish your brand as top-of-mind. The idea here is to plant the seed and have your brand be top of mind.
EDUCATION & IMPACT
November 1st til the 15th should focus on education and how great the product is. Our goal here is to get on wish lists and have our products wanted for Christmas, by our own audience. This gives them time to add us to the list, tell their family, and do what they gotta do to get what they really want. So this year, we aren’t selling the product on behalf of someone, we’re trying to sound so good that people want the gift for themselves.
HOLIDAY SALES CAMPAIGN
As the holiday season intensifies, from November 15 through January 1, emphasize gifting. Explore various messaging strategies, marketing channels, product bundles, and promotional offerings. Even if you have a single product or wish to avoid traditional Christmas messaging, capitalize on the consumer's festive spending mood by delivering engaging, on-trend content.
WHEN DOES BLACK FRIDAY START?
Black Friday now starts as early as November 15 for the e-commerce world. But don’t let that scare you: be creative about how and where you promote your sale. Think about VIP email segmentations, early access opt-ins, and leveraging your engaged community. And if you don’t go on sale, think about a unique way to talk about Black Friday without giving an offer.
PRO TIP: AVOID HOLIDAY SOCIAL MEDIA GIVEAWAYS
Take this from someone who learned from last year. Social Media Giveaways may seem appealing, but these 7 days of giveaways are over saturated and engagement pandemonium, which only leads to drop off and stale leads. You’ll get lost in the noise if you partake, and it’s better to stay on track with your marketing strategy and focus your efforts in other areas of your marketing.
BE INFORMATIONAL
As Christmas approaches, collaborate with your logistics team to determine delivery cutoffs, unique gifting options, or valuable information that you can share with your community. Diversify your communication to offer useful insights beyond your sales promotions.
MIX UP YOUR CONTENT
There are so many ways to lean in to holiday, and it’s important to give your community a variety of messaging and content pieces to carry them through. Think of your own personal journey and how you navigate gifting, and tell the story about where your consumer is.
And if you need some guidance on how to mix up your offerings, content, and overall holiday structure, I’m here to help. Book me in for an hour to brainstorm.