Whether it’s the giving of gifts or sharing a specially prepared meal, Christmas tends to bring out the big spenders. But creating a buzz around your products and services is more difficult at this time of the year – when every brand and business is clamouring for people’s attention.
Here are 10 marketing ideas to promote your business, products and services this Christmas.
1. Build some buzz with teasers
The key to an effective campaign is keeping the ‘Christmas creep’ in moderation. If you’re lining up a strong promotion, keep customers guessing with a few subtle hints about what you have planned during the period. Build some buzz around one big reveal such as a brand-new landing page, complete with special offers.
2. Create gift guides to keep people engaged
Create user-focused gift guides that highlight the features and benefits of your products and services through well-written copy and clever design. Combine digital and paper versions to take the message of your key products and discount deals to your audience – whether through Google or the Royal Mail.
3. ‘Pop-up’ a promo area in store
An experiential pop-up style area in-store can create buzz and attract customers to your key products. Have well-briefed members of staff on the stand to talk through key product benefits and answer questions. Order a roller banner display to draw customers’ attention and match with some suitably attractive posters to keep customers on tenterhooks ahead of launch day.
4. Turn heads with promotional packaging
For the festive season, change up your packaging with custom printing. By adding tweaks to the usual colours on your packaging to something suitably seasonal, you can give customers a little taste of the festivities to come.
To go the extra mile, add a personalised touch to every delivery. A handwritten note to thank customers, or a decorative customised ribbon, will be the icing on the Christmas cake.
5. Tell customers your key dates
As your orders pick up in the pre-Christmas rush, use a leaflet to tell customers the important dates this season, including your deadline for orders.
Use this opportunity to make one final promotional push, perhaps by leveraging a special offer. Customers will appreciate being kept informed about the cut-off date for orders.
6. Entice your customers with deals
Help build your customers’ excitement and keep your business on their minds with deals throughout December. Keep these codes exclusive to those who sign up to your email newsletter, or offer them on your site for a limited time.
7. Distribute leaflets for all your offers
This could be included as part of your gift guides or created separately. Either way, the two assets go hand in hand – the gift guide engages your customer with the reasons to believe in a certain product or service. Then the offers leaflet gives them a reason to buy now – when the two are combined the results can be compelling.
8. Reward your loyal customers
As the year draws to a close, you may want to thank your customers, both new and old, for their support. With a tiered scheme you can offer new customers an incentive to shop with you and reward those who are already subscribed. This could be through different techniques, for example early access to your daily deals or rewards when they refer a friend or family member.
9. Create a social giveaway
Christmas is the perfect season to give back to your customers. Devise a competition through social media to create a real buzz – it’s a great way to boost your social following. Including a direct link to your website can also help generate sales and increase your brand awareness.
10. Bring it all together in a newsletter
Be clever with all of the content you have created with an email newsletter than can bring everything together in one place. Create an email that’s designed to reflect the user journey – present the guides next to the offers, with links to the page from which they can buy. Combine with non-promotional evergreen content that isn’t trying to sell at all but is helping them to understand technologies or providing latest news related to what you do.
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