Imagine, you’re walking down the street, and you see a Christmas tree through the window – you might take a deep sigh in mid-November at the idea, but it’s no secret that now, Christmas is well and truly on its way. But what does that Christmas tree say? Well, it says that the family inside are ready for Christmas, and that so should you be.
If you’re a business, you’ve been ready for the festive season for months, and not putting out your tree as soon as acceptably possible, could cost you in sales. Big time.
As soon as Halloween ends, and for some even sooner, it’s time to break out of the starting blocks and release the heartwarming ads, the Christmas calendars, those Black Friday deals. If you’re not doing that already, you might have missed the boat.
So why then is it so important?
The Buildup
Much like many other holidays, there is always a build up to them – Easter, Halloween, New Year – it gives you time to develop interest over a few months. None have quite the same build up as Christmas, however. Why not sow the seeds early in October, maybe even September – it doesn’t have to be a full-blown campaign at this point, maybe just a post once every couple of weeks reminding people that Christmas is coming. Remember, many begin thinking about shopping for Christmas at around this time, more so as the holiday season becomes more and more expensive, and people have to spread the cost.
If you’re not there to show them what you have on offer, they won’t buy from you, and once they’ve already bought their gift somewhere else, you’ve already missed out. Don’t miss out.
Social Media
Did you know that, according to Kimp, 68% of shoppers look to YouTube for product recommendations, and 23% then rely on social media for it, Instagram being the leading channel. So, if you’re not decorating your social media with trees and baubles, you had better start. Social media is important at any point in the year, but when it comes to Christmas it’s vital that you’re on trend and connecting with your audience. Like that tree in the window, having a Christmas theme on your social media is telling your audience that you’re ready for the season and by extension, ready to help them celebrate.
There are many ways you can do this – many social media channels allow you to change your covers, profile pictures- and it’s easy to do it so you’ve got no excuse. Just ensure you stay in line with your brand and colours, as of all the times of year, Christmas is not the one where you want to lose your brand identity. Be creative, find a way to Christmas up your brand and have fun with it, as Christmas should be!
Be Creative
Rather than simply sharing your products, be creative with it, as you would be with your Christmas campaign. Why not share some behind the scenes of you creating or putting out your stock for Christmas? It builds anticipation, and helps people feel a part of your brand and story – with Christmas being such a personal celebration for families and friends, it’s important to tap into that with your campaigns and being open and willing about who you are as a brand will help you to do that. Make your products fit into the Christmas theme too, decorate them up to your hearts content to show people that their Christmas cannot be as special without them!
If you’re really wanting to go to town, why not create a calendar perhaps to count down to the big day, with offers behind each door or hints and guides for Christmas? There are many ways to do this, and you can be as fun with it as you want to be!
Create your content however, to guide people to your website. Post tasters of your products, perhaps hint at Christmas bundles, gift guides and sales in order to entice people to your website for those all-important conversions. You’re not here to make Instagram or Facebook popular after all!
Tell a Story
Often what makes brands stand out from the noise is their story – from John Lewis to even Coca Cola. Remember how we said that Christmas is all about tapping into the personal lives of those we’re selling to? Your story is how you do just that. A good brand will already have a story attached to them that relates to their brand ethos, create one for Christmas that does the same and you’ll find that those who share that story and ethos may pick you over somebody else.
When creating your story, think about the current climate you’re in. Over Covid for example, many brands went all out with their Christmas messaging due to the inability to see loved ones over the festive period – much of them in fact focussed on the importance of keeping in touch with family, even when you cannot be together in person, with a hope of better days and Christmases to come attached. Of course, it resonated. This year, consider the cost-of-living crisis that still ravages households today, all the more so this time of year where energy bills are higher, and Christmas comes along to empty your bank account. Why not link your brand messaging to the true importance of Christmas? Family, togetherness? As opposed to relying on material gifts or decadence to show your love for another. It won’t come across as insensitive either, which could draw people away.
Whatever your business does or sells, the period leading up to Christmas and the end of year is often one of the most crucial periods, so missing out on that period is a bad idea. Of course, with all that Christmas marketing, don’t forget about New Year. Our final hint is to make the two into one, naturally leading into New Year, much like the holidays themselves!
