Here are five holiday marketing ideas to try right now

No, we’re not talking charades – follow these holiday marketing tips to leave a (cheerful) mark this season.

1. Get seasonal on social

The festive season is all about connecting with your customers, thanking them for their support over the year. And your socials are an obvious place to start. Here are a handful of holiday marketing ideas to try, from quick wins to bigger projects.

Theme it – Kick off the season by updating your cover image and profile artwork with a special seasonal theme, and invite your followers to do the same with a free image they can download. Simple.

Give it away – Bring the gifting thing into your campaign. Set up a giveaway and ask your followers to share pictures (with hashtag, of course) for a chance to win. How big you go is up to you.

More wins – Invite your followers to share their wishlist of your products. Choose a winner who’ll get a discount – or better yet, some freebies from their list.

Quick tip: Half your team heading on vacation for the holidays? Use social media scheduling tools to manage your holiday campaign.

2. Gift the givers

Gift with purchase (or GWP to its friends) is a time-honored promotional tool, and a great way to nudge browsing visitors towards making a purchase. And what better time than the holidays to give your customers a gift? A GWP can be a miniature product, a sample – or a bundled set of products. 

If you’re a retail business, your GWP can be framed as an extra treat for someone who’s shopping for others… or themselves. After all, the “self-gifting” is huge: Groupon research reveals that 44% of U.S. consumers will buy gifts for themselves. 

For larger purchases, you could even make the GWP more exclusive. Something they can’t buy anywhere else. For example, you could create limited edition, branded Notebooks. Sure to become much sought after by your fans. (And they’re basically a walking billboard for your brand.)

3. Guide the gifters

Choosing gifts for people never gets any easier. But at least you can make life easier for your customers by creating a gift guide. It can be printed or digital, long or short. Flyers are perfect for this because they come in all sizes and shapes. Postcards, too. You can mail them out as a kind of holiday catalog. 
The trick is to keep things specific. Forget “for him, for her” and all that. Think more “armchair traveler”, “the middle age gamer” or “time-starved foodie”. And how your products will fit into real people’s lives. And most of all, think about the customers you know. Because some holiday marketing ideas are just a case of doing what you do well.

Focus on framing your products for specific people (the great aunt, the arty friend, the boss) and describe how they fit into that person’s life. For example, if you sell stationery, you could target it towards young family members who are at school or college, or explain how it’s a must-have for office workers who’ll enjoy having the best-looking desktop in the company.

4. Gift cards and vouchers

Gift vouchers and cards, both physical or digital, are a trusty holiday staple, especially with last-minute shoppers. And did you know 65% of gift card recipients spend more than the face value of their card? It’s one of those holiday marketing ideas that’s a no brainer.

So try a holiday campaign that’s all about gift cards. You can create fancy physical ones using Gold Foil Postcards. With digital options for more last-minute shoppers. And if you’re able to work at a more personal scale, consider handwritten Notecards too. 
There’s also the chance to create a seasonal loyalty scheme. You can do this digitally or create a more tactile experience using Business Cards. Just use a paper that takes stamping ink well, like Luxe or Original.

5. Don’t forget the cards

You can’t say “the holidays” without talking about holiday cards. Well, you literally can, but you get what we mean. In terms of holiday marketing ideas, this is probably one idea you’re already on board with. But the key here is messaging. A Holiday Card isn’t the moment to get all sales-y. It’s just a chance to show your customers how great they are. And if you’re able to sign it from your team, all the better. 

So, are you now full of holiday marketing ideas and ready to get started? You’ll find everything you need to kick things off right here.