“'Tis The Season: 11 Innovative Holiday Marketing Strategies
In
the business-to-consumer world, holiday marketing campaigns are in the works as
retailers push their [holiday] sales.
In the B2B space, however, it may be more difficult to incorporate
holiday themes into your marketing efforts. It can often feel forced,
especially when your clients are already overwhelmed with holiday-related ads
from every angle.
But this doesn't mean your
business can't bring a little joy to the world this holiday season.
Whether you're B2B or B2C, you just have to make sure it's personal,
appropriate and relevant to your customers.
If you're
looking to spruce up your holiday marketing efforts,
11 communications executives from Forbes
Communications Council offer their best advice for an
innovative, effective campaign.
1. Spread good cheer with live video.
Companies are increasingly bringing
real-time video into their marketing arsenal. When agents use video, they can
better develop customer trust, personalize conversations and create a truly
lasting customer connection. Consider using live video to create a
holiday campaign around sharing good cheer. After all, the best gift is a
smile, a genuinely friendly face and a sympathetic ear. - Holly Chessman, Glance Networks
Inc.
2. Create a special unboxing experience.
In the packaging industry, we push the
"customer unboxing experience" and how to improve
it. We recommend adding holiday colors, images, ribbons, a personalized
thank-you message, etc. inside packages to bring
cheer to every customer as they open their box and read their
personalized image. - Nishat Jones, Victory Packaging
3. Partner with a nonprofit.
Add dimension to your brand
and reach new audiences by partnering with unexpected companies during the
holidays. Invest marketing spend in a charitable partnership. Find a nonprofit
that shares the same values as your company and partner on a "giving"
promotion to promote the cause to both of your audiences. - Jennifer Wong, TUNE
4. Use social listening to uncover 'moments of relevance.'
Social listening can help you
understand how people talk about your brand around the holidays and identify
moments of relevance for your next marketing campaign. Use these emotional
touchpoints to create a campaign leveraging the power of
user-generated content to drive engagement, recommendations and
ultimately sales during this season of significant spending. - Andrew Caravella, Sprout Social
5. Find your brand's unique holiday angle.
Use your business
model to tell a unique story. At McAfee, our "most hackable
gifts" campaign launches around the holidays when few people are thinking
about cybersecurity. We’re able to elevate our unique message in a
fun, interesting and actionable way, even when consumers are facing a deluge of
holiday marketing. It takes time and patience to find your unique
angle, but the payoff is worth it. - Brandie Claborn, McAfee
6. Co-brand your campaign.
While we are all busy orchestrating
our own holiday campaigns, it is the best time to roll out brand
partnerships. By co-branding a holiday campaign with another company, it not
only gives your customers something new to consider, but it also
reaches a wider customer base. It is one of the most effective ways of lowering
cost of customer acquisition and minimizing discounts during the holiday
season. - Lu Chen, THINX
7. Sprinkle nostalgia throughout your marketing campaigns.
No one will argue with the
incredible power of nostalgia. From making people feel
loved to increasing social connectedness, or even giving people a
sense of meaning, nostalgia is a useful element to sprinkle
throughout marketing campaigns. When crafting your holiday marketing campaigns
this year, remember nostalgia. - Lauren Alexander, Underground
Elephant
8. Incorporate unique interactive media campaigns.
When it
comes to the holiday season, every brand is screaming about holiday
blowout sales. If you want your brand to stand out, incorporate
different digital ad campaigns that are interactive in
order to further engage your audience. - Ani Stepanian, Mercer Vine
9. Use
your campaign to make the holidays less stressful.
From shopping to traveling to navigating the office party,
everyone wants the holidays to be less stressful. Build campaigns
around how you can give people time back to spend with their loved
ones, save them money or make their lives easier. Put yourself in your
customer's shoes: Think about their holiday stressors and think creatively
about how you can help them navigate the busy season effectively. - Nadja Blagojevic, Axiom
10. Offer helpful holiday tips around your product or service.
Celebrate your customer by
offering tips, tricks and discounts this holiday season. Your marketing
campaign should focus on customer appreciation, while providing easy-to-follow
holiday tips and tricks that feature products/services you provide. Promote
socially shareable information with graphics that guide
people to your brand. Include a discount offering or
coupon to improve conversion rates. - Alysia Gradney, Vision Source
11. Give gifts to your clients' clients.
Take the traditional
holiday gift a step further, especially for B2B
audiences. Offer to send a gift to your clients'
clients on their behalf. Your branding can be there, but the gift should
come from your client. It creates a hero moment for them with their client and
a hero moment for you with yours. It also helps build that layer of community
during the holidays that is felt year round. - Jeannie Ruesch, xero.com”
SOURCE:
Forbes (Nov 8, 2017)
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