27 steps, tips and examples to get your brand in the mood

Do you know how I know I’m in the right field? While most people get excited about Christmas decorations, food, music, parties and sales this time of year, I get excited about Christmas marketing.

Holiday campaigns are arguably the biggest opportunity of the year for your brand to get creative and connect with your audience on a warm, human level.

Plus, it’s your chance to secure your share of around $902 predicts the National Retail Federation The average consumer will spend money and meet your sales goals this year.

Haven’t started planning your holiday marketing campaign yet? No panic.

I’ve put together a comprehensive guide with everything you need to start a holiday marketing campaign this season, including surefire holiday marketing ideas and brilliant examples from this year and past.

Table of contents

Note: In this article, I focus on fall and winter holidays such as Thanksgiving, Diwali, Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve, as well as retail holidays (Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber ​​Monday, Giving Tuesday, Green Monday). ).

But you can really use these steps for your holiday marketing all year round.

1. Define your campaign goals.

Before you start creating a holiday marketing campaign, determine what you want to achieve. Do you want to increase your sales before the end of the year or perhaps increase your Instagram followers for next year?

Take what you want to do and make it concrete SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. This framework leaves less room for ambiguity about whether you have achieved what you should or not.

Depending on what you want to achieve with your campaign, your holiday marketing goals might look something like this:

• Generate 1,000 new email subscribers by December 30, 2024.
• Generate 5,000 signups for our app by November 30, 2025.
• Raise $50,000 in donations to XYZ charity by December 25, 2024.
• Increase revenue by $100,000 by December 30, 2024.

Here’s a simple formula to get you started:

Generate (number of) leads focused on (topic/product) by (date)

You can also use this free goal setting template to summarize your holiday marketing goals, calculate your biggest marketing needs, and set deadlines.

2. Define your target group.

In addition to your goals, your target audience plays a big role in where and what you do with your holiday marketing.

The more information you can gather about the people you want to reach, the better. Where do they hang out on social media? Do they prefer consuming information on their desktop or mobile device? What interests you this time of year?

This will help you make smarter marketing decisions when it comes to creating content and planning promotions.

If you already have a few buyer personas in place for your marketing efforts, start by narrowing your focus. Do your goals relate to all segments of your target group? If not, eliminate the people you don’t need to include.

If you don’t have buyer personas yet or want to create campaign-specific personas, Check out our free buyer persona templates.

3. Identify your offer.

Your offer is the focus of all your holiday marketing. This could be a specific product or service, a sale, or something digital like an e-book, report, template, online course, video, tool, etc.

Whatever it is, make sure it has real value to your audience and aligns with your goal.

Vidyard is no stranger to great holiday marketing, but this campaign was particularly clever in my opinion.

A few years ago, the video software company ran a holiday campaign where it offered offers to users “Vacation Video Templates” in its free Google Chrome extension.

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The extension included three video templates that sales reps could send to videos before and during their holiday season, as well as seasonal effects like snow and festive hats that you could apply to make the videos more entertaining.

Looking at this, it’s safe to say that the goal of the campaign was to increase extension installs, and holiday templates were a unique way to achieve this.

Based on our goals from earlier, here are some more examples to consider:

• If you’re trying to generate subscribers, the offer is a subscription to your sales emails (and perhaps a discount or promotion as an incentive).
• If you want to increase app downloads, it might be a free gift or a special holiday feature (like Vidyard).
• If you want to raise $50,000, the offer can be a thank you or a donation match.
• If you want to increase sales, the offer is a sale, discount, or promotion.

4. Define your schedule.

The holidays are hectic times for both marketers and consumers. People are working longer hours, trying to schedule days off, looking for the perfect gifts and spending more time with family and friends.

With this in mind, it’s best to give your business a longer runway to develop your holiday marketing campaign and actually implement it once it’s live.

In my experience, that means giving of yourself at least a month before the holiday or start of your campaign to plan and create. However, if it is a large-scale or high-profile event, such as a major product launch, this time frame should ideally cover the following at least three months.

“At least” are the key words here. The last thing you want to do is rush execution and end up with a mediocre campaign, or cause a great campaign to be ignored before people simply fail to notice it in time.

From here, start outlining your advertising plan (we’ll cover this in the next step) and when you’ll release what.

A consistent, well-thought-out advertising schedule will help capture and maintain your audience’s curiosity and ultimately lead them to benefit from your offer.

5. Design a promotional plan.

“If you build it, they will come,” said no marketer. Now that your offer is complete, it’s time to get the word out about it.

Here are some of the advertising tactics you should consider for your holiday marketing campaign:

Social media

Accordingly Sprout Social Pulse Survey Q4 2024 by Sprout Social89% of shoppers say a brand’s social media content has a direct impact on their holiday shopping.

Additionally, 42% of consumers say they plan to use social media to find gifts more this year than last.

So if you’re not using social media for your holiday marketing, you’re sorely mistaken.

Wherever you share your content, you need a place to organize and plan your distribution strategy. Check this out Free calendar for social media content.

Pro tip: Collaborate with influencers.

69% of consumers trust the recommendations of influencers and their family and friends more than the brands themselves. And social media is their bread and butter.

Partnering with trusted influencers or creatives in your field to publish original content, launch an exclusive collaboration, or even run a contest can arguably benefit your holiday marketing more than other mediums.

Beauty influencer Aditya Madiraju, for example, recently teamed up with cosmetics brand Anatasia Beverly Hills to develop and launch a limited-edition lip combo for the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali.

It was sold out in 14 hours.

Find out more about your options at Influencer Marketing Strategy: How to Create a Plan Creators and Customers Will Love (+ Templates).

Pay per click (PPC)

Whether on social media, search engines, or elsewhere, PPC ads help brands bypass algorithms and reach their target audiences.

With so much competition during the holiday season, this type of exposure can mean the difference between hitting or missing your goals.

If your budget allows, use search to target the product names you want to sell or use social media to get your promotional content in front of your target audience.

The best thing about social ads is that there are formats that allow people to fill out a lead form or even buy right there.

Email marketing

Contrary to what many say, email marketing is not dead. In fact, according to HubSpot State of Marketing 2024, it is still the channel with the second highest ROI increase.

Email is unique among digital media because it creates a direct, personal connection with your audience. It’s an enclosed, exclusive space with less noise and more opportunities to personally connect with your audience.

This is especially valuable during the holidays when so many brands are vying for the same attention.

If you already have a list of people who you know will be interested in what you have to offer, that’s great. If not, you can split your database to capture a more specific group.

For HubSpot users, segmenting your database is easy active lists and our AI list assistant. The tool lets you define criteria based on contact records, company information, or past behavior, or tell the assistant what you’re looking for to see what filters it suggests.

Once you’ve decided on your recipients, you can start creating emails. Here are some notable best practices to keep in mind:

• Subject line. Your subject line is your only chance to get someone to open your email. If your message contains extremely valuable content, such as a discount or a time-sensitive offer, make that the focus. Or keep it short and succinct to pique curiosity. Use emojis to attract attention. For more subject line tips and examples, click here.
• Body text. The copy of your email should be compelling but concise, similar to the copy on your landing page. You want to give the reader enough information to move them to the next step. So summarize the value and also incorporate personalization whenever possible. (HubSpot Personalization token (can help with this.) Here are some great examples of email personalization in action.
• Call to action. What do you want your customers to do after reading your email? Focus your message on this one goal.

Plus, it’s the holidays right now! I know I’m a marketing nerd, but a good one seasonal email design or festive visual always grabs my attention and interest, like this Thanksgiving campaign from Nothing Bundt Cakes.

Do you need help with crafts? Tools like Canva can help you create holiday graphics for your emails while our free holiday email templates can be used directly in HubSpot.

Content marketing/blogging

Blogs are one of the oldest forms of content marketing, and while it can be harder to get noticed in this space with so much competition, it still offers unique value to marketers.

Depending on the nature of your vacation offering, blogging can let people know about it in detail, create a new page to link to on social media, and get indexed in search engines.

6. Create your follow-up plan (if relevant).

What happens to your leads after you generate them? Or how do you maintain the relationship after someone makes a purchase?

Before you launch your campaign, it’s best to design a plan to qualify and nurture your leads that lead to purchases or returns.

Consider examining retargeting ads or email sequences (which can be automated with HubSpot workflows) and how they fit into your larger marketing goals.

7. Create your holiday marketing assets.

Depending on what you have planned for your campaign, you may need to create graphics, videos, and blog articles, among other things. Now is the time to get this going.

Regardless of the finer details, a landing page is a smart asset to prioritize. This gives your offer a place to “live” – a page where people can get more information, take action, or where you can send traffic from your promotions.

Depending on your brand, every landing page looks different. However, here are some important best practices to keep in mind when creating your landing page:

• Have a compelling headline. This is how you capture the attention of potential visitors.
• Add interesting images. Your landing page shouldn’t just be a mess of text. Think about how you can provide visual context to your offer.
• Highlight the benefits of your offer. This can be in the form of a video or a bulleted list. Regardless of the form, the goal is to make it clear what the visitor can expect from this offer and why it is important.
• Add steps to take action. So people actually get the deal. Depending on what it is, you may click Shop Now to go to your product catalog, fill out a form, or even receive store visit instructions with an address or call-to-action for your “branch locator”. ”

If you need more guidance on what makes a great landing page, check out this roundup of 41 brilliant landing page designs.

8. Take the campaign live.

You have everything; Now it’s time to send them out into the world.

Pro tip: We recommend incorporating a “soft launch” into your timeline. This gives you time before initiating a promotion to put all your assets through a real QA check and make sure everything is working properly.

9. Measure and report.

Remember the goals we set in step one? Now it’s time to review your metrics and see if you’ve hit them.

If you didn’t, don’t blame yourself. it happens to all of us. Take a deep breath and delve into what may not have worked.

Analyze where people dropped off in your email sequences or after seeing your social media ads. Determine how many of your blog articles they read or whether people even viewed the landing page. Write down these details and use them as the basis for your next holiday marketing campaign.

Now that you know how to plan your holiday marketing campaign, what should it look like?

Christmas marketing tips for 2024

Here are seven versatile holiday marketing tips you can incorporate into your campaign.

1. Get involved in relatable experiences.

The holidays are rich with traditions that are dear to many. Incorporating these into your holiday marketing can help drive interest and ensure your message resonates on a deeper level.

Holiday traditions and images to consider:

• Snowmen, snowflakes
• Meals with family and friends
• Shopping and giving
• Light displays and candles
• Santa Claus and elves
• Turkeys, candy canes

The idea is to hit an emotional nerve. After all, people tend to do that Buy more with your heart than their heads.

Etsy is a master at this, as their commercials from 2020 and this year show.

2020: “Gift like you mean it”

2024: “Gifts That Say “I’ll Get You””

2. Support a cause.

The holidays are a time for giving. In addition to looking for gifts for their loved ones, many people also want to donate to causes and charities that are close to their hearts.

Building a campaign around a cause you and your audience care about taps into that urge and provides a welcome opportunity to fulfill it.

This cheeky Christmas campaign from The Body Shop does a lot of things right, including giving something back.

The commercial ends with the statement that The Body Shop, in partnership with WaterAid, would provide a day of clean water for a family in Ethiopia for every gift set sold.

3. Create a sense of urgency.

At the end of the year, time is of the essence. Capturing this sense of urgency is a great way to create hype and get your audience to take action.

For example, you could run a 12-day campaign (with sales, giveaways, announcements, etc.) using the popular Christmas song “12 Days of Christmas.”

Or you can count down the holiday you’re focusing on with different daily surprises.

You could also sell a seasonal or limited edition product (like Dunkin) that can only be purchased during a specific time period. If your holiday marketing is time-bound, people are more prone to FOMO.

4. Emphasize social media – but still think multi-channel.

As mentioned earlier, social media has a lot of appeal during the holiday season. But while it should be an important part of your campaign, it shouldn’t be the only part.

Conventional wisdom holds that people rarely buy after just one interaction with a brand. While the exact number varies depending on the target group, it usually takes time multiple touch points So to make a sale, you can’t just rely on one medium or asset.

Use email marketing, PPC, influencer marketing, and even traditional advertising if your budget allows. Identify the platforms where your audience consumes content and spread your message there.

5. Offer an offer, incentive or reward.

According to Capital One, price is the most important factor in purchasing decisions for 89% of Americans. In fact, the same report found that discounts are an important factor for 74% of online shoppers in the US. Don’t sleep on this knowledge.

On vacation, people expect Offers, discounts and special offers. Not offering this as part of your holiday marketing can quickly lead to you being ignored.

6. Make gift giving easier.

Few things are more stressful this time of year than finding the right gift for the people in your life.

Whether it’s a partner, a friend, a child or even a work colleague, making gift-giving easier with your holiday marketing is a surefire way to grab attention and build trust with your audience.

What could that look like?

• Post gift guides on your blog or social media.
• Group products into gift packages.
• Offer gift cards, vouchers or subscriptions.

Macy’s did a great job here, partnering with an influencer to post a gift guide on Instagram:

7. Incorporate humor.

As fun as the holiday season is, it can also be stressful. We welcome any ease you can bring to your holiday marketing. Besides, that’s it most popular type of content on Instagram and several other platforms.

Amazon is no stranger to cracking a joke in holiday marketing:

Examples of Christmas marketing campaigns

Tips and processes are cool and all, but some real holiday marketing ideas would be great, right? Let’s look at some of the most memorable campaigns from different industries in recent years and why they work.

1. Coca Cola: Holiday Caravan

Despite the backlash For its AI-generated Christmas commercial, Coca-Cola is still hoping to get cities across the United States in the holiday spirit Holiday caravan.

The bright red, holiday-themed truck will make stops in 14 states and invites fans of all ages to “stop by to take a photo with Santa, enjoy an ice-cold Coca-Cola and get your very own gift.” Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar Can!”

The brand ran commercials and social media ads to promote the campaign, like this one I saw on my Instagram Stories.

Why it works:

• Take advantage of popular holiday traditions (e.g. taking a photo with Santa)
• Creates a personal experience
• Incorporates personalization
• Wraps up all the warm holiday fun with Coca-Cola branding and allows you to enjoy their products at the same time.

2. American Express: “Small Business Saturday”

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“Saturday for Small Businesses” is a retail holiday where Americans are encouraged to shop from small businesses rather than the big brands that typically steal the spotlight on Black Friday, Cyber ​​Monday, etc.

What many don’t know is that the day actually began in 2010 as a holiday marketing campaign by American Express (AMEX).

Now in its 15th year, the campaign encourages shoppers to “shop small” and in turn support the dreams and growth of millions of small businesses across the country.

Additionally, the company donates $1 to charity for every purchase made with an American Express card – this year it’s the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to support small business recovery efforts affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton were affected.

AMEX is running commercials and magazine ads (yes, those still exist!), promoting them on social media, and encouraging business owners and consumers alike to spread the word about the campaign using hashtags like #smallbusinesssaturday, #shopsmall, and #smallbizsaturday.

Overall, the idea was so well received that it became more of a movement than a marketing campaign and was embraced by many who had no connection to AMEX.

Why it works:

• Fits perfectly with the average consumer’s natural holiday shopping habits
• Aligns with the AMEX culture of supporting small businesses
• Gives back to an appropriate charity
• Unites people for a cause, regardless of whether they are an AMEX cardholder
• Think multichannel
• Accesses social media and user-generated content (UGC) using hashtags

3. Chewy: “Chewy Claus”

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Chewy’s, pet supplies retailer Tough Klaus Christmas marketing campaigns have been very popular for many years. It asks pet owners to share their pet’s holiday wish list so Chewy Claus can fulfill it.

For every letter/wish list the company receives, it also donates one pound of pet food and supplies to Greater Good Charities to help pets in need (up to 600,000 pounds). This year, Chewy is also sponsoring adoptions with the campaign.

The company promoted Chewy Claus with a landing page on its website, social media posts and an accompanying holiday commercial.

Why it works:

• Take advantage of beloved holiday traditions (e.g. writing a letter to Santa)
• Offers a chance to potentially get everything your pet (or fur baby) needs for the holidays
• Fits perfectly with the Chewy brand
• Donate to a relevant charity that would be important to their customers

4. TJX: “Bring Back the Holidays”

In 2017, TJX (the parent company behind retailers Marshalls, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, and others) took a seemingly counterintuitive approach to its holiday marketing.

Instead of encouraging people to shop like many competitors, the company urged its customers (and employees) to stay home and spend time with loved ones by closing its doors on Thanksgiving.

This followed the trend of many major companies opening their doors on Thanksgiving itself to get a head start on the holiday rush – but this consumer-driven push didn’t sit well with many, including TJX.

So instead of promoting a product, the brand promoted values. The group’s branches will remain open in 2024, seven years later remain closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Why it works:

• Oriented towards the family values ​​that the audience shares
• It’s counterintuitive and therefore stands out

5. Starbucks: “Red Cup Day”

Starbucks has lost money for several years this year, but is hoping its annual Red Cup campaign will help.

Seasonal holiday mug designs have been a staple of the brand since 1999, but they’re also offering deals starting in 2022 “Red Cup Day” – a day when customers who order a handcrafted holiday beverage at a participating U.S. Starbucks location will receive a free limited-edition reusable red cup made from 95% recycled materials.

After that, anyone who returns to the store with their cup (or a reusable cup) will receive a $0.10 discount on their drink as well as 25 bonus stars in the Starbucks Rewards app.

Why it works:

• Perfectly fits the purchasing behavior of the average Starbucks customer
• Creates a personal group experience
• Comes with a free limited edition giveaway
• Promotes loyalty and encourages repeat business by offering a discount with the cup
• Promotes sustainability and aligns with Starbucks promise to reduce waste by 50% by 2030.

6. Office Max: “Elf Yourself”

I remember seeing Office Max’s first “Elf Yourself” holiday marketing campaign in 2006 – and honestly, it still drives me crazy to this day.

For the campaign, the office supply retailer set up a website where viewers could upload pictures of themselves and their friends to create a hilarious, personalized video of them dancing as Christmas elves. The video could then be shared as an eCard (remember those?) and on social media.

This level of personalization was the first of its kind and the campaign has proven successful. Today, the website has evolved into a mobile app and has VR features that allow you to bring your elves to life in any room using your phone camera.

Why it works:

• Uses popular holiday images (aka Santa’s elves)
• Creates personalized content
• Universal Appeal – You don’t have to be an Office Max shopper to appreciate it – making it a great attention play.
• Extremely shareable and memorable

7. Fairlife: “Holiday Hot Chocolate Kit Giveaway”

In its Christmas marketing campaign, dairy brand Fairlife shows audiences that its products not only fit family traditions, but also enhance them.

Making hot chocolate on a cold winter evening? Bake Christmas cookies or leave some for Santa Claus? Fairlife milk makes these moments even more “magical” as it contains more protein and less sugar than traditional milk alternatives.

On his landing page The company shares hot chocolate recipes with its products, shares UGC from #fairlifeholidaymoments, and hosts a contest to win a “holiday hot chocolate kit.”

Fairlife promoted the competition on social media.

Why it works:

• Take advantage of beloved holiday/winter traditions (e.g., enjoy hot cocoa, bake holiday cookies)
• Offers unique value in the form of recipes
• Promotes UGC
• Host a giveaway to generate leads and give viewers a fun surprise

8. Macy’s: “Believe”

Between New York City’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and popular holiday displays, Macy’s is a staple of the holiday season across the United States. The “Believe” campaign has only reinforced this reputation.

“Believe” started in 2008 and ran consecutively for over a decade.

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It invited “believers” of all ages to visit a Macy’s store to write letters to Santa and post them in bright red Macy’s-branded mailboxes or mail them online.

Macy’s then donated $1 for every letter collected from early November through Christmas Eve the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help fulfill the wishes of seriously ill children.

Personally, I loved this campaign as a young adult. I’ve written letters with my mother, my late cousin, and other loved ones over the years, and it’s always been a beautiful moment of reflection that takes me back to my childhood. I’m sure many could say the same thing.

Why it works:

• Take advantage of beloved holiday/winter traditions (e.g. writing a letter to Santa)
• Support a charity that is close to the hearts of its customers and the general public
• No purchase is required, but it brings people into stores or to Macy’s website where they have the opportunity to shop.
• Offers a fun, seasonal, personal experience.

10. Google: “Santa Tracker”

This one is simple and sweet.

Google launched in 2004 “Santa Tracker” a website that simulates and “tracks” Santa Claus’ location as he travels the world on Christmas Eve.

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The tracker is usually animated and colorful and is aimed at children. It also allows them to play, watch and learn through a variety of Christmas-themed activities.

Why it works:

• Features familiar holiday stories (aka Santa Claus traveling around the world on Christmas Eve)
• Low maintenance for Google. (Like Santa Claus himself, the site only needs to function one night a year.)
• Interactive and free
• Increases Google traffic

11. IKEA Canada: “Assemble Together”

This IKEA Canada commercial provides a familiar experience for most viewers.

It’s the holiday season and the room is full of families. Some are cooking, some are chatting, some are setting the table and some are playing games, but everyone is enjoying each other’s company as music and IKEA products fill the room.

What’s special about this ad (at least in North America) is that the family is South Asian and the decorations appear to be a mix of Christmas and Christmas Diwali Elements.

This campaign is simple but sends two powerful messages. First, IKEA offers many different things to make your holiday gatherings easier, and second, many of our celebrations look the same regardless of your background.

“Gather together” ran for six weeks in 2021 across traditional television, digital channels and social media.

Why it works:

• Take advantage of popular holiday traditions (e.g. gathering with family for dinner)
• Subtly highlights IKEA products
• Shows the diversity of the IKEA audience and the similarities they all share

(Also, this is more of a Ramona thing, but it uses an absolutely iconic Bollywood song that will immediately resonate with anyone from a South Asian background.)

12. McDonald’s: “Reindeer ready”

“Reindeer readyis a UK-based multichannel Christmas campaign by McDonald’s that launched in 2018. In this campaign, McDonald’s locations in the UK and Ireland are playing off a regional carrot-letting tradition by offering free reindeer treats (aka a bag of carrots) on Christmas Eve.

The fast food giant has run several commercials surrounding the campaign over the years and recently introduced it Reindeer Ready Live – an augmented reality (AR) app that allows users to take a photo or video of their living room and then insert an augmented reality reindeer.

The result is a personalized, “caught on camera” clip of the reindeer snacking on his McDonald’s treats, which can then be saved or shared on social media.

Why it works:

• Incorporates a local holiday tradition
• Incorporates personalization
• Creates an unforgettable experience in real life
• Promotes user-generated content

It’s the time to get creative

Holiday marketing isn’t just about driving sales – it’s an opportunity to connect with your audience on a deeper, more emotional level.

By embracing the holiday spirit, drawing on relatable traditions, and providing real value, you can make your brand stand out (and be remembered) during the busiest time of year.