The holidays are always one of the most wonderful times of the year. For many, it’s the season to wind down and enjoy time spent with family and friends, but marketers know it’s also a great time to generate new leads. But which trends will make an impact on your big holiday campaign? From Thanksgiving and Hanukkah to Christmas, New Years’ and every holiday in between, these are the holiday marketing trends topping our nice list this year.
Sleigh the Competition with Geo-fencing
Geo-fencing allows you to target your ads to a specific geographic location, usually by dropping a virtual fence around an area and serving ads to customers when they wander in. Whether you’re running ads on Google, Facebook, or other ad or social platforms, this marketing trend for the holidays will bring the benefits.
According to BIA Advisory Services, Geo-Fenced advertising sales are expected to reach $32.4 billion by 2021. Geo-Fencing ads allow you to personalize your content marketing to increase engagement, which is great to use during the holiday season to reach your target customers. Geo-Fenced text messages are another great way to advertise personalized messages to people who are in the area of your physical stores, especially as they’re starting (or continuing) their holiday shopping.
Take Advantage of the 5-day weekend
In marketing, timing is everything. That’s why capturing the right users at the right time is key. Finding impactful content can be challenging at times, which is why it’s important to use data to figure out when and how to make an impact with your target demographic. According to CMO.com, Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, the well-known “5-day Weekend”, accounted for 19.29% of total online retail revenue during the 2018 holiday season. When it comes to your holiday marketing strategy, it’s best to allocate a big chunk of your budget for promotions, whether they’re email promotions, Instagram and Facebook ads, or even direct mail.
Tis’ the Season for Digital Deals
While paid search and display can be an effective part of your strategy all year long, the holidays offer additional opportunities to reach shoppers while they’re browsing the best deals. Prepare remarketing lists in advance to capture additional traffic and retarget shoppers later in the season and the shopper journey. The holidays are a perfect time for this because people are always looking for current deals for their holiday presents. Pottery Barn does this by showcasing promotions to give back to fans and stand out from competitors.
Deck the Social Media Halls
Social media is a crucial element of holiday marketing. From posting about the latest holiday gadgets to reposting, social media plays a huge part in increasing traffic to your business. By attracting customers and generating engagement, social media ad spending is predicted to grow by 19% in 2019. Facebook and Instagram are the frontrunners for advertising holiday spending. With Facebook comprising 84% of social network ad spend and Instagram comprising 90.3%, both social media networks are a great place to share your holiday content. Incorporating posts with holiday messaging and language would be beneficial to your holiday content. Consider using Stories placements and incorporate visuals that grab your customers’ attention.
Make Your Mobile Experience Merry
Mobile marketing is an important addition to your holiday digital marketing strategy. Mobile marketing is not just ads within apps, it’s ensuring your website is mobile-friendly. For example, creating a Google My Business account helps ensure that your information (name, location, hours, offers, etc.) is up to date and accurate. Creating campaigns and engaging with customers can build loyalty and drive increased revenue. Creating opt-in text messaging campaigns and then engaging with customers to build loyalty and drive revenue is another great way to use mobile during the holidays.
End the year with success
Having a complete marketing strategy means focusing on the online, mobile and social marketing aspects of your business. Incorporating these components will help create a successful holiday marketing strategy, and boost traffic and sales for the holiday season. With these tactics, you’re sure to improve your marketing strategy heading into the most wonderful time of the year, and beyond!
Mariana is a former social media intern at RDW. In her free time, you might find her drinking a cup of coffee and reading a book. That or spending most of her time on Pinterest, it becomes addicting.