Did you know that according to the National Retail Federation, in 2019, people said that they intended to spend an average of $1,047 during the holiday season? That is fantastic news for most businesses because it means that they could potentially be able to make good money during the holidays with the right marketing strategy. However, just because people are willing to spend doesn’t mean they will spend on you. As you up your marketing game over the holiday season, you should remember that other businesses are doing the same thing.
One way to market during the holidays is through content marketing. This means you will focus on creating content that your viewers will find valuable. It would be best if you tailored your marketing strategy to your audience, budget, timeline, and other factors to get the most of the holiday. Before giving you 15 content marketing ideas you could easily implement this holiday season, here are seven tips to increase the chances of your marketing strategy succeeding.
Marketing Strategy
Engage Your Audience
Instead of trying to guess what your audience wants, why not just ask them? You could send them questions through your email list, or you could run a poll. Find out how your brand can help them address their goals, fears, concerns, and interests so they get the most out of their holiday.
Look at Your Current Content
If your business is more than a year old, you may already have holiday content from the previous years. Go through your current content and figure out what can be repurposed.
Align Your Content with Your Goals
What are your goals for the holiday season? How can your content help you meet these goals?
Plan Your Content in Advance
Don’t wait for the holiday season to start planning your holiday content. Start creating your content in advance so that you are just rolling out the content when the holidays come. Organize your content so that it gets the most impact. For example, a post about the best gift ideas should be followed by content on DIY gifts instead of the other way around. Organize your content in terms of timeline and priority. The main idea is to tailor this content to the holidays by adding holiday themes, colors, and ideas.
It is not just about writing multiple long-form posts. Consider creating slideshow videos, videos, images, and gifs that would be attractive to your audience.
If you have social media accounts on multiple social media platforms, create content for each of these platforms. Your goal is to reach out to many people, and that is possible when you meet them where they are the most. Of course, if you implement this strategy, it may make your content marketing creation process more extensive as each platform needs different types of content.
Take the Data for Later
Holidays, like most things in life, are cyclical. The data for your content marketing performance this year will prove helpful next year. You may not analyze it right now but save it anyway.
With the strategy in place, it’s time for some content marketing ideas you can use.
Content Marketing Ideas
Show Off Your Holiday Spirit
Does your company have holiday traditions? You could document your employees during such events and post these videos and pictures. They are a good way to give your audience an inside look at your company’s culture and people.
Add Holiday Symbols
You have no doubt seen the banners shops hang up over the holidays. You could do the same with your website. Add some blinking lights and some banners. Make your website look festive by decorating it with holiday-themed items. Be sure not to overdo it. If you do, your website will look cluttered and become off-putting to your visitors.
Use Graphics and Quotes
Thanks to technology, making quirky, funny, heartwarming content has never been easier. Consider creating graphics that would be attractive to your audience. Add quotes you think your audience would love and tap into the feel-good feelings of the holidays.
Talk About Your Staff or Company
Give the company a human face by letting them see the people behind the brand. You can do short videos of your staff members talking about your company, your products, or even how they feel about working for you. These videos remind people that even big brands have humans working behind the scenes to make everything possible.
Take Advantage of User Generated Content
Sometimes, the best way to market yourself is to let your clients speak for you. Ask your clients if you can repost their content that features your products. Validation is important, and people will feel more comfortable using your products or services if they see other people doing the same.
Share Stories
Many social media platforms right now have a feature called stories. In most cases, stories are only available for 24 hours. You can take advantage of these to feature promotions and spirited campaigns that people would find attractive.
Appeal to Social Causes
For some people, holidays are characterized by love, sharing, family, and giving. You could run campaigns that channel part of your income from your clients into social causes they would be interested in. This makes them feel good about investing in you.
Bank on Trends
During the holiday season, particularly near the peak of the season, most businesses are either closed or fully packed. Some people would rather avoid the fray, so they choose to shop online. According to statistics, over the holidays, more than 60% of Shopify users switch to making mobile orders. You should take advantage of this trend by focusing on making your clients’ mobile experience fantastic. This may mean speeding up the checkout process, making your website more mobile-friendly, and even increasing your delivery personnel for some time.
Recap the Most Popular Content for That Year
No, this does not mean reposting your content. Instead, you can do a series covering your most popular content. You can summarize this content, add the best comments from your customers, include quotable quotes, and include a link to the actual content.
Engage With Your Audience
If you want to engage with your audience, there are many ways to go about it. You could start a live stream and take in comments and questions from the public. You could also create a poll and ask people to vote. You could ask people to send in ways you helped them that year.
For example, an essay writing service could ask students who received exemplary performance in their essays to send in their testimonials, which they could post. Using this example, a student with an informative essay as a holiday assignment will know exactly where to go to get help.
Give Your Clients a Hint of What You Have in Store for Them in the Future
Do you plan to unveil new products next year? Do you have something in store for your clients? Why not give them a sneak preview of these products and services. This may give them more reasons to be psyched up about the new year.
Email List
If you have an email list, most likely, the clients who have signed up for your mailing list are people who are interested in you and your business. You can use this platform to talk to your clients, clue them in on what you are doing and what you have to offer.
Statistically, people spend a lot of money around the holidays. That does not mean they will pass up a good bargain. If you can, you should consider having holiday offers. You could sell your products in packages at a reduced cost, offer free shipping, give coupons, etc. Some businesses can use this time to clear old stock to start the New Year with fresh products.
Revamp Your Products to Match the Holidays
If it is possible, create holiday-themed products that you can sell specifically during this season. For example, if you make candy, you can make multicolored holiday-themed sweet packets or candy to celebrate the holidays.
Gratitude
Everyone loves to feel appreciated. Why not appreciate your customers for the year. You can do this on any of your social media. Thank them for supporting you and believing in you, and welcome them to walk with you in the coming years as well.
Point to Note
As you are doing your holiday content marketing, there is one fact you need to remember at all times. It’s not about the quantity but the quality. Ten fantastic posts will have a much greater effect than thirty subpar posts. Focus on making high impact content rather than filling every day and platform with content that has low chances of converting.
The holiday season is near. It is time to focus on content creating strategies that are specifically suited for the holiday season. Done correctly, you may be able to increase your sales this year while simultaneously attracting new clients for the next year. This article does not have a definitive list of content marketing ideas and strategies. However, it is a fantastic starting point you can use to lead you in the right direction.
Thomas Moore is a digital marketing professional and freelance writer who works for EssayService. He enjoys writing useful pieces and sharing his expertise. He is an author of numerous posts and articles published both online and in print media.
Positive Words Research – Win This Holiday Season with These Fantastic Content Marketing Strategies and Ideas
