2022 Holiday Marketing Checklist

I was shopping the other day and guess what? It’s officially the Christmas season! 😊 Christmas décor has found a home next to Halloween and fall décor. We’re officially in that weird summer/fall/winter transition period where you have no idea how to dress when you leave the house in the morning. What does that mean for your marketing? It means you need to keep a close eye on your customers and how their behaviour changes so you can give them what they need. It also means you should be in planning mode for the upcoming season.

There are a few things you need to get in order to have a strong close to the year.

Put important dates on your calendar

You can’t plan unless you know what’s coming up. Here are a few upcoming dates that could be important for your marketing strategy:

• Black Friday – November 25, 2022

• Small Business Saturday – November 26, 2022

• Cyber Monday – November 28, 2022

• Hanukkah Begins – December 18 - 26, 2022

• Christmas – December 25, 2022

• Kwanzaa – December 26, 2022 – January 1, 2022

• New Year’s Eve – December 31, 2022

• Shipping cut off dates (varies by business!)

Choose your theme

Your theme doesn’t necessarily mean just appearances. You need to decide on what type of emotions to focus on in your content, what topics (no, you can’t just sell, sell, sell!), as well as appearances considering things like colours to use in imagery, what types of visuals, who your spokesperson will be, etc.

Determine your holiday offers

This should always start with what your goals are. Remember to set SMART goals for your holiday marketing strategy so you know what you’re working towards. If you are looking to maximize profits this quarter, giving a discount may not be in your best interest, but you could give a promo code for their next purchase! You should also consider who your customers are and what they want – do they really like things like free shipping? Percentage discount? Free gift with purchase? Lastly, what do your customers love most about you? Your holiday offer should highlight that in some way so more people can discover what is amazing about you. Give your existing customers a reason to tell their friends and family.

Update your website

You don’t need to go overboard and revamp your entire website, but consider things like:

• Holiday themed blogs

• Put your special holiday offers front and center on your home page or even with a pop up – USE POP UPS SPARINGLY.

• Feature holiday products visibly on the site by adding a special menu item linking to your holiday pages or even changing up your home page to have a link through to holiday features.

• Get your product pages updated. With more traffic going to your website, it’s time to ensure you are using language that will resonate most with your customers.

Get your holiday emails together

Don’t just go on a day by day basis with your email marketing. Create a plan so your customers can go on a journey with you. Let them get to know more about you during the holidays and give some opportunity for surprise and delight (as I like to say! 😊) Your emails should include things like a section for your special offers in regular emails – leading to an email that features your special offers, a year-end message from you thanking your customers for their loyalty and showcasing your commitment to good moving forward in the new year, holiday product features, etc.

You can also consider timing your emails according to those important dates that you put in your calendar. Remind your customers about shipping cut off dates and give them ideas for upcoming gifting.

Lastly, consider segmenting your list to give special offers to different groups of customers within your community. Reward loyalty by giving early bird specials and a little extra to your returning customers, give incentive to those who haven’t yet purchased but are following, and even give last chance offers for those products that people may have abandoned in their carts while shopping online.

Create a social media plan

Your social media should bring everything together. It’s a great way to incorporate your themes and visual consistency across your holiday marketing campaign. A lot of customers discover brands through social, so make yours appealing. Consider revamping your profile to match your holiday theme in topic and appearance by updating your bio, profile images, and even your link features. You can also create shoppable posts and links on various platforms.

We all know that the holiday season can get overwhelming personally and professionally, so don’t forget to create a posting schedule to help you stay on top of your social media content. Planning ahead means you can focus your attention elsewhere when it comes to the day to day.

Get on those gift guide pitches

Holiday gift guides are a great way to amplify your reach at a time when more people are buying for others. Not every gift guide is right for you, so do your research or talk to someone who has done it before (we can help!) to help you work with content creators and influencers who will get you closer to those goals you have set.

There are less than 100 days until Christmas… so… get on that planning! If you’re really stuck, check out some of our holiday marketing blogs to get you going on the right track!