Top 5 alternative Christmas marketing campaigns [ideas inside]
Christmas is finally here: family time, shiny streets, last-minute shopping, the Coca-Cola truck, and, of course, super-cute retail commercials. Brands are not only adding to Christmas mood, they’re the integral part of the holiday craze. And that’s lovely.
I have just one major problem with Christmas marketing: it’s too bloody touching. I’ve cried over more Christmas ads than I have over the wrong life choices, and that’s not due to the lack of the latter. So for this post, I’ve gathered the most funny, refreshing, and creative Christmas campaigns that in no way are aimed at making you sob for no reason. Here they are:
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<div>This infographic originally appeared on <a href=”https://awario.com/blog/”>Awario Blog</a>.</div><br /><br />
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It often appears that everyone has their Christmas plans organised by October. But I know for a fact that this is not true – neither for small businesses, nor for procrastinating shoppers. So if you haven’t been especially organised this year – we’re here to help!
Ideas for the last-minute Christmas campaign
1. Don’t ignore the holiday.
Skipping Christmas marketing because you have no time or budget to do something amazing is a huge mistake. Christmas is a wonderful chance to remind your audience that you exist. It’s that time of the year when customers don’t get annoyed by your emails – they know you’re wishing them Merry Christmas!
2. Say “thank you”.
The easiest and least resourceful thing to do on Christmas is sending your customers an email to thank them for their support. It is always a nice thing for your customers to hear, and a reason for them to go on your website and see what’s new.
3. Reward your most loyal customers.
Take it one step further and make a special gesture towards your most loyal customers. They are your biggest asset after all – they deserve some attention! Special treatment doesn’t have to include presents or discounts. Instead, you can send:
- a personalized message;
- a Christmas card;
- a direct message on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Your customers will appreciate the extra effort, and there is nothing quite as important as building strong relationships.
4. Increase engagement on social media by asking questions.
Create Christmas mood on your social media platform and increase engagement by simply posting relatable questions about Christmas. They could be:
- Do you like Christmas songs?
- Who’s left their Christmas shopping until the last minute?
- What present would you want for Christmas?
- What’s the best/worst/funniest/lamest present you ever got?
- When do you start decorating the house?
Etcetera. People generally enjoy the buzz around Christmas and want to take part in it.
5. Carry out a contest.
Christmas is a good reason to launch a contest on your social media page. This can be anything holiday related, and can be aimed at people’s love for sharing images. The topics of the competition could be:
- the most unrealistic Snowman;
- the craziest Christmas jumper;
- the perfect Christmas outfit;
- the cutest dressed up pet;
and so on. Don’t forget to come up with a #hashtag and ask people to answer the question with the hashtag for the increased engagement. Introduce a prize – again, it doesn’t have to be something huge!
6. Come up with a quiz.
People love quizzes, especially personality quizzes and the ones that check and show off their knowledge. Just look at BuzzFeed – it has quizzes like “Are you actually the worst?”!
Create a fun Christmassy quiz and encourage your public to share the results – your engagement rate will climb up! Topics can include:
- What present do you deserve?
- Have you been nice or naughty this year?
- How you should celebrate Christmas?
- What does 2017 have planned for you?
- How well do you know your Christmas movies/songs/carols?
- How well do you know the origins of Christmas?
There are hardly any limits to what you can quiz about, as long as it’s appropriate and holiday-related!
7. Write a “How-to” or a list of tips.
Do you know anything related to the holiday season and related to your product that might be useful for your customers? These could be:
- Recipes;
- Wrapping tips/ideas;
- Present ideas;
- Party outfit ideas;
- Decorations ideas.
This is a good time to promote your brand as a creative and helpful expert in what you do. If your how-to will include using your own products, it might drive immediate new sales.
8. Treat people in store.
Almost everyone decorates the store for Christmas. But you can go one step further – even if you have 10 days till the big day!
- Offer to wrap your customers’ presents;
- Have some drinks and cookies in store;
- Treat people with a little gift with their purchase;
or anything else your creativity and your budget allows. Doing these nice little things will drive people to come back to your store. Don’t forget to post about everything that is happening in store on your social media pages.
And hurry up,