Whilst Christmas is a massive marketing opportunity for B2C companies, most B2B tech companies do not usually splurge during the holiday season. But what can you do to expand the customer base and stand out? Here are some important tips on what you should and shouldn’t do over Christmas time.
Campaigns during the Christmas period have to stand above the competition, otherwise, they get brushed aside. While all your competitors are preparing yet another advent calendar, get clear about your goals.
Plan your content and ads according to your purpose. And don’t forget to look at insights from last year’s campaigns.
There is a huge Christmas overload during the holiday season, so think twice if you really need to have a Christmas campaign. Meta is quite expensive before Christmas so it might make sense to switch to another platform. Linkedin is a bit cheaper than usual since a lot of companies decrease their budget on the platform. No matter which channels you choose, remember, it’s a holiday. Keep things joyful, inspiring and friendly, and try to give people something to smile about.
It’s never too early to start planning your holiday marketing strategy. For the B2C things should be in motion already by September as competition is quite tough on the market. Set aside a significant budget as up to 40% of yearly B2C turnover is achieved during the Christmas season. For the B2B campaigns planning ahead is also crucial. Focus more on what messages are important towards the end of the year. For example, brand and corporate communication as applicants tend to pause their applications during the second half of December. And use this time when a lot of B2B companies are not communicating much to reach new audiences.
While many B2C companies are preparing for their busiest time of the year, B2Bs are oftentimes winding down. However, even if you are not focused on sales, Christmas is a perfect time to warm up your brand as B2B tech companies are often presented as cold and lacking humanity. Why not make a meaningful connection with your existing customers? Introduce your team, share a year overlook or send out a short survey asking for feedback on your product or service. Show your customers that you value their business – and that they should value yours.
Otherwise, the audience will become fatigued before the event. Initiate your campaign around mid-November (but remember to plan it much earlier) and make sure you continue advertising well into the festive season. This will give you enough time to follow up on new leads before everyone signs off for the festive period.
During the holiday season ignoring retargeting and focusing only on new traffic is a big mistake that many businesses tend to commit. It might be almost impossible to turn the new audience into leads during the festive period, as a decision is made long in advance. So focus on new leads in September to reach the new audience, and catch them with retargeting closer to the Christmas season. It will help you to raise sales and brand awareness twice.
Set the right goals and message while planning the campaign. It’s not a must to be present on all social media - choose the platform where you can reach the target audience without spending all your budget. Plan in advance, but not too early. And don’t neglect retargeting during the festive period.
