Elevate Your Holiday Hustle
The festive season is in full swing and you’ve already set the stage for success by building a solid foundation—crafting a multi-channel plan, creating a festive destination, engaging early shoppers, and hosting interactive experiences. Now, it’s time to elevate your efforts and capitalise on the holiday momentum.
Part 2 of "Are You Ready for the Festive Season Business Rush?" delivers next-level strategies to supercharge your marketing and social media activities. These advanced tactics are designed to help you amplify your reach, craft irresistible offers and keep the momentum going long after the holiday lights dim.
This is your chance to finish the year with a bang and lay the groundwork for a thriving New Year.
Let’s unwrap the next stage of festive marketing magic!
5. Leverage Influencers to Amplify Your Reach
Collaborating with credible influencers is one of the most powerful ways to boost your visibility during the holidays. These individuals have built trust and rapport with their audiences, making their recommendations highly impactful in driving traffic to your business and introducing your brand to new customers.
Find the Right Fit
When choosing influencers, alignment with your brand values and appeal to your target audience are key.
Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty lingerie lines are prime examples of leveraging influencers effectively. She partnered with a diverse group of beauty and fashion influencers who embody inclusivity, a core value of her brand. This approach not only resonated with her audience but also amplified Fenty’s reach across multiple demographics.
Similarly, Red Bull collaborates with athletes, adventurers and lifestyle influencers to reinforce its high-energy, boundary-pushing image, showcasing the brand in action-packed and aspirational scenarios. Whether you’re a beauty business teaming up with makeup artists for holiday tutorials or a fitness brand collaborating with lifestyle bloggers to promote wellness gifts, the right fit is everything.
Creative Campaigns
Engaging, creative content is the hallmark of a successful influencer partnership. Rihanna excels at this with her Fenty brands, where influencers frequently create unboxing videos, tutorials and “get the look” posts featuring Fenty products. For example, influencers have demonstrated how to use Fenty Beauty’s holiday gift sets in tutorials that are both aspirational and relatable.
Red Bull also takes a creative approach, with influencers often sharing extreme sports stunts or behind-the-scenes glimpses of adrenaline-pumping events, tying the content to their iconic tagline, “Gives You Wings.” Offering influencers early access to your holiday collection, unique product bundles, or exclusive discount codes for their followers can make your campaign stand out while encouraging immediate engagement.
Micro-Influencers Matter
Don’t underestimate the power of micro-influencers—those with smaller but highly engaged audiences. Savage X Fenty has successfully worked with micro-influencers to reach niche communities and foster a sense of authenticity. These influencers often provide more personal, relatable content, which resonates strongly with their audiences.
Similarly, Red Bull works with micro-influencers in niche sporting communities, such as mountain biking or e-sports, to deepen engagement within specific audiences. This strategy proves that you don’t need a massive budget to see impactful results—targeted authenticity often wins over scale.
Partnering with influencers allows your brand to leverage their credibility and reach while cutting through the noise of the crowded holiday market. Choose collaborators who reflect your brand’s values and vision, and you’ll see not only amplified visibility but also meaningful, lasting engagement with your audience.
Create Emotional Connections Through Your Campaign Messaging
To make your marketing and social media campaigns truly impactful, focus on creating emotional connections with your audience. By associating your brand or products with powerful, positive feelings, you can make your campaign memorable and engaging.
How to Implement This in Your Campaign:
Define the Emotion You Want to Inspire: Choose a core emotion that aligns with your holiday campaign, such as joy, excitement or nostalgia. For example, if you’re promoting a cosy holiday collection, evoke feelings of warmth and togetherness e.g. Tesco and John Lewis create nostalgic campaigns during this time.
Incorporate Consistent Themes Across Content: Use visuals, sounds and language that reinforce the emotion:
Visuals: Feature festive imagery, such as beautifully wrapped gifts, twinkling lights or families sharing over the top festive meals.
Sound: Add soothing holiday music or upbeat jingles to videos to amplify the mood.
Words: Use phrases that evoke feelings, such as “Celebrate the magic of giving” or “Turn moments into memories.”
Share Relatable Stories:
Highlight personal, heartfelt stories that resonate with your audience. This could include testimonials about how your product made someone’s holiday special or an influencer sharing their favourite holiday traditions involving your brand.
End with a Meaningful Call-to-Action (CTA):
Wrap up your content with a CTA that reinforces the emotional connection. For instance, instead of “Buy Now,” try “Start creating magical moments today” or “Give the gift they’ll always remember.”
By focusing on emotional resonance, your campaign will not only capture attention but also build a deeper connection with your audience, driving engagement and loyalty.
6. Bundle Products into Irresistible Holiday Gift Sets
Gift sets are a holiday shopping staple, offering convenience for customers and increased sales for businesses. By thoughtfully bundling your products, you not only simplify the shopping experience but also maximise the value of each transaction. Successful campaigns show how bundling can cater to holiday sentiments while boosting revenue.
Create Value
Pair complementary products that naturally go together, creating a seamless gift set that appeals to your audience. For example, Estée Lauder created holiday bundles featuring a curated selection of skincare products and a chic cosmetic bag. These sets offered significant savings compared to purchasing each item individually, making them an irresistible value for customers. Similarly, a local café might bundle a hot cocoa mix, marshmallow and a festive mug, emphasising convenience and charm.
Identify your best-selling products and group them with lower-selling or complementary items. Highlight the combined value in your marketing materials with phrases like “A £75 value for only £50!” to showcase the deal and encourage purchases.
Themed Bundles
Create holiday-themed bundles to make your products more appealing. Themes like “Winter Wellness Kit” (for skincare brands) or “Cosy Night In” (for home and lifestyle products) tap into seasonal emotions. Bath & Body Works successfully leverages this strategy with their themed gift baskets, such as the “Holiday Glow Set,” which combines candles, body lotion, and fragrance mist in festive packaging. Themes allow customers to associate your products with specific holiday experiences, making them more likely to buy.
Think about how you can develop creative, seasonal names for your bundles that evoke holiday emotions, such as “Festive Feasts,” “Snow Day Essentials,” or “Holiday Cheer in a Box.” Use packaging and branding to reinforce the theme and create a visual connection with your campaign.
Customisation Options
Adding a personal touch to your gift sets makes them even more attractive. Build-A-Bear Workshop excels in this area, allowing customers to create custom bears with accessories and messages for the perfect holiday gift. Similarly, offering mix-and-match options or custom gift notes for your bundles can create a stronger emotional connection with customers, increasing the perceived value of your products.
Think about how you can promote your customisation options through interactive content, such as “Build Your Perfect Holiday Bundle” features on your website or social media. Encourage customers to share their creations with hashtags to amplify your campaign.
7. Maintain Momentum Post-Holiday
The end of the festive season is a golden opportunity to keep customers engaged and set the stage for a successful year ahead. Companies like Harrods and Selfridges have perfected this by launching compelling post-holiday campaigns that clear inventory and sustain customer loyalty. Just watch the crows!
Clearance Sales
Post-holiday sales, such as Boxing Day or New Year’s promotions, are highly effective in moving leftover inventory while driving customer traffic. Harrods and Selfridges run highly anticipated winter sales, offering steep discounts on luxury items with enticing messaging like “Limited Time: Luxury for Less.” These sales attract bargain hunters while keeping the brand visible during the slower shopping season.
Think about how you can create a sense of urgency by using countdown timers or phrases like “Ends Soon!” in your sales promotions. Including exclusive “early access” offers for loyal customers can also drive immediate engagement and enhance customer loyalty.
Loyalty Initiatives
Thanking your holiday shoppers with follow-up emails or special discounts builds goodwill and encourages repeat visits. Starbucks does this effectively with its post-holiday rewards campaigns, where customers earn bonus points for purchases made in January. This approach ensures continued engagement after the festive buzz fades.
Similarly, Amazon uses its seasonal marketing prowess to remind customers about related items they might enjoy post-holiday, keeping the shopping momentum alive.
Consider personalizing your post-holiday emails with subject lines like “Thanks for Shopping With Us!” or “A Special Gift for the New Year.” Include exclusive offers such as “Save 20% on Your Next Purchase” to entice repeat customers.
Take inspiration from successful campaigns by brands like Amazon and Starbucks to refine your approach.
Seasonal Transitions
Aligning your marketing with post-holiday needs or New Year’s resolutions helps maintain momentum. Lululemon effectively promotes activewear with campaigns like “New Year, New Goals,” tapping into customers’ motivation for fitness and wellness in January. Similarly, an office supply store might focus on planners and organisational tools to help customers kickstart the year with productivity in mind.
This is also an excellent time to engage customers through interactive content like social media polls or quizzes. For example, a fitness brand could ask, “What’s your top goal for 2025?” or craft engaging copy such as, “Walk into your ideal weight this January!” Use the answers to recommend products or solutions that align with their goals, creating a deeper sense of connection and relevance.
Turning Holiday Success into Year-Round Growth
From laying the groundwork in Part 1 to amplifying your efforts in Part 2, you now hold a comprehensive toolkit to make the most of this holiday season. Whether you’ve chosen to leverage influencers like Rihanna has with Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, craft irresistible themed gift bundles similar to Bath & Body Works’ “Holiday Glow Sets,” or maintain momentum post-holiday with initiatives akin to Harrods and Selfridges’ Boxing Day sales, these strategies are designed to do more than just increase your holiday sales—they’re about fostering meaningful, lasting connections with your customers.
The festive season isn’t just a short-term sprint; it’s a journey that combines creativity, connection, and long-term growth. This is your opportunity to differentiate your business, not just through the products you offer but through the unique experience you deliver. By implementing thoughtful strategies like bundling complementary products into cohesive themes or using influencer campaigns to amplify your brand, you create a memorable holiday experience.
Take the time to refine your approach, track your results, and most importantly, enjoy the process of engaging with your customers during this magical season.
But what comes next?
The strategies you’ve learned don’t end with the holidays. Just as companies like Starbucks extend the relationship through loyalty initiatives and Lululemon aligns offerings with New Year’s resolutions, you too can turn one-time holiday shoppers into loyal customers. Use these strategies as a foundation for continued growth, fostering repeat business and strengthening customer loyalty well into the New Year and beyond.
Wrapping It All Together
From laying the groundwork in Part 1 to amplifying your efforts in Part 2, you now hold a comprehensive toolkit to make the most of this holiday season. Whether you’ve chosen to leverage influencers like Rihanna has with Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, craft irresistible themed gift bundles similar to Bath & Body Works’ “Holiday Glow Sets,” or maintain momentum post-holiday with initiatives akin to Harrods and Selfridges’ Boxing Day sales, these strategies are designed to do more than just increase your holiday sales—they’re about fostering meaningful, lasting connections with your customers.
The festive season isn’t just a short-term sprint; it’s a journey that combines creativity, connection and long-term growth. This is a great opportunity to differentiate your business, not just through the products you offer but through the unique experience you deliver. By implementing thoughtful strategies like bundling complementary products into cohesive themes or using influencer campaigns to amplify your brand, you create a memorable holiday experience. Take the time to refine your approach, track your results, and most importantly, enjoy the process of engaging with your customers during this magical season.
But what comes next? The strategies you’ve learned don’t end with the holidays. Just as companies like Starbucks extend the relationship through loyalty initiatives and Lululemon aligns offerings with New Year’s resolutions, you too can turn one-time holiday shoppers into loyal customers. Use these strategies as a foundation for continued growth, fostering repeat business and strengthening customer loyalty well into the New Year and beyond.
What’s Next?
We’d love to hear your thoughts! Which of these strategies are you most excited to try? Is it bundling products into irresistible gift sets, collaborating with influencers for creative campaigns, or maintaining momentum post-holiday with clearance sales and loyalty programs? Share your insights in the comments and let us know how you’re planning to elevate your business this festive season. Your feedback helps us refine our content while inspiring others to take bold steps in their holiday marketing efforts.
Do you know an entrepreneur who could benefit from these tips? Don’t keep this knowledge to yourself—tag them in the comments or share this post with them directly. Supporting fellow entrepreneurs during the holiday rush is one of the best gifts you can give, and together, we can achieve more by sharing resources and ideas.
Finally, remember that the festive season is about connection, and that extends to the business community. Join the conversation, spread the word, and let’s build a thriving network of businesses that shine brightly during the holidays and beyond. Your participation makes all the difference, and we can’t wait to see how these strategies help your business flourish!
Need a little extra support with your marketing and branding campaigns? Don’t hesitate to get in touch HERE - we’re here to help you shine all year long.
Keep up-to-date by connecting with the NBWN on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram and don't forget to use the #YouBelongHere
コメント