Supercharge Your Marketing Strategy this Christmas

Online shopping has been on the rise in recent years, but UK shoppers are expected to spend £2.7bn this Christmas - a fall of 3.3% on 2022 as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. This is a result of shoppers cutting spending on non-essentials. 

This means that it’s more important than ever for brands to consider their marketing messages as they balance empathy and understanding with their revenue targets. However, that said, there will still be shoppers spending and gift hunting, which means there’s an opportunity for brands to be clever about how they win the attention of their target market. 

Here are our top things for you to consider in the run-up to Christmas: 

REVISIT LAST YEAR’S CAMPAIGNS

Take a look at your Christmas campaign from last year and the results. What worked wheel and what didn’t? You also might want to consider which campaigns have generally worked the best for you in the last 12 months and then how these could influence your festive approach. 

Things change fast, so make sure you have a clear picture of what your customers expect from you and what action it is you’re expecting them to take off the back of your campaign. Is it simply brand awareness, or do you want to increase conversions?

REVIEW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

This leads us to our next point, get reacquainted with your target audience.  Carry out further research to understand how the market has evolved and how their emotional triggers may have changed. Not only this but how has the business changed? 

In recent years we’ve witnessed an increase in online purchasing, but how has that changed for your store now that the high street is back open? It’s also worth noting that the cost of living crisis and recession fears are influencing purchasing behaviours. 

Where do your products/services sit when it comes to the priorities of your target market? Not sure? This blog will help you map your audience and products/services to determine the best tactics. 

ASSESS THIS YEAR'S GOALS

Now that you know what’s worked and what hasn’t and who you’re looking to target… what are your goals for your Christmas campaigns?

If it’s brand awareness, how can you do something fun to stand out from the crowd? Have a look at what your competitors are doing now and previously, can this spark any ideas? OR what are your favourite brands doing well that might give you some inspiration? 

OR, if it’s engagement you’re looking for why not trial gamification tactics? The festive season tends to put people in better spirits, how can you harness this and inject some fun into your target audience’s day? Gamification can be great for creating memorable moments that help keep your brand top of mind. 

You might be looking at ways you can reengage a database or grow your bottom line. Whatever it is make sure you have clear goals and ambitions to ensure your campaign doesn’t get caught up in the fun and go off on a tandem. 

Psst, digital advents are a great way to spark all of the above helping to increase awareness, drive engagement and boost loyalty.  

REVIEW YOUR MARKETING CHANNELS 

With your goals and audience is taken care of,  what channels should you be leveraging and why? It’s not enough to just use a channel because it’s what you’ve always done. You need to ensure it aligns with what your customers want/need from you and with what you want them to do. 

For example, if you are running several different offers throughout the season and tailoring these to different personas, a targeted PPC campaign might provide you with the best ROI. 

For an always-on sales approach - such as selling sofas and soft furnishings in the run-up to Christmas - a strong SEO strategy could provide some great results. 

CREATE A MESSAGE AND THEME THAT ALIGNS 

Finally, the fun can start! Gather your creative team and your marketing agency, work through the output from last year, your audience insights, your chosen marketing channels and start creative brainstorming. 

What new site content will attract your audience, from blogs to improved FAQs? Or why not try your hand at a TikTok video or Instagram Reel to capture attention? 

Be bold with advertising hooks to create compelling PPC campaigns guaranteed to convert.

DATA, TRACKING AND PERSONALISATION 

This last part is very important. Before anything is made live, make sure that you have all the right tracking and data capture opportunities in place. 

If you are looking to include personalisation, check that your tracking is in place from September, in order to build audience data. For effective remarketing to take place, you will need an audience set up already. 

If you are offering free quotes or resource downloads, ensure you’re able to effectively capture data and follow up on those leads. 

If you’re looking to include email automation in your Christmas and end of year campaigns, build a strategy to reactivate and connect with your current audience.  

And, if you're feeling overwhelmed with all the above and not sure where to start, or simply need a helping hand... please do get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.