HOW TO WIN AT HOLIDAY MARKETING
It hardly seems time already, but with holiday promos hitting my inbox as early as mid-September [looking at you, Sephora], perhaps it’s time to discuss how to win at holiday marketing. Every year that goes by, holiday marketing gets both better, and seemingly worse, at the same time. Some tactics are naughty, and some are nice, much like the people on your holiday gift list. Everyone has holiday pet peeves, and here are mine:
NAUGHTY:
Emailing people who haven’t opted in to your email marketing list, or purchasing an email list. Why? Not only is this inherently disrespectful to the consumer, but spray and pray is hardly a strategy. It wastes money, invades a digital personal space, and shows no couth or creativity.
NICE:
Special promos for past purchasers. You know who is probably the most interested in purchasing from you? People who have purchased a related item from your company before. If they’ve purchased jeans, email them a promo for a sweater to match. This increases your AOV, nurtures warm leads, and extends promos to your most loyal purchasers as a gesture of holiday goodwill.
NAUGHTY:
Never-ending promotions. The best way to teach your consumer to never pay full price is to always have a discount running to the general public [see Express and The Limited for examples]. Now, there are times where discounts can be effective [see above], but this needs to be both targeted and time-bound. This marketing tactic is especially naughty if you accompany each new [or going fast! limited time! extended! flash sale!] with an equally unspecific, non-targeted, never-ending email barrage.
NICE:
Free shipping over $x. It’s astonishing how many DTC brands do not understand how much people hate paying for shipping. The dollar amount might not be a standard, but $50, $75, and $100 are good benchmarks that many use. This incentivizes faster checkout, lowers abandoned cart [especially when paired with a reminder email saying their items are still left and ship free], and makes consumers happy. Give us free shipping and we’ll give you more money [even though it would just be cheaper for us to pay the shipping].
NAUGHTY:
Worthless free gift with purchase. I’ll just go on the record saying that if I wouldn’t buy the thing, please don’t try to give it to me for free. I’ll repeat: don’t give away a product you wouldn’t put your brand on to sell. This is especially true if the item is cheap, flimsy, non-branded, and isn’t sold otherwise in stores/online. Cheap votives, greasy lotion, threadbare socks…you name it, I’ve seen it.
NICE:
Gifts that go with the purchase. Buy a full size moisturizer, get the travel size for free, for example. This is especially nice because you know the consumer already likes the product, and many people travel around the holidays. People like free stuff, just not free trash. Can’t find a related item? Offer a box, bag or tissue paper to put it in. This helps save hassle for the buyer when they go to wrap it later. Bonus points if you can make it festive and branded. Can’t be bothered? Make a flat donation [up to a certain dollar amount if needed] on behalf of every customer that season to a charitable cause related to your brand/industry. Make sure you talk about this to them so they know they’re doing good by shopping with you.
Winning at holiday marketing means putting the consumer first. It takes thought, tact, and consideration to stand out in the holiday noise and bustle. Need some help with your digital advertising this time of year, or getting a strategy in place? Get in touch with us!