A Marketing To-Do List On the Run-Up to Christmas

The festive season is one of the most important times of the year for marketers and business owners alike. With shoppers eager to spend and competition at its peak, having a clear marketing plan can make all the difference. The weeks leading up to Christmas are your opportunity to connect with customers, boost sales and end the year on a high note. Here’s a comprehensive marketing to-do list to help your business make the most of the holiday season. 

1. Review last year’s performance

Before diving into new campaigns, take time to review what worked and what didn’t last Christmas. This sort of analysis will give you valuable insights to refine your approach this year. But what analysis should you be doing on the run-up to Christmas this year? You should analyse sales data, check campaign results and review customer feedback, for instance. Here’s what you can do by way of data analysis, presented to you in more detail:

• Analyse sales data – which products or services performed best?
• Check campaign results – which promotions had the highest engagement or conversion rates?
• Review customer feedback – were there common pain points, such as delivery times or customer service issues?

2. Define your goals & budget

Set clear objectives for your festive marketing efforts. Are you aiming to increase revenue, boost brand awareness, grow your email list or clear out inventory? Clarity and focus at this stage will ensure every marketing pound works harder for you. So, with this in mind, once your goals have been determined and clearly defined, you should do the following:

• Allocate a realistic marketing budget, including things like design costs, seasonal promotions (which is particularly important at this time of year) and paid advertising
• Prioritise campaigns with the highest potential return on investment (ROI), but be careful to not spread your resources too thin

3. Optimise your website & online store

Your website is your digital shopfront. So during the Christmas rush, it needs to perform flawlessly. But how can you optimise your website and online store in time for the festive period? The first thing is ensuring the website loads quickly. The average website load speed is 2.5 seconds, so anything less than that is great. 

But if your website’s load speed is more than that, it could increase your bounce rate, which is bad. The other thing is achieving a mobile-first experience, with many shoppers browsing and buying via smartphones. Around 65% of internet traffic comes from mobile devices. With this in mind, optimise for mobile usability for good measure. 

Another thing is to add subtle holiday touches to your homepage, banners and product images to capture seasonal spirit. Finally, streamline the checkout process. Reduce friction with guest checkout options, clear calls to action (CTAs) need to be written and visible and delivery deadlines need to be accurate and transparent.

4. Create a Christmas content plan

A consistent, engaging content strategy can help you stay visible throughout the season. During Christmas, you want to make sure that every piece of content aligns with your brand voice and adds genuine value to your audience in the process. But how can you do that? We’re on hand to help. When it comes to creating a Christmas content plan, you should consider creating:

• Gift guides – “Top 10 Gifts Under £50” or “Perfect Presents for Him/Her”
• Festive blogs and videos – share Christmas tips, stories or tutorials related to your niche or that are relevant to the clients you’re writing for
• Social media countdowns – daily or weekly posts leading up to Christmas to build anticipation 

5. Launch Christmas promotions & offers 

Shoppers expect great deals during the festive period, but creativity matters as much as discounts. Plan your promotions early so you can communicate them across all channels, from email to social media posts. When it comes to launching promotions and offers during the festive period, you should try the following things:

• Limited-time offers to create urgency
• Bundle deals combining popular products
• Loyalty rewards or early-access sales for returning customers
• Free shipping or gift wrapping to encourage conversions

6. Supercharge your email marketing

Email remains one of the most powerful tools for driving festive sales. So make sure that your emails are visually festive, mobile-friendly and focused on clear calls to action (CTAs). Other things you can do, in addition to that, are to segment your list for personalised offers, send Christmas countdown emails to build excitement, share exclusive subscriber discounts or sneak peeks at new products and post Christmas follow-ups, capturing Boxing Day or New Year’s sales in the process. Essentially, it’s a win-win for both Christmas and the following Bank Holidays.

7. Boost your social media presence

Social media is where holiday inspiration happens. Use it to showcase your products, engage followers and spread festive cheer. Consistency and authenticity are key, so don’t just sell your goods and/or services, build a connection with your customers as well. In order to boost your social media presence online, you should give the following things a try. Use them in combination with each other as well, for good measure:

• Run interactive campaigns, like giveaways and polls
• Share behind-the-scenes content, such as team prepping for Christmas
• Collaborate with influencers or local partners for wider reach
• Use seasonal hashtags to increase discoverability

8. Plan for customer service excellence

With increased demand comes increased customer queries. Ensure your team is ready to deliver exceptional service. A positive customer experience during the holidays can turn a one-time buyer into a lifelong customer. Some of the things you can do to plan for customer service excellence are as follows:

• Extend support hours where possible
• Prepare responses for common Christmas-related questions, such as delivery deadlines and returns
• Offer clear communication across all channels, including website, email and social media

9. Don’t forget post-Christmas marketing, for good measure

The marketing you do at Christmas shouldn’t stop as soon as the day is over. You need to keep the marketing campaign going to advertise your sales and discounts to stay ahead of the game. Some of the things you can do to keep your marketing campaign going into the New Year include the following:

• Launch Boxing Day or New Year sales to clear stock and maintain momentum
• Send ‘thank you’ messages to your customers who gave you custom on the run up to Christmas
• Encourage reviews and testimonials while engagement is still high
• Begin planning for Q1 campaigns to hire the ground running into January

Kumo is a full-service digital marketing agency driven by a dedicated and talented team. From our Nottingham base, we work with clients throughout the UK, supporting businesses across various industries to achieve tangible growth. Our services span SEO, PPC, content marketing, web design and more. Contact our approachable, experienced team today to discover how we can help your business flourish – we’re always happy to chat.