Is Your 2024 Holiday Marketing Plan in Place?
October 8, 2024
It’s officially fall, and Halloween is just over the horizon. That means it’s time for everything pumpkin spice, cozy sweaters, costumes and candy, and, of course, holiday marketing! Halloween starts the year-end holiday blitz that doesn’t conclude until January 1st, so you must have your marketing plan for the rest of the year in place now rather than trying to fly by the seat of your pants. How’s the 2024 holiday season shaping up?
This year, sales during the holiday are forecasted to see a 5% growth compared to 2023, with much of the growth coming from e-commerce. However, though online sales will account for much of holiday shopping, in-store sales will still account for roughly 80% of all sales. How your customers purchase your products or services doesn’t matter as much as how you’re reaching them, though. The holidays are when every store out there competes for the customer’s attention, meaning your holiday marketing plan needs to stand out.
How You Can Stand Out In 2024
Step one is defining your audience, as you don’t want to waste your time marketing to people who aren’t interested in what you’re selling. You can define the best audience for your marketing efforts in a few ways. You can take a look back at your customers and determine which are the most valuable, separate out your VIP purchasers, or create a segment of repeat, loyal customers. You may even decide that first-time shoppers are your best bet this holiday season. Don’t limit yourself to just one segment of your customer population, though. If you think repeat customers and first-time shoppers are both viable, target them both!
Once you’ve determined which audiences to direct your holiday marketing to, you need to figure out the best channels to get their attention. For many, this will be social media; however, you need to figure out which social media platforms your audience is on and focus on those platforms only. More and more people are shopping on social media platforms, particularly Instagram and Pinterest, so take advantage of that!
When using social media to market, get creative! Don’t only stick to regular, everyday posts about sales or updates. Instead, create a content calendar for the next few months that includes content like holiday gift guide reels, holding contests and giving away special holiday items, bringing in influencers, and getting your audience in on the holiday fun with user-generated content. And don’t forget ads! Social media ads are an excellent way to get your products and services in front of your holiday audience.
Email marketing is another fantastic way to market yourself for the holidays. Email marketing can be a highly effective tool, particularly if your email list is robust. Roll out special one-time deals or early discounts via email, set up automated flows to retarget customers who leave your site with items still in their cart, and utilize those sales funnels!
Finally, don’t forget to optimize your website for the holidays. Set up landing pages devoted to whichever holiday is coming up next, engage in keyword research to update your site’s SEO, and since most people shop via phone, ensure your website is mobile-friendly!
Final Thoughts
The holidays are the busiest shopping time of the year, so you need to be prepared ahead of time with a holiday marketing plan! It’ll take a little time to set up and some hard work on your part, but it’ll be well worth it in the long run. Once your marketing plan is in place, you’ll be ready to get in front of your audience with the precise content they want to see this holiday season.
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By Misty Layne
Author
- Kelly Jones
Social Media Manager
