You Should Be Planning Your Christmas Campaigns Now

3. Audience

Now that you know your objectives, it’s time to get as clear as you possibly can about who you’re targeting your marketing campaign at. And before you say “everyone, Jen”, let me tell you now that when you market to everyone you actually market to no one. The most successful campaigns are very targeted to a specific type of person.

So, take the time to outline not just the demographics of your target audience, but their wants, needs and objections to what you are offering them.

For example, if your goal is to encourage previous customers to spend more with you: 

• Which type of previous customer?
• What products or services do they typically buy?
• How do they purchase from you?
• When do they purchase from you?
• What motivates them to purchase?
• What objections do they have to purchasing your product, service or from you?
• What upselling opportunities do you have?
• What channels of communication do you have with them?

It might sound like a lot to answer but this will really help you get specific about what offer you put together as well as the messaging and distribution of that offer.

4. Messaging and creative

Now comes the fun part! Here’s where you take all the information, goals and targeting you’ve identified and you come up with ideas that will engage these customers and help you reach your goal.

Now comes the fun part! Here’s where you take all the information, goals and targeting you’ve identified and you come up with ideas that will engage these customers and help you reach your goal.

Let’s stay with an example I’ve used previously. Encouraging previous customers to spend more with you, you might come up with the idea to design and send an exclusive Christmas card or gift thanking them for their loyalty. You can also offer them an exclusive discount on an additional service or product for the New Year.

It’s worthwhile bringing more heads into this ideas stage, as I’ve definitely found you can be more creative bouncing ideas around. So include your colleagues or trusted peers to come up with some engaging and creative ideas for your campaign.

5. Distribution and amplification

The final stage of planning your campaign is how you’re going to spread the word about it. Will you use your existing marketing channels? If so, how, when and how often? Will you seek new marketing channels? How can you maximise the coverage of this on traditional and digital channels and existing and new marketing channels?

Once you’ve decided this, you can start adding key dates and milestones to your marketing calendar, and determine which tasks need to be done by whom.

Once you’re at the point where you know what your campaign’s aim is, and how you will execute it, I’d strongly recommend you start implementing it straight away. Get content created, systems set up and engage suppliers whilst the idea is fresh in your mind and you’ve time to handle any hiccups and roadblocks.

Because let’s face it, a plan is just a plan until you do something with it and rushing to get a crucial campaign out the door will never garner the best results.

And one last tip, make sure you schedule time in after a big seasonal campaign to ensure that you take stock, measure against your objectives and determine the success of the campaign and the learnings you’ll take into the next big seasonal marketing campaign. As there’s always something to learn no matter how well it goes.

I hope this advice gets you motivated to start planning for the upcoming events in good time, and I wish you success in maximising these marketing opportunities!

And if you’re not inspired already, here’s an extra sprinkling from around the web…

16 Christmas Marketing Ideas to Boost your 2018 Ecommerce Sales – Packhelp
15 Brilliant Exampels of Holiday Marketing – Hubspot (USA focused)
10 Black Friday Marketing Ideas – Fifteen
Put Christmas Sparkle into Your Social Media Marketing Campaign – The Guardian

Jen Smith is a freelance writer and content strategist. Follow her on Twitter @_JenSmith