12 Days of Christmas Marketing Ideas for B2C businesses

From Black Friday marketing tactics to Christmas content marketing ideas, I've pulled out all the stops with a whopping 12 festive marketing ideas - read on!

While Christmas may represent a seasonal lull in business for many, countless other businesses (in industries like hospitality, retail and leisure) are gearing up for what is one of the most lucrative periods of the year. And then there’s (blergh, dare I say it) Covid-19.

I know you’ve probably heard more than enough about this virus by now (I KNOW I HAVE), so I won’t bang on, but it does raise a rather important question about the festive season. Under these unprecedented circumstances, do you feel ready for Christmas?

So many businesses have faced the financial uncertainty that 2020 will go down in the history books for. But I feel 2020 will also be remembered for the intense sense of community, the clapping on the streets, the #supportlocal movements and wildly successful DIY campaigns to help neighbours, schools, local businesses, and key workers.

So, in the spirit of not just the season, but 2020 as a whole, I'm sharing my top twelve Christmas marketing ideas, in the hopes they’ll provide you with some inspiration for your own Christmas campaign.

#1: Plan for Black Friday (27th Nov)

Let’s start here, since it’s right round the corner! Black Friday, while sadly being known for some pretty HORRENDOUS news footage, it's also an ideal opportunity to reach new customers, reel back in past customers and boost sales in the run-up to Christmas.

While I am freakishly organised and have my Christmas shopping finished in October, many people do a big chunk of their Christmas shopping in and around Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

An effective PPC campaign can get your products in front of potential customers during Christmas shopping primetime (so can a solid Black Friday email marketing campaign). But the clock is ticking...

Before you do anything else, start pulling together some cracking copy, imagery (or maybe video?) and the all-important demographic data to run a festive campaign that will help your business thrive – even in lockdown!

So, when the shops look like this...

Your website sales could still be looking like this...

#2: Optimise your website for Christmas

Put the kettle on, reach for the gingerbread and crack on with some keyword research. Working in some fabulously festive keywords would not only help your refresh your content for an up-to-date feel, but it can also help you stand out in search.

Some Christmas-themed content will go a long way in jazzing up your blog, your product pages, and your social media! Imagine you've let Buddy the Elf loose on your website. It's once a year, why not live a little? Just go easy on the maple syrup.

#3: Next, spruce up your social media

I'm not even sorry. When better to break out the truly terrible puns than Christmas? Give your social media content the edge with some wonderful, wintery wordplay. Why not make it a competition? Whoever comes up with the best pun, wins… I don't care if it's cheesy, it's fucking fabulous.

Here’s a stocking filler bonus tip for you! When it comes to your Christmas social media campaign, don’t forget to make the most of your Instagram stories (and all the available features). Share your feed posts to your story with reminders and incentives – remember to encourage people to click through to find out more. Use those GIFs!

#4: Run a few festive remarketing ads

Now is the ideal time to reconnect with potential customers, and a jolly good remarketing campaign can help you do just that...

Maybe they forgot to complete their purchases, maybe they thought it best to wait ‘til after the mulled wine wore off – whatever the reason, you can reel your customers back in with some Christmassy incentives. A discount code, freebie or simply a quick hello can all help to encourage that final purchase.

#5: Install push notifications

Now, we know this isn’t necessarily a quick job (nor does it quite fit in with my marketing theme but it's worth mentioning). If your website doesn’t have required features, it might be good to jot this one in your plan for 2021, but if you do have push notifications on your website, why not give them a festive revamp too?

Highlight your Christmas-themed sales incentives – those limited-time seasonal discounts, stock level reminders or a countdown to final orders for Christmas delivery. All these will help to create a sense of urgency and boost conversions.

#6: Write a Christmas blog

Again, if this is something you can’t yet do on your website, pop it in your digital marketing plan for 2021. But if you do have a blog, why not write up a sparkly gift guide to highlight your best products or new arrivals? You could even collaborate with other local businesses you love and give their products a space in your blog, which they could share (thus furthering your reach).

There are so many other ways to shine up your blog! Consider partnering up with a local influencer or blogger and do a blog takeover (maybe even combine this with a social media takeover) – but remember to partner up with someone relevant to your brand. The right audience is crucial for influencer marketing to help you reach new and valuable customers.

Here are a few other Christmas blog post ideas:

• [Your business's] best-selling products of 2020
• Christmas gifts for [specific audience/demographic]
• Ooh, extra idea: Why not offer a free downloadable resource (e.g. a printable gift list template to help people keep track of their purchases/budget)

With the right approach, no doubt you'll come up with some truly cracking ideas of your own. But first, find out what kind of content your customers will like by building a buyer persona.

While a blog on your website can work wonders for your SEO, a short-term solution if you’re without would be to use a template site like WordPress, Wix or SquareSpace - though I stress, this is a temporary solution. Don't limit yourself with an out-of-the-box website template. Invest in something that will serve you in the long run!

Still, it'll do for now, and you can share your temporary blog on your social media, but don’t forget to include links to your website (if you have one) or third party e-commerce platform!

#7: Write a Christmas newsletter

Brimming with festive deals, discounts and gift inspiration, an e-shot can help increase traffic to your website at this crucial time. So, if you’re not yet making the most of your email contacts, consider writing up an exciting, illuminating email full of your best (or new) items.

If you’re wondering how to write a Christmas newsletter, here are some tips:

• What’s your Christmas marketing tagline? Work it in.
• Don’t rush your email subject line, do some research.
• Are you using emojis in your subject line? Jazz things up.
• Create a sense of urgency with limited time offers and discounts.

Just like with the blog, I get that some businesses don’t necessarily have the means to send polished, branded emails. It’s another one to add to your 2021 digital marketing to do list, for sure!

#8: A festive brand refresh

This one is such jolly good fun! No, we’re not talking about throwing your brand assets out for a totally new look. But a little sparkle, a few bells and a touch of tinsel can make a world of difference. Recapture your customer’s attention with a Christmassy look, and let them know you’re ready for the festive season.

Here’s a little inspiration…

Splitpixel's design team love to play with our logo at key moments in the year, the top priorities for a Yorkshire-based digital agency with a goth content team being Halloween and National Yorkshire Pudding Day of course. What could you do with your logo this Christmas?

Side note: Have you SEEN my truly gothic get-up in my Halloween-themed social media tips video? It's in my featured posts if you're curious.

#9: Focus on effective sales messaging

Maybe I'm preaching to the Christmas choir here, but this is so often overlooked (and such an easy fix)! Make sure your social media and your website is telling your customers what they NEED to know – specifically, last dates to order to guarantee Christmas delivery. There is nothing worse than a gift not arriving in time for the big day.

Don’t take it for granted that website visitors will see the one quick message at the top. Strategically placed copy on your website, and in various places across your website (and regular reminders on social media) will help avoid any disappointment.

Another stocking filler freebie tip for you! Why not opt for a Christmas web banner design to keep things feeling sparkly and festive, while communicating important information.

#10: Plan for Boxing Day

It’s never too early. You can be sure that many of your bigger competitors will already have a plan they conjured up months ago. That’s the problem with being a small business, there’s often not enough time to be that proactive. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a mark in the Boxing Day sales. Especially as one of the biggest trends of 2020 has been supporting local businesses and buying local products.

So, what’s the plan? An effective social media campaign, using both organic and paid social can be a good place to start. A teaser email to let people know when your sale will start, how long for, and maybe even a few items which prices will be reduced. Google ads could be another avenue to pursue. Again, keyword research can help you make sure you reach the right people at the right time on their customer journey.

#11: Think about post-Christmas sales as a whole

Following on from Boxing Day sales, Christmas shopping doesn’t just end on the 26th. People are still perusing the internet, looking for last minute deals, using their gift cards and treating themselves well into the new year. January blues do often mean sales take a hit, but you can soften this blow with the right approach.

Despite our best intentions, with new year resolutions, diets and rigorous exercise regimes, we’re all only human… And 2020 has been difficult on everyone. If there will be one dreary January that maybe we could all be a little kinder to ourselves, it’s this one coming up!

So be kind, be thoughtful and don’t push people away with heavy sales tactics, but do offer incentives, suggest products that could be a nice little pick-me-up for your customers, and bear in mind people will likely want to wait for pay day.

#12: Get into the Christmas spirit!

Christmas is a time of giving! And that should extend further than our family and friends. If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s that we are powerful when we come together over something important (like free school meals for example).

I don’t want you to do something charitable for the wrong reasons – and I don’t think you will. But I'd also not be doing my job right if I didn’t tell you that businesses giving their time, effort and financial support to a special charity is a good business decision. People love to see their local businesses giving back to the community.

So, while I hope you’ll jump into the spirit of Christmas and spread kindness with the very best of intentions, I would also recommend it as part of your marketing strategy. In fact, Splitpixel have a lovely example of how a family-run business poured their passion and values into a community-driven social initiative that has helped to feed families, keyworkers and NHS staff throughout the Covid-19 crisis – read more in our Prashad case study.

Side note: Have I mentioned yet how much I absolutely LOVE working with Bobby and the team at Prashad to share awesome food and awesome vibes. Watch their reaction video to mark 10 years since Ramsay's Best Restaurant.

Digital marketing plan for 2021

I hope this has given you plenty to think about as we head into another year of Christmas chaos! I'm sure there’ll be things on this list you can crack on with straight away, and a few things that maybe you’ll need help on to be ready for next year. Thankfully, the very merry content team at Splitpixel can help with that.

Meet my jolly teammates over on our YouTube channel – why not watch how our design team got on decorating Splitpixel’s smallest ever Christmas tree last year, while answering an avalanche of my most pressing design questions?

They put up with a lot.

Or, if you’re still craving more top tips for the festive season, Splitpixel has a whole library of ebooks, brimming with agency insights and free resources. My favourite is the one about social media, but that's probably bias.

Hope you have a wonderful, lucrative, and safe Christmas! Hit me up if you have any questions, or just want to say hello. Either is lovely!