How to Make Your Online Marketing Campaigns Successful This Christmas

It is official! It’s the 1^st December. For some, the tree would have already been put up and decorated to absolute perfection, the ‘don’t-eat-until-Christmas’ chocolate tins would have already been plunged into (we won’t tell…) and those all-important decorative jumpers would have been fished out from the back of the wardrobe, ready for Christmas Jumper Day at the office. For others, the thought of the festivities may only just be starting.

For businesses, the Christmas countdown would have started a good few weeks, maybe even months, ago. Let’s take a look at the top strategies that your brand should be considering when trying to maximise your online sales during the Christmas period.

1. Create festive online promotional materials

Being an affiliate network, we couldn’t start without talking about updated creatives and promotional materials. If you work with affiliates, make sure you produce festive-themed creatives to help encourage more traffic to your offer.

Do you have a specific Christmassy product to promote? Maybe a personalised product that would make the perfect gift? Make sure they are effectively communicated and evident on your creatives.

 2. Make sure your website looks as good as a shop window

We’ve all stopped to stare at a well-decorated shopfront. Think Oxford Street during a December evening with fairy lights bordering the window, fake snow delicately sprayed on the glass and top products being highlighted against a shimmery background.

Remember, your landing page is the online equivalent of a shopfront! If it doesn’t look good, you can expect users to just keep scrolling on by. During the Christmas promotional period, make sure you add some thoughtfully placed Christmas graphics across your website. Festive themed videos highlighting your products on the landing page will also attract interest from the user.  

The thing to remember here is ensuring you keep your target consumer in mind. For example, are you promoting luxury? Then it is probably best to hold back on the bright colours and cheesy graphics and stick to modern, minimalist visuals instead.

3. Get in the community spirit

It’s no secret that Christmas is a time to interact with those around us. Why should this stop online? Instead of going for hard sells on your social media channels, try weaving in some content that sparks festive conversation between your brand and your consumers. Make them feel connected to you and build up your consumer community.

4. Consider festive packaging

The online consumer journey doesn’t just stop at the checkout page. If you sell a physical product, consider jazzing up your packaging with a Christmas theme. Why? It helps to build a connection between yourself and the consumer. Your business suddenly becomes a part of their festive experience and makes your brand more relatable.

5. Don’t forget to maintain excellent customer service

At one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, it is important to upkeep and maintain your high levels of customer service. At a time where delivery deadlines become stricter, returns on products may be higher and where customers might just have additional questions, it is vital to keep an open line of communication. This needs to be the case at all points of the customer journey to ensure that you’re maximising your potential of sales.

But don’t forget…

All of this takes thorough planning and research! Make sure you plan your Christmas strategy ahead of time. Research current and past trends. Analyse where your current strategies are performing and where they aren’t. Maximise the potential with your affiliates. Observe and adopt what people are talking about on social media. Having a carefully crafted plan will ensure that your efforts are not wasted.