While Mariah Carey is busy defrosting, marketers are in full-blown marketing mode, getting all their little festive marketing elves off the shelf and into the workshop!

Now, as fun as this time of the year is, it is also incredibly stressful to think of ways to implement some magical marketing strategies.

So Saads Abrahams, media update's very own content elf, has put together some marketing tips to help you out this festive season!

Give your website a full festive facelift

One of the best ways to get your brand into the holiday spirit is by giving your website a little festive revamp.

This can be done by:
  • adding a festive theme to your webpage
  • promoting exclusive holiday season discounts, or
  • placing your festive products on the first page.

A brand that has executed this brilliantly on its website is Hamleys.

The gift of giving

'Tis the season to spread joy — and create some brand loyalty while we are at it! This festive season is a perfect opportunity for brands to partner up with a charity or cause.

This puts your brand in the spirit of giving and adds a human touch, resulting in customer loyalty.

A brand that executes this really well is the American company Macy's, which partners up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation every festive season.

"Write a letter digitally or come to Macy's and drop it off at our Big Red Mailbox! Remember, for every letter you write, Macy's is donating $1, up to $1M, to @MakeAWishAmerica to help kids fighting critical illnesses. #macysbelieve"


'Tis the season to get social

Think of your social media pages as your very own Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer, who will guide your social sleigh all through the holiday season!

There are plenty of ways that brands can utilise social media — such as:
  • creating themed posts
  • running social media competitions, and
  • making use of festive-themed hashtags.

A brand that ran a successful festive campaign is Starbucks. Every festive season, it launches its limited red cups with festive designs.

In 2016, Starbucks released "a limited number of plain red holiday cups. Customers can use the cups as a canvas to create their own unique designs, snap a photo and share through Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #RedCupArt. Starbucks will collect its favourites and share them to shine a light on customer creativity."


Deck the halls with some specials

If you are looking for a marketing strategy that will assist you in getting on Santa's nice list, make use of festive specials. This is the one time of the year that people are guaranteed to spend money — and you want them to spend it on you!

So, add some festive specials in all avenues — on your website, in-store and on social media. Some ways in which brands can implement this are through:
  • discount codes
  • buy one get one free, or
  • a free gift with every purchase over a specific amount.

A brand that does this every year, without fail, is Clicks. Annually, Clicks releases a gift guide and runs a two-for-three special.


Have yourself a merry little limited-edition

For some reason, the second people see 'limited edition,' they lose their minds and are ready to spend some money. This is the marketing tactic known as FOMO marketing, and there is no better time than the festive period to implement this strategy.

Some ways you can implement this approach are:
  • 12 days of deals
  • free shipping for a limited time
  • limited festive edition products, and
  • exclusive offers for subscribers only.

A brand that is always ready with its limited-time festive offers is Krispy Kreme.


Jingle all the way with influencers

Influencers are always a good idea when it comes to marketing — and the holiday season is no exception! Find influencers that align with your brand and sign up to do a partnership with them.

This is a great way to promote your products and gain exposure to new customers. A good example of this is when Netflix South Africa partnered up with South African influencer Nadia Jaftha to promote its platform during the 2022 festive season.


What is your go-to festive marketing strategy? Let us know in the comments section below.

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*Image courtesy of Canva
**Information sourced from LinkedIn, Business.com and Brevo