Holidays bring out the busiest side of social media. Scroll through any platform in November or December, and you'll see promotion after promotion—each brand hoping to become part of someone’s holiday plans. Yet, most shoppers continue to scroll unless something really catches their attention.
Creating Holiday Social Ads That Stop The Scroll
Building a memorable social ad campaign this year isn’t just about clever graphics or catchy slogans. It comes down to understanding what motivates your customers, using data to reach them when it matters, and delivering messages that genuinely resonate with them. If you’re looking to make an impact this season, focus on connecting with your audience in ways that feel natural and timely.
Start with Emotion, Not Just Promotion
Social ads that emotionally connect with shoppers consistently outperform transactional ones. Instead of leading with a discount, focus your ad on a single, powerful feeling—like gratitude, joy, nostalgia, or generosity—and anchor it in your brand.
Using authentic imagery or user-generated content is a great way to build trust and make your message feel more genuine. For example, a local boutique could showcase real customers wearing their festive apparel, or a restaurant might feature a family sharing a holiday meal. This will connect with your followers more than stock images.
At McClatchy, our creative services team helps translate these emotions into visuals that resonate with local audiences and build connections that last beyond the holiday season.
Design for the Scroll
Your ad’s first impression happens in a fraction of a second. To stop thumbs mid-scroll, your visuals must be clean, bright, and optimized for mobile-first viewing. Remember, over 90% of adults under 50 shop on their smartphones during the holidays, so your creative content needs to work well on a small screen.
Incorporate elements that capture attention instantly:
- Short-form video: A quick, 5-10 second clip can convey more than a static image.
- Dynamic carousels: Showcase multiple products or tell a sequential story.
- Motion graphics: Subtle animations can make your ad pop without feeling overwhelming.
Most importantly, make your call to action (CTA) clearly visible within the first few seconds. With a tool like McClatchy’s AdManager, you can preview and optimize your creative for various placements across social media and digital displays.
Target for Relevance, Not Just Reach
During the high-competition holiday months, broad targeting can quickly deplete your budget. Instead, use intent and behavioral data to segment your audiences into more specific groups, such as:
- Early planners
- Last-minute buyers
- Loyal customers
- Local shoppers
By layering geographic and demographic filters, you can prioritize conversions over impressions, ensuring your message reaches the people most likely to make a purchase. McClatchy’s Premium Audience Network combines first-party and behavioral data, offering the pinpoint precision needed to make every ad dollar count.
Time Your Ads with the Shopper Journey
A successful holiday campaign adapts its messaging as the season progresses. Break your strategy into distinct phases:
- Early Season (November): Focus on awareness and inspiration. Use keywords like “gift ideas” and “holiday planning” to attract early shoppers.
- Mid-Season (Early December): Shift to creating urgency. Highlight offers like “limited-time savings” and confirm shipping deadlines.
- Late Season (Late December): Retarget abandoned carts and promote last-minute solutions like digital gift cards or local in-store pickup.
By creating multiple ad sets for each stage and monitoring performance daily, you can stay relevant throughout the season.
Stand Out with Interactivity
Interactive ads are a fantastic way to boost engagement. Consider adding polls, quizzes, or gamified elements to your social ads. For instance, you could run a poll asking users to “vote for your favorite holiday gift” and offer a 10% discount for participating. These simple interactions can lead users back to your site and make your brand more memorable. McClatchy’s integrated display network supports interactive ad formats that can increase both engagement and click-through rates.
Optimize, Test, and Refresh Frequently
Social media fatigue is real, especially during the holidays. To keep your campaign fresh, plan to rotate your creative assets every 10 to 14 days. Track key performance metrics daily—like click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and engagement—to understand what’s working. You can then repurpose your top-performing creative across other platforms to maintain consistency and maximize your impact.
Get Ahead of the Holiday Rush
Holiday noise is inevitable, but being ignored isn’t. Brands that successfully cut through the clutter do so by blending creativity with strategic precision. With tools like McClatchy’s AdManager and our Premium Audience Network, you can launch and manage campaigns that reach your ideal customers right where they are—scrolling, shopping, and celebrating.
Ready to make your holiday message impossible to miss? Start your next campaign with McClatchy AdManager today.
