It seems like the holidays come earlier each year. The stores start putting out products for the next holiday as soon as (or even before) one has passed. Holiday planning is competitive, with everyone trying to find a way to stand out as the destination for gifts, decor, and more.
For marketers, getting started early means thinking far ahead to create memorable holiday ad campaigns. While everyone may not start purchasing early, they will certainly remember where they want to go to find the perfect gift, ornaments, or party wear for the festivities. It's not always where they've shopped before but the business that sparked an interest by showing up in their social feeds, search results, streaming sessions, or email with compelling and engaging content that positioned them as a trustworthy authority on the topic. Starting a steady, increasing drip of holiday ads helps guide people into the season while highlighting your brand.
Keep reading to discover how to make holiday ads that stand out by framing them around your brand identity.
Decide on Your Holiday Goals
Have you ever seen an ad and wondered, "What was that all about?" Your audience wants to know what to do with the information you communicate. To do that, you must first decide what it is you want to accomplish.
Are you looking to increase sales or improve your brand awareness? Perhaps you want to expand your customer base or improve customer engagement and loyalty. Clarifying your goals early on lets you form a targeted, cohesive, and measurable strategy for your campaign.
Understand Your Audience's Holiday Attitudes
Your target customers need to identify with your message in some way for it to be relevant and compelling. Understanding how they feel about the event is how to make holiday ads that resonate with your ideal customer. Their attitudes and approach to the upcoming festivities can vary by demographic, and you can measure it through intent data, which tells you about your target audience's online interests and behavior.
You'll want to know which holiday your audience celebrates and to what extent. For instance, do they go all out with gifts, festive clothing, decorations, and cooking or ordering food, or are they more laid-back? Do they spend time at home with family, or do they travel? Understanding how your target audience spends their holidays lets you craft a compelling ad that speaks to their interests and converts to more sales or greater brand recognition.
Craft Compelling Messaging (That Fits with Your Brand)
Storytelling effectively evokes emotions and inspires action from your ads while ensuring your messages fit your brand and products. If your audience tends to behave similarly, set the scene with a story of how your brand can help. For instance, if they tend to shop last minute, make your story about a progressively more anxious person looking for that elusive perfect gift or accessory as the clock counts down to the holiday who discovers that your well-stocked store offers overnight shipping until two days before the holiday.
Personalize Ads through Audience Segmentation
Take your messages even further by targeting different audience segments with multiple ads. Nordstrom is an excellent example of a department store that offers everything from reasonably-priced gift or clothing options to more expensive designer labels. Their brand name evokes high-end even if the product is more approachable for most budgets. They reach both audiences with segmented marketing.
Incorporate Interactive Elements
Interactive ads are a great way to engage your audience and encourage lead generation. Make holiday ads interactive with polls, quizzes, or other uses of gamification. Have your ads send them back to your site to play to win products, discounts, free shipping, or other perks. That increases your site traffic, aids customer appreciation, and gives you valuable lead data.
Optimize Your Campaigns for Mobile
Mobile shopping is on the rise. As many as 91% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 49 say that they purchase online using a smartphone, compared to almost 70% of those over 50. 48% of those 65 and older shop with their smartphones. People are likely to purchase items impulsively or on the go, such as when traveling for the holidays, so optimizing websites and ads for mobile increases the chances of reaching customers wherever and whenever they think about it.
Follow These Holiday Marketing Tips To Reach Your Strategic Objectives
Understanding what you want to accomplish with your marketing campaign and how your target audience responds to similar ads helps you craft an effective holiday marketing strategy. The best way to achieve this is with a platform like McClatchy Ad Manager. When you are ready to find a reliable way to conduct ad placement, let us help.
