The best times to start your holiday marketing campaigns in 2022

It’s that time of the year again. We’re already getting into the festive mood and preparing our holiday marketing campaigns for 2022. If you’re like us though, you can’t help but notice that the holiday season starts earlier and earlier each year.

Whatever the reason may be, one thing is for sure – you need to start your holiday marketing campaigns earlier than ever before if you want to stay ahead of the competition. In this article, we’ve outlined everything you can do this holiday season to ensure your campaigns are successful, capturing early shoppers as well as procrastinators.

Holiday marketing strategy – What does this look like in 2022?

Before sharing our tips on how to make your holiday marketing strategy successful in 2022, it’s important first to explain why this holiday season is starting earlier than usual.

According to Salesforce, in the first quarter of 2022, inflationary pressures were at an all-time high since 2008. The average selling price (ASP) has increased by 11%, and since then, we haven’t seen much change. This is mainly because of the increased demand for goods and services, which has outpaced supply.

It’s no surprise then that consumers are looking to take advantage of early sales and deals during the holiday season to avoid paying higher prices later. It also explains why we are seeing more and more retailers starting their holiday marketing campaigns sooner than usual. 

To stay ahead of the competition, one has to make sure their campaigns are running before everyone else’s. Whether a company is scheduling or taking calls with customers, tracking shipments, or coordinating with suppliers months in advance, this adjustment period can be costly and detrimental to the business holiday campaign if not done right.

So, what does this mean for you and your holiday marketing planning?

What does this mean exactly, you might ask? It means that as a business owner, you need to start thinking about your holiday campaigns much sooner than you have in the past. You can’t wait until the last minute to start putting together your holiday marketing strategy – by then, it will be too late.

We recommend starting to think about your holiday marketing campaigns at least 3 months in advance. This will give you enough time to create a solid plan and ensure all the necessary pieces are in place before launching your campaign. For example, if you know you want to run a Christmas sale, you should start prepping for the holiday campaign in September. This will give you ample time to prepare.

Now that we’ve covered what has changed, let’s dive into some things you need to consider when planning your holiday marketing campaigns.

Things to consider when developing a holiday marketing plan

Your budget: How much can you afford to spend on your holiday marketing plan?

This is probably one of the most important aspects to consider when planning out your holiday marketing campaigns. How much can you realistically afford to spend to advertise your products or services? Keep in mind that you’ll need to factor in the cost of advertising, creative materials, promotional items, and any other costs associated with your campaign.

It’s also important to remember that your budget will largely depend on the goals of your holiday campaign. For instance, if you’re looking to generate brand awareness during Black Friday, you’ll need to spend more money on advertising. However, if you’re simply looking to drive sales from already existing customers, you’ll want to focus your budget inwards on promotional activities and discounts. Also, consider using expert accounting software to help manage your budget and keep track of your spending while the holiday season is in full effect.

Once you know how much you’re willing to spend, you can start planning your holiday marketing strategy effectively.

Your goals: What do you want to achieve with your holiday marketing campaign?

Next, we wanted to mention goal setting because it ties in so well with budgeting. What do you want to achieve with your holiday campaign? Do you want to increase your social media followers on Instagram? Drive sales? Or both?

Your answer to this question will determine the type of campaign you create and how much money you can expect to spend. For example, if your goal is to increase your social media following during the holidays, you might consider a holiday giveaway campaign. On the other hand, if your goal is to drive sales during the holidays, you might want to invest in paid advertising on social media or Google. 

For example, during Christmas Coca-Cola typically loves to create heartwarming, family-oriented ads that make people feel good. These types of ads may not have a direct call-to-action to buy Coca-Cola, but they do increase brand awareness and positivity towards the company – which can eventually lead to sales down the road.

Keeping your goals in mind when planning your campaign to create an effective strategy will help you achieve them.

Your target audience: Who are you trying to each with your holiday marketing campaign?

Now that you know how much money you’re willing to spend and what you want to achieve, it’s time to think about who you’re trying to reach. In other words, who is your target audience?

Your target audience will determine the type of campaign you create and the channels you can use to reach them.  It’s important to take the time to think about who you’re trying to reach and what type of message will resonate with them. What are their demographics? What are their interests? What are their needs and wants during the holiday season?

Here are a few questions to help you think about your target audience:

• Who is most likely to buy your product or service as a gift?
• What type of message will resonate with them during the holiday season?
• What are their demographics? (Age, gender, location, etc.)
• What marketing channels are they using during the holiday season?
• What type of content will they be most interested in during the holiday season?
• What are their needs and wants during the holiday season?

A great way to find the demographics of your target audience is to use Google Analytics. You can also use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to get insights into the interests of your target audience.

Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll have a better idea of who your target audience is and what type of message will resonate with them.

A great example of this is Walmart’s Black Friday/Thanksgiving campaign. Walmart knows that their target audience is bargain shoppers who are looking for great deals on gifts for their loved ones around this holiday. They also know that these shoppers are using multiple channels to find the best deals, including online and in-store.

To reach these shoppers, Walmart created a multi-channel campaign that included ads on TV, online banner ads, and in-store displays. They also created a dedicated landing page which can be translated into other popular languages such as Korean, Spanish, French and English on their website where shoppers could find all the best deals in one place.

By thinking about its target audience and what type of message would resonate with them, Walmart was able to create an effective holiday marketing campaign that reached shoppers across multiple channels.

Your competitors: Who else is marketing to your target audience during the holidays?

Finally, you need to think about your competition. Who else is marketing to your target audience during the holiday season, and how are they doing it?

You need to be aware of what your competitors are doing so you can adjust your holiday campaigns accordingly. For example, if your competition is running a lot of television ads, you may want to focus your campaign on digital and social media instead. Or, if you see that they’re running a lot of print ads for Cyber Monday, Christmas Eve Specials, or New Years’ Eve Bargains, you may want to focus your campaign on radio and email campaigns.

The key here is to find a way to differentiate your holiday campaign from your competition. You need to make sure that it is unique and memorable so that it can cut through the noise and reach your target audience. Setting yourself apart from other similar businesses with a unique message is one of the most important sales tips to follow.

Final thoughts – It’s never too early to plan your campaign

As you can see, a lot goes into planning a successful marketing campaign, especially for the holidays. And while it may seem like a lot of work, we promise it’s worth it. By taking the time to plan your holiday campaign properly, you can ensure that it is effective, efficient, and ultimately successful.