It’s easy to leave a lot of holiday plans to the last minute — picking out gifts, sending cards, getting that bottle of wine or dessert tray for your friend’s party… But, for marketers, it’s important to be prepared with the right strategies ahead of time. This way, you can hook customers in, drive those seasonal sales, and meet — or exceed — that year-end quota.
That’s where the Taboola’s Q4 2023 Holiday Creative Playbook aims to help.
Download Taboola's Q4 2023 Holiday Creative Playbook
The Taboola Creative Shop — a global in-house agency of creative experts — pulled data, insights, trends, and predictions from across our vast network to find the top strategies and creative recommendations for your holiday campaigns. Depending on your goals, you can run these strategies all season long or launch them in accordance with our Q4 holiday timeline — so you can reach the right audiences at just the right moments.
Ready to supercharge your 2023 holiday campaign?
Let’s unpack our 6 key strategies for holiday campaign success.
Strategy 1: If You Just Believe
As soon as September or October, start building brand awareness, recognition, and trust by introducing your products to potential customers.
You might share quotes and testimonials in your native ads and landing pages. You might gather user-generated content from your social media channels. Or you might partner with influencers and brand ambassadors to help spread the word about your hottest products.
Here’s an example of how that copy might look on a native ad for a beauty brand:
Strategy 2: Christmas Came Early (Access)
Sure, people might complain about Christmas decorations hitting stores in early fall (or even late summer!). But for marketers, it’s not too early to start promoting those “early access” sales and launching holiday campaigns.
For example, you might consider running an always-on sale or lengthy promotional calendar to reel in those prospective customers — and help them access discounts in difficulty economic times.
Remember to use terms like “how to,” “save,” “early,” and “all season long” to grab your customers’ attention:
Strategy 3: Super Social Demand
Now it’s time to stir up social demand by position your product as this season’s must-have gift, gadget, or party accessory. That means partnering with influencers to post product hauls and discount codes, as well as advertising when your products are sold out or back in stock.
Also, use native ad content to share when, why, and how your products went viral or sold out — and why customers should be so eager to try and make their own purchase:
Strategy 4: The Essential Wishlist
With talk of recessions and inflation, many customers might only spend on the essentials this year. So try positioning your brand or product as an everyday necessity that can make a practical and lasting impact in people’s lives. Also, promote key benefits like sustainability and smart tech features to set your brand apart from competitors, but support everyday functions:
Strategy 5: Deeper Than Ever Discounts
Again, holiday shoppers might be looking for ways to spoil their loved ones while navigating tough financial times. So, this season, deepen your discounts and promotions to meet your customers’ needs and help them enjoy the festivities without breaking the bank.
In your ad creatives themselves, share how you’ll make their lives easier with a convenient shopping experience, simplified checkout process, and multiple payment and shipping options. Finally, help them take the next step in their journey with a clear “Get Offer” CTA.
Strategy 6: The Twelve Ways of Conversions
What’s better than 12 drummers drumming for the holidays? Well…probably a lot of things, especially if you don’t like loud noises and were hoping for, say, a new laptop. But, for advertisers, we also have an even better gift: the 12 ways of conversions.
What are they, exactly? They’re our go-to strategies for using numbers to close those holiday sales. After all, the right numbers can help promote deals, highlight data, and create a sense of urgency,
So, when in doubt, add one or more of these 12 elements to your ad copy (plus examples):
- Numerical ratings (5 stars)
- Numbered lists (5 best gifts)
- Dates (by December 24)
- Year (2024)
- Pricing ($39)
- Percentages (25% off)
- Statistics (1 in 5 people)
- Ages (40 and over)
- Storytelling (sold out 5 times)
- Sizing (available in 7-10)
- Availability (only 5 left)
- Promos (buy 1 get 1 free)
Just look at how many numbers are in this sample ad! (We counted 8).
Ready to make your season merry and bright with campaigns that actually deliver results? Download Taboola’s Q4 2023 Holiday Creative Playbook.
Also, check out our other blog posts for more holiday campaign tips and strategies: