Holiday Marketing Strategy #1: Christmas Shoppers Love to Shop Small
When looking for holiday promotion ideas, we’ve got good news! You already have a huge advantage over your competitors.
While it may seem that Amazon and Walmart are completely monopolizing the Christmas season, studies show that in general, holiday shoppers love supporting small businesses, especially if they offer personalized options to make Christmas even more special.
72% of shoppers said they planned to shop small in 2023, but in 2024, that statistic has exploded, with 93% of consumers planning to purchase from small businesses during the holiday season, an equivalent to 240 million people.
Small Business Saturday in particular has gained traction. In 2023, the total U.S. spending of consumers for Small Business Saturday reached an estimated $17 billion. Because small businesses tend to offer higher quality products, consumers prefer the “quality over quantity” and prefer to buy gifts for loved ones from small businesses.
Our Holiday Tips for Small Businesses: As a small business, you already have a built-in advantage: your personal touch and authentic connection with your customers. Lean into this by sharing your story, highlighting handcrafted or unique items, and offering personalized holiday experiences. From custom gift wrapping to curated gift sets, make your business stand out by showcasing what makes you special.
Not sure how to market your small business? Let Embark do the work for you — set up a free 30 minute consultation with us today.
Holiday Marketing Strategy #2: Optimize Your Mobile Site
According to a study by Deloitte, 48% of holiday shoppers plan to shop on their smart phones, with 38% planning to spend the most money with online retailers. This isn’t surprising—shoppers often browse and purchase on the go, relying on their phones to look up items quickly. Many also turn to social media for recommendations, whether through ads or influencer suggestions, to find the perfect holiday gifts.
Additionally, 67% of consumers collect information about brands by visiting their website, and 39% do so from the brand’s social media. Translation? People are always using their phones to find information, especially when it comes to purchasing decisions.
Our Holiday Tips for Small Businesses: One of the best holiday promotion ideas is to ensure your website design is mobile-friendly by using responsive design, compressing images for faster load times, and simplifying navigation for smaller screens. Create clear call-to-action buttons and test the checkout process on mobile devices to make it seamless. If possible, integrate mobile payment options like Apple Pay or Google Pay to cater to on-the-go shoppers.
Let us gift your business the perfect website this Christmas season. Fill out our form now, and let’s discuss your website goals.
Holiday Marketing Strategy #3: Personalization and Local Focus
We have more good news when it comes to creating your holiday marketing strategy. Research from Red Egg Marketing indicates that 83% of customers report they would rather support a local business than a large corporation. 81% of consumers prefer personalized experiences, especially during the holidays. Personalization is actually crucial for brands, as studies show that consumers demand it. This is one that could be crucial for your holiday marketing strategy.
Personalization can range from tailored email recommendations to handwritten notes with purchases — small touches that make customers feel valued. For local businesses, personalization can become easy by showcasing your city or state in your products or on any small touches around the store.
Our Tip for Small Businesses: Don’t be afraid to showcase your business, no matter what kind, to those in your local area. Make sure your website is using the best SEO practices like geo-specific key words to ensure you’re getting the local reach you are looking for.
Make sure your personalization efforts extend to your website and emails, offering customized product suggestions or curated holiday bundles based on past purchases. These strategies can help you stand out and create loyal, local customers.
Need help with your holiday SEO or personalization strategy? Get started today with Embark.
Holiday Marketing Strategy #4: How to Use Data on Emotional Marketing During the Holidays
Dale Carnegie, mastermind of relationship-driven sales, once said “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.”
We’ve all seen those sappy commercials that sneak up on our TVs during Christmas time. Sometimes it’s about a puppy out in the freezing cold who finds a loving home, a couple who falls in love because of the magic of Christmas (and expensive jewelry), or a little kid who is dreaming of Santa. It feels like Christmas has more emotional commercials than any other time of the year.
But guess what? Emotional marketing works. Like really works. Why? Because emotional content drives action.
Studies have found that:
- Campaigns with pure emotional copy perform twice as well compared to those with only rational content. (31% vs 16%)
- 94% of consumers recommend brands they connect with emotionally
- Repeat purchases and loyalty seems to stem from emotional factors like warmth, trust, and familiarity often override purely functional considerations. (Source)
Our Tips for Small Businesses: Our of all the holida promotion ideas out there, make sure to tap into your customers’ emotions by understanding their desires, needs, and wants—and tailor your approach to meet them. Also consider creating heartfelt holiday campaigns that connect with consumers—such as “Meet the Maker” videos or sharing stories of how holiday purchases support small-business owners and their families.
Ready to create an unforgettable holiday campaign? Get a free 30 minute consultation with us.
Bonus Strategies to Drive Holiday Sales
Unique Holiday Promotion Ideas: Embrace a “Holiday Rebrand”
Many top brands, including Starbucks, bring in seasonal color palettes and themed imagery for the holidays. By subtly adjusting their branding with new colors and visual elements, they create a festive mood that resonates with holiday shoppers while remaining easily recognizable.
Christmas Marketing Example: Starbucks’ Iconic Holiday Transformation
One of the many unique holiday promotion ideas is to copy the greats. Every Christmas season, Starbucks incorporates red, green, and other wintery colors into their branding—colors that aren’t part of their usual palette but have become synonymous with their holiday theme.
Starbucks also launches a new line of limited-edition holiday cups, which feature seasonal designs that remind customers of their brand but in a festive, unique way. This consistency in seasonal design has made their holiday cups iconic and highly anticipated each year, creating both brand engagement and excitement.
Other Examples of Effective Holiday Rebrands:
Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola has long associated itself with holiday imagery, such as its famous Santa Claus ads and winter-themed polar bears. These elements reinforce Coca-Cola’s brand warmth and nostalgia, aligning their brand with holiday cheer.
Target: Target often shifts its red-and-white color scheme to include more seasonal designs, like snowflakes and gift-themed imagery, both in-store and online. They also use this seasonal branding to tie together product displays and gift guides, making holiday shopping feel seamless and cohesive for customers.
Our Tips for Small Businesses: When it comes to your holiday marketing strategy, consider embracing a “holiday rebrand” by adding festive colors or limited-time seasonal designs to your branding. Use holiday-inspired packaging, update your logo with subtle seasonal touches, or redesign your website’s homepage with a wintery theme. However, be sure to avoid pitfalls such as overcomplicating your rebrand or straying too far from your original identity. For tips on branding missteps to avoid, check out our guide to The Biggest Branding Fails of 2024.
Holiday Marketing Tip: 12 Days of Christmas Marketing Strategy
The 12 Days of Christmas Marketing strategy involves rolling out daily offers, promotions, or engaging content in the days leading up to Christmas. This approach builds anticipation and creates opportunities to connect with your audience multiple times during the critical shopping period.
For example, you could:
- Offer a new deal every day, such as discounts, freebies, or exclusive products.
- Share countdown-themed social media posts with festive stories or customer shoutouts.
- Create a “12 Days of Giving” campaign, highlighting causes you support or encouraging customers to give back.
Since 89% of consumers say social media impacts their holiday shopping decisions, this strategy is perfect for driving engagement while boosting sales.
Want to make the most of the holiday season? Embark creates custom marketing strategies tailored to share the Christmas cheer. Contact us today.
Bringing it All Together
Christmas marketing doesn’t have to be overwhelming for small businesses. By using data-driven insights, you can create an effective marketing strategy that will bring joy to the world while boosting your ROI.
Want to create an even more effective marketing strategy for the holiday? Work with us to transform your business, not only for the Christmas season, but for all of 2025. We can’t wait to connect with you.
