A few days ago, Netflix started showing me notifications of upcoming Christmas movies, which gave me a rather pleasant reminder that the most festive holiday is just around the corner. I’m not going to lie; I absolutely love the Christmas rom-com, the cheesy storylines, and the overall wholesome vibes we get from these movies.
However, what I also love about Christmas is my job. It is absolutely refreshing when our timelines turn red and the websites that we use to shop release Christmas-specific products. Also, the new & honestly amazing Christmas marketing ideas that brands come up with start showing up on our socials.
However, marketers are on their wit’s end trying to come up with campaigns that will make waves and people will remember them for years to come.
The smartest of managers always plan their campaigns well and schedule them all using a social media management platform!
Going forward, we would like to list some of the most amazing Christmas marketing ideas we have come across in the past few years.
Let us get down to business!
24 Christmas Marketing Ideas That You Can Take Inspiration From
Take a cue from some of the best Christmas marketing ideas that are already making waves and fly away in the inspiration land. Without further ado, let’s get to it!
Share Wholesome Christmas Updates
It is best to spread as much cheer as possible during the holiday season, whether you do it through your socials or your website. This is one of our favourite Christmas marketing ideas, as the endless possibilities are endless. You can share a wholesome update showing that you are gearing up for the most amazing year’s season.
Alternatively, you can post pictures of your Christmas stock; if nothing else, you can post a creative GIF about a Santa hat!
The right pick for this post is anything that makes your and your team’s heart full. After all, Christmas and wholesome vibes are a match made in heaven!
Check out this well-thought-out post from Happy socks. It is just a stubble reminder of Christmas paired with product promotion!
Post a Holiday/Festive Contest
Holidays contests are one of Instagram’s best Christmas marketing ideas for apparel pages. And they require the least amount of work from your side. All you need to do is introduce a Christmas-specific hashtag or a filter. Ask people to take pictures of themselves or their friends wearing your product and upload a picture.
Since it’s Christmas, you don’t need to have a single winner; you can have a couple. The prize could be little things, like a holiday greeting card paired with a shirt or a scarf from your collection.
There are SO many things that you can do when it comes to contests. You can also throw in a knack of influencer marketing by hiring micro-influencers who fall in your niche. Either ask them to promote or send a swag bag their way. This way, you get long-term marketing and can have fun around Christmas.
The best part? You will stay on top of your audience’s mind and could be their gift choice this year.
Release a Christmas Catalogue
This is one of those Christmas marketing ideas that you need to work on at least a month in advance so that you can put it up before everyone goes offline for their holidays.
Style a few outfits of your choice and make them into an online catalogue. There are many sites that you can use with ready-made templates and filters. Furthermore, you can have each one of your social media team pick one page of your catalogue. This way, your collection will have more personality and would look inclusive. Different people have different mindsets and versatile ways of celebrating the season.
This is your chance to capture that new set of audience that you have been behind for years!
Like this luxury catalogue from Neiman Marcus!
Create a Santa Wish List
A Santa wish list is an amazing opportunity to showcase various products or services in one go. And this requires next to no effort. Group together all the product pictures that you have collected over the past few months and post them as a carousel on your feed.
Using a fun caption explaining your idea would also allow you to talk about the said products in detail. Furthermore, you can use the shop tab on Instagram to even add links to your website or mention prices in the pictures.
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Send a Holiday Greeting Card With Orders
In the digital world today, it is really easy to send holiday greeting cards without overwhelming your local post offer. So what’s the modern version of a letter? An email!
One of the best Christmas marketing ideas is to be thankful to your customers for being there for you the entire year and giving you their business. Ask your designers to make a gorgeous digital card, with a small personalised message and send it to your email list.
Better yet, segmentize your email list with respect to their buyer’s journey and design one card for each segment. The customer list could get a thank you with a 5% discount on their next order, those who have been to the checkout could get a 10% discount on their carts, and so on!
Focus on getting the card out as soon as possible so that people can also consider you for their gift list. Use colours associated with Christmas, such as red and green, with maybe a mistletoe in the centre. Also, make the subject line as catchy as possible to increase your open rate.
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Take inspiration from this greeting card right here!
Launch Christmas-Specific Packaging
Packaging is one of the most important parts of branding; therefore, it should be on top of your Christmas marketing ideas list. However, it is definitely not easy to change your entire packaging each year, which is why you could do a limited edition holiday packaging that is an improvisation on your current one.
You can take a few of your products and release an advent calendar. Or you can put an offer for a limited-time bundle with new festive packaging. Keep the bags and all the same; just do minor changes that look big overall!
Sephora each year brings out an advent calendar with a few of their best sellers. They create a festive box for it and put it up in their stores!
Check it out here.
View this post on InstagramMake a Christmas Gift Guide
Everyone is shopping for Christmas gifts this time of the year, which is why this is your chance to come up with a gift guide using your products or services. I mean, many people need clarification as to what they should get for their siblings and boss. Not everyone appreciates a sweater!
Magazines like Vogue come up with a holiday gift guide each year so even if you don’t want to put in the effort to create one yourself, you can try listing yourself in their lists.
Their list for 2023 is already out.
Even influencers can take this opportunity to create a gift guide with their partnerships of the year!Offer Holiday Downloadables & Guides on Your Website
The last quarter of the year is always hard for businesses; however, you can help other marketers come up with Christmas marketing ideas by offering downloadables. This could be an ebook, a set of templates, or even a guide highlighting different marketing strategies for Christmas. All the leads generated using this campaign can directly be stored in a lead generation CRM and you can use the data to close more deals.
Spreading cheer is the true essence of Christmas, so why not help others while increasing your subscriber list? This is a win-win situation for all. And the best part? Holiday season content always stays in style; you can reuse it next year. Update it according to that year and upload it again. One piece of content can be reused in SO many ways that you will definitely thank your editorial team for coming up with it.
Content from that same guide can be used to make social media content and more!
Social Media Holiday Cheat Sheet
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Start Christmas Marketing at the Right Time
One of the most important things while executing any marketing strategy is to start it at the right time!
So right after Halloween is your prime time to start, which means you should pen down all your Christmas marketing ideas before the fourth quarter starts. This way, you would have ample time to execute the ideas. This also gives your team the creative space to experiment and come up with the exact thing that you want.
Apart from this, you need to count on the time that your brand would require for production if you have physical products.
Take a cue from Christmas genius at Starbucks. The coffee house launches its Christmas products way before in October, which means that they start even early!
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Launch a Christmas Product
We all love ourselves a little Christmas cheer in the form of holiday merchandise, which is why launching a holiday product is one of the best Christmas Marketing Ideas. This Christmas, you can launch something as small as a cap as well.
Either give it away with all purchases as a present or just make it a limited-time edition. There are so many places that you could take inspiration from, from Starbucks to Krispy Kreme and many more. Here is an example from Krispy Kreme that we are totally crushing on:
Also, Krispy Kreme has now made it a yearly tradition to launch a Christmas menu. This gives all their customers something to look forward to and wait for Christmas all year long!
Even influencers can take this opportunity to create a gift guide with their partnerships of the year!
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Christmas Specific Offers & Gift Cards
This Christmas, spread cheer like confetti and offer special discounts and offers throughout the month. Come up with a theme like the product of the day or something and offer a series of discounts throughout the month. If you are skeptical of this idea or think your audience would appreciate a more consistent deal, then go for a long-term offer during the month.
The options are endless with such Christmas marketing ideas as you can play with your audience’s strength. Go with an offer that you know your audience would like. However, we would recommend going into the holiday spirit with Christmas bundles and more so that it would make an ideal gift as well.
Like this etsy giftcard:
Run a Christmas Countdown
Christmas is one of the most anticipated times of the year as many people are excited about it and want to enjoy it to the fullest. This is why the Christmas countdown should be at the top of your Christmas marketing ideas list. I mean, what better way to make your feed festive than to run a Christmas countdown?
This is why many brands run countdowns as part of their Christmas or holiday marketing campaigns. This does not only keep their profiles active and happy; it is also a really nice way of increasing engagement.
Here is a super cool countdown by Jo Malone London:
Set a Festive Photo Booth
Christmas joy gets double when we get to cherish the memories that we made on all past ones. But how can you be a part of your customer’s Christmas memories? This is the question you should be asking yourself when coming up with Christmas marketing ideas this year.
By introducing a virtual photo booth, you are essentially inviting your customers to become a part of your celebrations. The pictures they click with you can become a part of their lives for the years to come.
Inform your customers about a photo contest and set some simple guidelines to follow. You can announce a cash reward or maybe a few months of free service to your customers in return.
Here is a fantastic example of a photo competition by Country magazine.
Holiday Recipe Ideas
We have said it before and we will say it again. There is no better way to celebrate the holiday season than to talk about food or share food. Similarly, one of the best Christmas marketing ideas is to share recipes that resonate with Christmas. Especially if you are a food-based company, a chef, or a blogger, there is no idea better than this.
Either play to your strengths and create recipes around the cuisine you are familiar with or experiment with a new one that you haven’t tried before. If you cater to a diverse set of audiences, you can compile famous Christmas recipes worldwide and convert them into winning content.
Here is an example from Pure Wow, where they shared a list of the best Christmas recipes from Ina Garten.
Leverage User-Generated Content
If you are not using user-generated content to the fullest this Christmas season, you are definitely missing out on a lot. This holiday season, one of the best Christmas marketing ideas is to launch a UGC campaign. With user-generated content, you gain next-level exposure and understand what the audience perceives of your brand.
However, try not to make the mistake of confusing user-generated content with influencer marketing. Therefore, try not to pay influencers to create content for you. Just call out to your audience and let them create content for you.
Also, there is no better example of user-generated content than the king of Christmas marketing; Starbucks! Check out their #RedCups campaign this year.
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Release a Holiday Advent Calendar
With December being the official holiday season, people start preparing for it in November to be fully stacked with gifts and wholesome vibes. Therefore, if you haven’t already done it, make use of your blog and post a Christmas gift guide!
This one point can help you generate multiple Christmas marketing ideas as there is no one formula for a gift guide. With this, you can showcase your products to their full potential and create a grid of images on your Instagram account. Use the shopping tab to make sure that your users can easily purchase the products.
Here is an example from Natura.usa for your next advent calendar.
Paint it Red
Christmas is all about the reds and the greens and the cheesy, cheeky decorations with a billion fairy lights. Coincidentally, red is also the best color to attract customers to your offer. So what are you waiting for? Paint your social media and the website red and spread cheer like never before.
Take a cue from the Bath & Body Works Christmas marketing campaign this year. They use both the colors and the decor extremely tastefully while ensuring that their products stay in limelight.
Apart from the red and green festive vibes on the website, they have also used words such as ‘merriest’, and ‘Santa Approved’ to make their products seem unique. Here are a few more examples of them spreading some holiday cheer on their website.
Even their social media is all about Christmas.
Introduce Christmas Bundles
The Christmas spirit doubles by sharing and spreading joy with others. Therefore, we exchange gifts on Christmas morning. You want to keep the same mindset while brainstorming your special Christmas marketing ideas for this year’s campaigns.
Nobody loves anything more than a beautifully wrapped package on Christmas morning.
When the time for Christmas shopping arrives, be ready with some fantastic ready-made gifts and bundles. Or a bunch of excellent products that can go together as a gift. If you can throw in a gift-wrapping service, you are good to go.
Help your consumers find the perfect gift for their partners and increase your sales.
Here is a brilliant example set by Nordstrom. Not only are they offering some fantastic holiday gifts, but they have also categorized them by recipients and pricing.
Sephora also comes up with holiday season exclusive gifts each year. Most of these deals are complete steals, and people look forward to getting them for themselves as well.
Take a Trip Down the Memory Lane
If you have had a successful campaign in recent years, then congratulations! Consider half of your job done. Consider going down memory lane and bringing it back with a twist. Keep in mind that it is not smart to copy the entire campaign as it is. It would then just be repetitive. Consider bringing it back, but add something new to it.
This holiday email by the Happy Potter Wizarding World is one of our favorites this year. Half the world wants to experience the magical land of Hogwarts. At some point in our lives, it has disappointed us that our letter never arrived.
The Harry Potter world is inviting us to the famous Yule Ball with a winter word search. Quizzes and word searches are a brilliant way to get customers on the website. After all, who doesn’t want to know how well they will fit in the magical land?
Christmas Themed Product Names
Leverage the vibes of the holiday season to come up with creative names for your products. You can either introduce a whole new product or come up with a holiday variation of your flagship offer. Since it’s Christmas, you can use words like festive, peppermint, sled, and the likes. Or you can always use the colors, such as red, green, or white in names.
Similarly, a holiday headline can also enable your brand to appear more festive. Coming up with a catchy Christmas marketing slogan is also a great way to bundle all your Christmas offers together. It can act as a pretty bow on top of all the packaging. You can print a ribbon with the tagline and tie it to the orders.
Your chances of experiencing high sales are much likely to increase if you can challenge your inner holiday spirit and portray it in your Christmas marketing ideas and campaigns.
Starbucks has a habit of being extra festive during the holiday season. If you are ever short on the holiday spirit, we highly recommend spending an hour at the coffee shop. Basking in the glorious smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods will set your mood right. Like all the years that went by, this year too, Starbucks came up with Christmas-themed coffee beans in four different variations.
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They are; Christmas Blend, Espresso Blend, Holiday Blend, and Decaf Christmas Blend.
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Other than the signature blends, they also offer a snowman cookie and seasonal drinks. Even their cups have turned a bright shade of red with Christmas decorations drawn on them.
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Also, Starbucks is pretty intent on spreading some holiday cheer in all circumstances. Therefore, they are offering background images for your laptop as well. Even if you cannot go out, you can still feel the vibes at home!
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Be Inclusive
You most probably have a versatile audience shopping on your website during the holiday season. Your consumers comprise people from all cultural backgrounds and beliefs. Therefore, it is safe to assume that not all of them will celebrate Christmas and New Year on the same day.
This puts you in a challenging position. But it most definitely does not mean that you should give up on Christmas marketing. To make sure that you include all in your seasonal marketing campaigns, consider using neutral greetings. Taglines, such as Seasonal greetings, happy holidays, or enjoy the winters, set the tone right from the beginning.
Don’t be afraid to experiment a little and go with something other than Merry Christmas this year. Starting with a simple wish, you can show your readers that you respect their beliefs.
This email campaign by Kate Spade New York is the perfect example. The email looks decent with all the right holiday vibes, complete with sparkles and a pastel theme.
Offer Extra Value
Christmas is all about giving out love and receiving love. So why not offer something of extra value to your customers this holiday season? Giving them a perfect chance to fill up their stockings even more?
Offering something for free is an excellent way to entice customers and get some yummy holiday traffic on your website. You can offer trial-size products, a loyalty card, points, rewards, or even free shipping. However, you need to be creative and offer something other than the mainstream free shipping. If you are a makeup brand, you can offer a little mascara on ordering a full-sized pallet. Your clients will get to try out something for free, and you can win some hearts. It sounds like a win-win situation on both ends!
This Estee Lauder holiday promotional email is on point. Their branding is impressive on this one, with the perfect color theme and gifts at the end. And they are offering 20% off along with an extra incentive. They offer three DELUXE sized samples instead of the traditional size with all purchases of only $50.
They have kept the amount low so that people would consider shopping. If you are an avid user of Estee Lauder products, I am sure you would know that spending $50 on the site is no big deal. You can buy a serum, and your cart total would still be more than that.
If you decide to go for the same strategy, set a limit, you know is achievable with your brand. Don’t put a limit that you know most users cannot reach.
Here is another free offer from Estee Lauder. With any purchase of up to $75, you can get 33 other beauty essentials for the price of one full-sized serum.
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Here are some more original ideas for things that you can offer for free.
- Free membership after the cart reaches a certain amount
- Custom loyalty cards for returning customers
- 2X or 3X points on every purchase
- One more month of a free trial
- Exclusive access to limited edition products
- Discounts on future bookings
- Free webinars or workshops
- Free software updates or premium versions
Offering free products with every order is an excellent way to kick start your early Christmas marketing campaigns.
Play With The Emotions
Christmas is the time of the year when most people are looking forward to some family time. They are all looking for some fantastic gifts and things that would make them miss their family even more. Think like old-school advertisements and how they can stir emotions in us.
For inspiration, check out this amazing advertisement by Disney UK.
It follows a girl’s life from when she was a child until she became old enough to work. The ad hits all the right notes with the flagship mickey mouse and the snow setting.
Another excellent advertisement campaign is by McDonald’s.
Their #ReindeerReady shows a mum trying her best to get her child in the holiday spirit.
Run a Charity
Running a charity is one of the universal ideas of all times. Any brand can host a charity and have a ball at it. Especially at this time of the year that people are looking to give, so why not use it as a marketing campaign that can make a difference? After the year we have had, holding a charity is one of the best ideas this year.
If your company is already a non-profit organization and you run such charities all year long. Then you can share stories of people who have donated through you or of people who you’ve helped. Seeing that the donations are making a difference will prompt more people to donate through your brand. Remember to offer several ways to donate so that people have more outlets to get involved. Apart from the monetary donations, consider other types, such as sponsorships and point contributions.
This again is a win-win situation, as you will sell your product, and people would feel good that they are making someone else’s life better as well!
Marks and Spencer have a Christmas Campaign that will give $2 million to different charities. They pick all the charities by the nine celebrities that are taking part in the campaign. This is an M&S Christmas Campaign, and it is already making waves.
Here is the link to their fully updated Christmas playlist.
Running charities is a perfect Christmas marketing idea for retailers, as they can build their brand by showing that they care.
Use Marketing Tools to Make the Most of Your Christmas Marketing Ideas
Let’s be honest, things can get really hectic around the occasion, and nobody wants to post on social media on important festive days, like Christmas Day.
The most straightforward approach to guarantee your social media posts is to plan them early by using tools to manage social media.
Social Champ is an interactive social media platform whose sole purpose is to enhance and broaden marketing purposes. This helps in scheduling posts so that more and more audience discerns your post and therefore relieves you from the complication of re-writing them.
You can use Social Champ to plan weeks or months of social media content early, deal with numerous web-based social networking records, and screen everything using the web-based or mobile application so you can sit back, unwind and make the most of your vacation!
