Christmas without marketing would be like a roast dinner without gravy. The two go hand-in-hand, but as shelves are stacked and special offers take over social media, we ask – should you run a finance campaign at Christmas? Let’s delve a little deeper.

The Pros of Christmas Marketing:

‘Tis the season to be jolly and joyous (fa la la) – excuse us while we just nip off to watch The Muppet Christmas Carol for the 1569^th time. So, if you want to embrace the festive season with a creative Christmas marketing campaign, here are some of the benefits.

Online activity surges during the festive period

When coming up with a digital strategy for the festive period, it’s important to bear in mind that many people spend more time on that internet during the holidays than they normally would. While some are looking for a social media escape from overbearing family members “no thank you Grandma, I really don’t want another of your slightly soggy and overcooked Brussel sprouts,” others are streaming festive movies or doing their Christmas shopping online.

Indeed, for the first year in history, Americans are expected to spend more money online than in stores this holiday season. According to a Deloitte survey of more than 4,000 Americans, shoppers plan to spend 51% of their holiday shopping budget online, compared to 42% in stores.

So, what does this mean from a marketing point of view?

Well, it’s the perfect time to expand your outreach. Consumers are there at their devices, waiting to hear what you have to say – so why not take advantage of this opportunity? Okay, maybe they’re not waiting. They might not even know you exist, but with the right content marketing strategy, you could suddenly become a relevant part of their lives.

Christmas is a great time to get creative

Finance is finance. It’s not an all signing, all dancing razzle dazzle industry. That said; with a bit of tinsel and a few festive lights, the sector can join in the fun like the rest of us. In all seriousness, Christmas is the perfect time to run a creative and innovative campaign. While you’ll have to overcome compliance challenges carefully– after all, no one wants their Christmas to be ruined by a slap on the hand from CySEC – it is fine to have a bit of fun here and there.

There are many things you can do in your Christmas campaign to drum up attention, spread brand awareness and increase your bottom line, such as:

• Running a festive email campaign thanking customers for their services and giving a rundown of what they can look forward to during Christmas and New Year.
• Starting a blog offering finance-related tips and hints for the festive period such as: How to Save Money on your Christmas Shopping? This is a great way to increase brand awareness without being overly promotional and can be continued long into the New Year.
• Running a marketing campaign which attracts people to your social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Competitions with giveaway prizes work well or you may decide to offer a free trial of a specific trading platform or service.
• Producing a team video wishing customers a happy Christmas. This can then be shared online via social media. Alternatively, you could do something a bit more fun and off-the-wall like recording a mince pie eating competition or a Christmas jumper-wearing dance off. The wackier the idea, the more attention you’re likely to receive. And remember, competition is fierce at this time of year, so you need to stand out from the crowd. For an integrated campaign, don’t forget to blog about your social efforts and to link to your videos via your main site.

The Cons of Christmas Marketing

Christmas is a great time to let your marketing skills sparkle – and while we don’t want to be the Grinch and ruin your festive mojo, here are a few marketing cons to consider.

Not everyone celebrates Christmas

It sounds obvious, but not everyone celebrates Christmas. It’s a Christian holiday, after all, so if your target audience has different religious beliefs, you may want to channel your marketing efforts elsewhere. If you have a technology company tailored to the needs of Arabic cliental, for example, there’s really no need to think up a glitzy festive campaign. Indeed, doing so could even cause offense and be detrimental to your brand, so it’s really important to think about whom you’re speaking to before you jump in the deep end – and that’s where analytics is so important. Really want to run a campaign in these regions? Make it a winter themed or end of year one instead.

Setting Key Performance Indicators known as KPIs and keeping a close track of your business data will help you assess the need for a festive marketing strategy. If you’re branching into the Chinese market, perhaps focussing on the Chinese New Year which falls on Friday 16^th February could be more beneficial showing an appreciation of your cliental.

Christmas doesn’t last forever

“Well I wish it could be Christmas Everyday…” as the song goes but sadly that’s not possible. In order to make your Christmas marketing campaign a success, you must be organised. The holidays don’t last forever, so it’s wise to arrive early to the party and not be banging on the door down when everyone’s gone home. Typically, companies start getting ready to release their festive promotional material once Halloween is past, making November and December crucial months for marketers.

On a similar thread, as Christmas is short-lived, make sure your campaign is worth doing. Will the return on investment be worth your efforts? If so, that’s great. If not, you may want to think up a larger scale strategy that’ll turn over higher profits.

Running a marketing campaign at Christmas can be great fun. It’s a chance to let your hair down, take to the dance floor and show the world what you’re all about. If you need assistance with your content, social or PR campaigns, contact the Contentworks team today.