The holiday season is perfect for a business to run a gifting campaign. It’s when consumers are more open to spending, and all the major retailers are doing their best to get your attention with sales and promotions.
But you don’t want to blast a holiday-themed email and hope for the best. When it comes to holiday gift-giving, the most important thing is to be thoughtful and personal.
Like most people, you’ve probably got a lot on your plate. And if you’ve ever tried to come up with the perfect gift for someone who has everything, then you know that it can be challenging to find something that’s both meaningful and different.
(And we grimace when handing someone an Amazon or Starbucks gift card out of the blue — you can almost always do better.)
This is where the Alyce gifting platform comes in handy. We’ve rounded up seven holiday marketing campaigns and holiday marketing ideas that will help your B2B brand stand out from the crowd no matter the occasion.
Winter Holiday Campaign (Seasonal)
When it comes to doing winter holiday marketing right, there are a few things you need to include to make your email campaign successful:
- Features & Benefits: Information on your product or service and why customers should choose it over others available in the market.
- Discounts: Discounts or value-adds to entice the target audience to buy the product.
- Urgency: Give email recipients a definitive date [or time] to act. Allow people ample time to respond amid the holiday shopping season.
- Call-To-Action (CTA): Invite customers to do something to redeem the offer. Your CTA can be a phone call, a reply, or clicking a big button.
Don’t forget these things when designing your winter holiday ad campaign. You don’t need to be apologetic, either. People are often more receptive to hearing from brands they’ve interacted with over the last year.
Subject: An idea to defrost this holiday season
Hi [name], Winter is here, and everyone is starting to spend more time indoors. So whether you’re heading home for the holidays or watching the snowfall over Zoom this year, it can’t help to have an excuse to spend time with loved ones and old friends. Here’s a gift to help you make the most of your virtual or in-person family and friend time! Feel free to exchange it for something more suitable for how you’re spending your holiday season. As you’re defrosting from the icy air, are you thinking about [problem]? Don’t freeze those ideas until the new year. The best time to act on [solving problem] is while they’re still warm. I’d love to show you how we can help. Interested in chatting about it soon?
Subject: [Name], it’s the most wonderful time to chat again
As the weather outside starts to get frightful, I figured you could use a treat to stay warm and safe this holiday season. Of course, if it isn’t what you need, feel free to exchange it for something else seasonally inspired you prefer better! It’s been a while since we last spoke but ’tis the season for [your category]. As we head into the winter months, how are you thinking about [problem you solve]? I’d love to show you what our team has been up to since we last spoke to bring some holiday cheer to your [department] this year. Let me know if you’re interested in picking up the conversation.
Thanksgiving
If you’re looking for a great way to show gratitude and appreciate your customers, Thanksgiving is the best time to say thanks. Following Halloween, this is when you should begin to think and act generously.
BarkPost’s Thanksgiving campaign, Yappy Thanksgiving Eve, featured adorable photos of dogs and fun ideas for how to include your dog in Thanksgiving traditions.
Source: Barkbox
The brand also showed subscribers how to include their dogs in Thanksgiving festivities. They sent out an intelligent email with holiday-themed cartoons and videos, safety tips to follow while feeding their dogs, and other holiday survival tips that involved dogs.
We love this marketing idea, but we recognize that it won’t work for everyone, such as those with cats. So instead, we suggest you balance the dog talk and make a difference with a gifting campaign that tugs at the recipient’s heartstrings.
Here’s a gifting template to get you started:
Subject: We’re thankful for you!
Hi [name], 2022 hasn’t been the year we all thought it would be, but you stuck with us, trusted us, and worked with us. For that, we can’t help but feel grateful for all that you’ve done with us. As a token of appreciation, we hope you can pay this gift forward to a cause close to your heart. Looking forward to continuing our work together!
If you’re holding a Black Friday or Cyber Monday sale, don’t forget to promote it in your Thanksgiving gifting campaign. It can sit tactfully in the postscript (P.S.) of your email.
Unlike most other holidays, donating to a charity and matching customer donations is a bonafide marketing tip to boost goodwill and word of mouth across social media.
👀Turn Heads & Grow Revenue with These Gift Marketing Campaigns
Christmas
Not every company has a brand like Coca-Cola. Their iconic Santa ads have warmed hearts since 1931, emphasizing the feelings of connection around the holidays, not so much the beverage itself.
So there’s a lesson here: what’s a more profound message you want to convey?
Consider launching a holiday campaign to offer a limited-edition holiday item. Your customers get something festive for Christmas, and you get to be a part of it.
A limited quantity will compel your audience to act swiftly as shipping times have increased since the pandemic. An example of B2B swag would be a branded cozy fleece blanket for customers and partners.
Krispy Kreme’s Christmas campaign, which involved producing limited-edition holiday items, can be an excellent inspiration for your marketing strategy. The brand took advantage of the 12 Days of Christmas and created 12 exclusive doughnut flavors.
The campaign succeeded in getting people’s attention and generating revenue by featuring holiday-themed products, a fun holiday season video that unveiled the different flavors and designs, and gift cards. It was a simple yet persuasive campaign.
If you’re not sure what you want to do, create a special line and give away one item for free. This is your chance to give customers that gift they’d been yearning for from Santa!
Here’s a template you could snag:
Subject: Here’s your holiday gift!
Hi [name], Greetings from [brand]! We’re so glad you’re here. This year, we’ve added a limited edition [item] that you won’t find anywhere else. Just for our email subscribers, use code XMASFUN to get it for free! Thank You!
We suggest not overthinking the message. You either have value to share with subscribers — or you don’t. Refrain from the canned holiday marketing templates used by many small businesses. Short and direct emails perform best.
New Year's
Ringing in the New Year is the perfect time to offer your audience something special — the promise of a new year gets everyone excited! A New Year campaign is also a great time to summarize last year’s accomplishments and telegraph what’s ahead.
New Year’s campaigns are safe holiday marketing idea that resonates globally, so it’s worth making a sizable impact here.
Like the idea? Give this holiday gifting template a spin:
Subject: New Year? Here’s a gift!
[name], Happy New Year! We’re excited to give you a fresh start this year and help you make the most of it. We have a huge product launch happening in two weeks. We have a special gift waiting for you when you attend our 2023 product roadmap webinar to ring the new year. Click here to save your spot. [name] P.S. Until January 21, you can lock in last year’s lower rates before new pricing takes effect.
Easter
Easter is one of the biggest holidays of the year and is a swell time for email marketing.
If you’re an e-commerce or small business brand, this is an opportunity to get people thinking about your brand, but you don’t have to spend much on advertising. With a bit of ingenuity, you can generate a lot of interest in your brand.
This holiday email campaign by Mori – which gives an extra 10% off on an already 50% discount campaign – is an excellent example:
Source: Drip
Note how the email copy expresses empathy for one who’s likely to feel about celebrating without the whole family. It offers retail therapy with them at a discount to brighten their day.
This is easy because it doesn’t require much investment to pull off. It also excites people to shop with you during the holiday season.
If someone has been thinking about purchasing but hasn’t pulled the trigger yet, this offer might be enough to convince them that now is the time. Try stacking multiple discounts to make an irresistible offer that also gives them the feeling of a great deal. Be careful not to overdo it; otherwise, subscribers will demand steep discounts every time.
Here’s a sample template and idea for your Easter giving campaign:
Subject: Easter is almost here, and we want to celebrate with you!
Hi [name], We’re egg-cited to help you get the most out of Easter. We’re giving away a free [gift] along with 25% off your purchase. To enter, check out our [discount offer]. Happy Easter!
Christmas in July
Christmas in July is growing in popularity, and there are many great ways you can get in on the fun. But unfortunately, for many brands, July competes with summer vacations, making it tough to grow sales.
For example, in 2020, Burger King celebrated Christmas in July by running an ad campaign that featured customers wearing face masks and showing that they wanted to fast-forward past the difficult times so that they could be having a merry time as they do at Christmas.
One of the campaign objectives was to spread goodwill and cheer among its target audience during a difficult time.
The campaign also included a two-for-$5 unwrapping deal, in which customers could select from different sandwiches in holiday-themed wrappers. Additionally, the fast-food chain decorated a restaurant in Florida with Christmas lights that stayed up until July 28th. The Christmas in July campaign extended to social media [including through a hashtag] and content marketing in the brand’s app.
Now, you don’t have to be so extravagant with your holiday sales. Here’s a gifting email template you might like to use instead:
Subject: Christmas is just around the corner
Hello [name], It’s only July, but we wanted to get you in the holiday spirit early. So we’re sending our best fans and friends a special gift to unwrap. [And you don’t need to find the scissors, either!] This year, we’ve chosen you! We hope you enjoy it. If you love it, keep it. Otherwise, you can spread holiday cheer by donating to a cause you care about or exchanging it for another item from [Brand]’s workshop. Sincerely, [name]
Fun Summer Giveaway Campaign
Summer holiday campaigns are an excellent opportunity to flex your creative muscles and have some summer fun. Getting your customers’ attention in the summer months is difficult, but a well-timed gifting campaign can grab people’s attention.
From beach balls to cash to drink coasters, there are many seasonal items your customers would love to receive from a holiday giveaway campaign. Here’s a template you can use to give these items away:
Subject: Enter [Brand]’s a Summer Giveaway
Hey [name]! We are so happy to welcome you to the community. We’ve launched a Summer Giveaway in which one winner gets a $500 gift card. In addition, other prizes are up for grabs, including a [brand] summer survival swag box, plus ten $25 Amazon gift cards. To participate, register at [link to your landing page]. Terms and conditions apply. Good luck!
❄️ Must-Read: 12 B2B Holiday Gifts to Send Customers & Employees
Holiday Gifting You Can Feel Good About
Instead of sticking with the same old festive ad campaign from last year, companies must try clever ways to stand out and connect with holiday shoppers. By thinking creatively and sharing a special message, you can remain ahead of the competition this holiday shopping season.
While holidays are fine for offering discounts, surprising your subscribers with a personal, relevant, and thoughtful gift is a great way to stand out. Perhaps a donation to a charitable cause like Make-a-Wish that resonates with your brand? Or a “mystery” gift valued at $100 with every order sure to delight every recipient?
Marketing teams turn to Alyce to build pipeline and lower churn with more personal, relevant, and thoughtful marketing campaigns. It’s the perfect solution to make prospecting outreach more effective.
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