The holiday season is perfect for a business to run a gifting campaign. Itâs 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 donât 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, youâve probably got a lot on your plate. And if youâve 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 thatâs both meaningful and different.
(And we grimace when handing someone an Amazon or Starbucks gift card out of the blue â you can almost always do better.)
This is where the Alyce gifting platform comes in handy. Weâve 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.
Donât forget these things when designing your winter holiday ad campaign. You donât need to be apologetic, either. People are often more receptive to hearing from brands theyâve 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 youâre heading home for the holidays or watching the snowfall over Zoom this year, it canât help to have an excuse to spend time with loved ones and old friends. Hereâs 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 youâre spending your holiday season. As youâre defrosting from the icy air, are you thinking about [problem]? Donât freeze those ideas until the new year. The best time to act on [solving problem] is while theyâre still warm. Iâd love to show you how we can help. Interested in chatting about it soon?
Subject: [Name], itâs 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 isnât what you need, feel free to exchange it for something else seasonally inspired you prefer better! Itâs been a while since we last spoke but âtis the season for [your category]. As we head into the winter months, how are you thinking about [problem you solve]? Iâd 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 youâre interested in picking up the conversation.
Thanksgiving
If youâre 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.
BarkPostâs 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 wonât 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 recipientâs heartstrings.
Hereâs a gifting template to get you started:
Subject: Weâre thankful for you!
Hi [name], 2022 hasnât been the year we all thought it would be, but you stuck with us, trusted us, and worked with us. For that, we canât help but feel grateful for all that youâve 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 youâre holding a Black Friday or Cyber Monday sale, donât 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.
đTurn 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 thereâs a lesson here: whatâs 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 Kremeâs 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 peopleâs 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 youâre 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 theyâd been yearning for from Santa!
Hereâs a template you could snag:
Subject: Hereâs your holiday gift!
Hi [name], Greetings from [brand]! Weâre so glad youâre here. This year, weâve added a limited edition [item] that you wonât 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 â or you donât. 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 â the promise of a new year gets everyone excited! A New Year campaign is also a great time to summarize last yearâs accomplishments and telegraph whatâs ahead.
New Yearâs campaigns are safe holiday marketing idea that resonates globally, so itâs worth making a sizable impact here.
Like the idea? Give this holiday gifting template a spin:
Subject: New Year? Hereâs a gift!
[name], Happy New Year! Weâre 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 yearâs 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 youâre an e-commerce or small business brand, this is an opportunity to get people thinking about your brand, but you donât 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 â which gives an extra 10% off on an already 50% discount campaign â is an excellent example:
Source: Drip
Note how the email copy expresses empathy for one whoâs 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 doesnât 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 hasnât 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.
Hereâs a sample template and idea for your Easter giving campaign:
Subject: Easter is almost here, and we want to celebrate with you!
Hi [name], Weâre egg-cited to help you get the most out of Easter. Weâre 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 brandâs app.
Now, you donât have to be so extravagant with your holiday sales. Hereâs a gifting email template you might like to use instead:
Subject: Christmas is just around the corner
Hello [name], Itâs only July, but we wanted to get you in the holiday spirit early. So weâre sending our best fans and friends a special gift to unwrap. [And you donât need to find the scissors, either!] This year, weâve 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]âs 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 customersâ attention in the summer months is difficult, but a well-timed gifting campaign can grab peopleâs 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. Hereâs a template you can use to give these items away:
Subject: Enter [Brand]âs a Summer Giveaway
Hey [name]! We are so happy to welcome you to the community. Weâve 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!
âď¸ 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 âmysteryâ 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. Itâs the perfect solution to make prospecting outreach more effective.
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