Thinking about ... Christmas

Thinking about... TikTok videos in which Mariah Carey is slowly defrosting — might be a funny trend for kids and rookies, but for seasoned marketers, it's the sign we're running late to the party. 

Christmas is approaching, so it's not too soon to think about the festive break. In fact, it might be too late if your audience is used to complex marketing campaigns.

For most businesses, the end of August-beginning of September is the perfect time to put the game face on and plan for the end of the year. In a way, marketers are the real elves of the holiday season — planning, strategising, and working behind the scenes so the magic can happen for brands and their customers. And it pays off. Thorough planning and execution will help your brand stand out when everyone around desperately throws out last-minute discounts and random Christmas offers.

Thinking about... budgets - there's no magic wand to conjure a marketing Christmas miracle without a meticulously planned budget. Christmas planning in September allows you to anticipate the costs associated with your marketing efforts. Try to accurately estimate expenses related to design, content creation and distribution, advertising, influencers, and other components crucial to your campaign's success.

Multichannel distribution demands an intricate budget allocation. Each channel requires a tailored approach and investment, from allocating resources for targeted ads on social platforms to optimising your website for seamless navigation or investing in captivating in-store displays.

Through insightful budget planning, you can allocate your financial resources with surgical precision, ensuring that every pound is a strategic investment that yields the expected returns.

Set the stage early, and you'll have the resources necessary to create memorable customer experiences with innovative promotions, limited-time offers, and exclusive bundles.

Thinking about... a blog post about tips to prepare your business for Christmas, published on December 9. What a waste of resources! No one ever wins from these last-minute efforts. In content marketing, there's a lot to be learned from the operations of chocolate factories. Just as they anticipate and prepare for various seasonal demands, brands must handle content marketing activities with a forward-thinking strategy.

While customers enjoy mulled wine, mint chocolates, and eggnog, chocolate factories mould Easter bunnies and eggs for the following March/April. So no, it's not too soon — you'll need a lot of content to orchestrate a compelling Christmas campaign.

Here's a downloadable list of Christmas content suggestions!

Write briefs outlining your goals, target audience, key messages, tone, style, and necessary information. It'll pave the way for seamless and impactful Christmas campaigns that resonate deeply with your audience, (just as the Cadbury’s and Rowntree's factories masterfully prepare for the seasons ahead).

Thinking about... the joy of sharing and working together to create memorable experiences. Like it or not, this year is marked by unique challenges and shifting consumer behaviours driven by the cost-of-living crisis, making the strength of collaborations all the more pivotal. A striking statistic underscores this point — approximately two-thirds of adults across the UK plan to adopt a more conservative approach to their Christmas spending.

In this scenario, partnerships emerge as beacons of opportunity. By pooling resources, knowledge, and expertise, brands can work together and craft innovative solutions that address customers’ concerns and infuse the season with a sense of community and shared purpose.

With hand-picked partners, you can optimise costs, streamline operations, and enhance the overall value proposition presented to your audiences.
Clients, in turn, get all the solutions they need in one place, so they'll be more likely to buy.

Be proactive. Initiate discussions and lay the groundwork to leverage collaborations' strength come Christmas. Early planning allows for thorough negotiations, creative brainstorming, and the fine-tuning of partnership strategies, ensuring that when the holiday season arrives, you and your collaborators can offer compelling, coordinated solutions that cater to the evolving needs of your potential and existing consumers.

HAVE I GOT YOU THINKING ABOUT Christmas and the many business opportunities that come with it?

If so, it's only a matter of time before the planning wheels begin to turn. Yet, in crafting a memorable Christmas campaign, one may occasionally navigate a labyrinth of intricacies. So, I'm here to guide you through strategy, content creation, budget allocation, and more.

Message me at info@dxdmedia.co.uk for guidance on refining your messaging, optimizing your social media strategy, or clarifying your budget allocations.


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