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Holiday Shopping Tips for Marketers

Happy HOWlidays: Why Marketers Need to Start Holiday Planning Now

Raise your hand if you’ve started holiday planning! 🤚

It may sound a bit early, but Pinterest’s latest holiday report indicates that consumers have already begun holiday planning. In fact, the report states “Six months out, people on Pinterest are already deep in holiday searches.”

With the Labor Day holiday behind us, consumers are saying so long to summer and transitioning from discovery to decision-making and buying. ‘Tis the season where gift lists are defined! For brands, this means that messaging and content published in the early fall season should focus on a middle to bottom of funnel consumers as they are likely to be actively in the market or will be soon.

Like it or not (looking at the fans of Spooky Season for the latter), the holidays are less than a month away for major retailers.

“Last year, retail giants Target and Walmart kicked off their holiday campaigns in early October, and 56% of consumers began buying gifts that month.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

– McKinsey & Company Survey

Additionally, a recent survey conducted by Collective Voice urges brands to solidify their holiday influencers no later than October 2023! Now is the time to reach out to creators that are a fit for your brand, with 30% of creators planning their holiday content in September, a number that drops significantly in October or November.

What does this mean for all you marketers? It’s time to get planning!

Here are some tips to get started:

  • When it comes to content, a good SWOT analysis is always a great place to start! So consider conducting your owned, competitive, and trends analysis now to get ahead and find opportunities for your brands.
  • The key to success when partnering with influencers is a solid strategy.  If you start on your strat today, you can totally secure your influencers on time! And don’t be shy about re-engaging with influencers you have worked with in the past. According to Collective Voice, 85% of influencers focus on nurturing their existing brand relationships during the holiday season vs. solidifying new deals. When it comes to holiday marketing that breaks through to their audience, influencers find that collaborating with brands they have previously worked with drives a more authentic connection. 
  • Don’t sleep on gift guides! The tried-and-true format works year round but is the workhorse of most creators’ holiday strategy. Again, with consumers in the decision-making phase in the run up to the holiday season, this long-form style content is an effective-sales driver. 
  • Holidays = 💰. Make the most out of budgets by negotiating with influencers now vs later (there’s a reason why you book your tickets home for the holidays months in advance… the same applies to influencers 😉 ).
  • While you might pack up the wrapping paper come the end of December, that’s not the wrap on holiday campaigns. According to Pinterest, a majority of shoppers continue to buy from brands they discovered during the holiday season (makes sense, that sweater you bought for your mom would also look great on you, no?) And, with many brands lowering their advertising spends during January, savvy marketers can take advantage of lower CPMs to reach already engaged audiences. 

 

Want to get started on your holiday marketing campaign but need help? Reach out to The HOW Agency to learn more about how our strategic planning, audience engagement and creative, content, and production can help you win this holiday season.