7 Super Awesome Ho Ho Holiday Marketing Ideas

Everyone loves a surprise. That’s why we are offering 7 unconventional and super awesome holiday marketing ideas for eCommerce so you get prepared for your Holiday Marketing campaign and hopefully, put a smile on your customer’s face! Who knows, those holiday marketing campaign ideas might even surprise you in the form of year revenue results!

The surprise factor is the game-changer

Christmas brings some of the year’s most welcome surprises. According to the Harvard Business Review, a surprise is like crack for your brain. It changes behavior, intensifies relationships, and strengthens emotions. Because the human mind remembers novelty better than predictability, you can enhance your branding in your customer’s memory and, in turn, build stronger connections with them. Plus, if you’re using social media, try a twist, not a gimmick and watch number of shares soar.

7 Out-of-the-box holiday marketing ideas 

Here are a few less tried holiday marketing ideas to stand out from the crowd:

• Hold a contest on social media. You could ask your followers to share their most touching, funniest, and zaniest holiday memories. Or even invite them to share photo-fails from a past Xmas. Create a hashtag and watch them have fun with your brand.
• Do something sentimental. ADs that rely on sentimentality cop 50% higher rates on returns. So watch the Hallmark Channel, get inspired, and try something your unique client base will find emotionally driving.
• Capitalize on pets. According to Inc, cats rule the internet. Videos of cats and dogs interacting with your products in a Christmas themed setting could be just thing that gets your customers clicking this Christmas.

Holiday marketing idea #1: Run a contest to collect contacts

Giveaways are a great way to collect brand new email addresses. The process is simple. Grow your list by giving away a product or experience your customers would value. Ask them to share the contest with their friends on social media. As the shares grow, so do the entries and so does your email list. Best of all, these are organically grown emails attached to a prospective buyer with a proven interest in your product or service. Deck your contest collection form in Christmas themes. For the tools that can help you do this, check out ContactPigeon, Viral Loops or KingSumo.

Holiday marketing idea #2: Be creative with your Instagram stories

When it comes to holiday marketing platforms, Instagram is the shining star. Follow it by posting daily and engaging with your customers. Xmas-related GIFs, funny memes, three-second videos, and a touch of holiday spirit can help customers engage emotionally with your brand. Don’t be afraid to look real, natural, and even a bit messy. Remember, people buy from people.

Holiday marketing idea #3: Give your customers a gift with every order over $X

For every order over $X, toss in a little something extra to show your customers some love. The X is a threshold you’ll need to determine based on your product pricing and ideal cart value. It’s more than a nice gesture, it’s an upselling motivation. When you select those 20 products that could make a nice gift, be sure to have a specific gender and age in mind. The presents will be more meaningful.

Holiday marketing idea #4: Use GIFs to make a magic gift selector

GIFs (Graphic Interchange Format) have been around since 1987, but far from receding into retro, they are only growing more popular. Today, GIFs are shorter, more mobile-friendly, and cheaper than video. But they’re just as effective. Create your GIF with http://gifmaker.me/.  Don’t be afraid of showing your holiday spirit with these!

Holiday marketing idea #5: Make your subject lines more Xmas-like with emojis

What’s the spirit of Christmas all about? Peace-on-earth, goodwill-to-all with a little fun thrown in just for the fun of it, right? So make your Xmas email marketing more fun with emojis. Brands who try it get a 45% increase in their unique open rates. Experiment with holiday stars, Christmas trees, Hannukah candles, and lively snowmen. See what gets your customers to open up those emails. ?? ⛄ ?

Holiday marketing idea #6: Craft some freebies

Everybody loves free goodies especially during the holidays when expenses start to soar. Depending on your industry, think of something you could give away that’s nearly guaranteed to make your customers happy. Here’s a tip: focus on their kids if you can. Modern winter festivals are all about kids after all!

Holiday marketing idea #7: Enrich your holiday marketing ideas with marketing automation

Seasoned eCommerce professionals know that marketing automation lets you segment your list, track customer behavior, build a workflow, improve your Holiday Marketing Strategy.

Try these holiday promotion ideas:

• The Santa Pop Up. Create a popup that will appear to just 1% of the site’s visitors. This popup will giveaway an exclusive Xmas coupon, such as free shipping, to the lucky winners.
• The Santa Automation. Set up an automation targeting your VIP customers, and offer them a special free shipping coupon or a secret, exclusive offer via email or online reminder as they visit your site.

Next Step: Discover more useful Holiday Marketing resources

• The 30 Best Christmas campaigns we’ve ever seen
• Building a 360-degree Christmas marketing strategy in retail
• 100+ Fairytale-ish Christmas Email Subject Lines for Holiday
• The Step By Step Holiday Email Marketing Checklist
• Everything You Need To Know About Holiday Email Marketing
• 24 Holiday Newsletter Ideas to Cheer Up the Season
• 56 Christmas Marketing Statistics to Know for This Holiday Season

For sure, an eCommerce store with an all-in-one marketing automation software will be ahead of its competitors this holiday season so do your research, see the eCommerce specialized solutions, compare prices and features and make your decision.