19 Killer Holiday Branding Ideas To Increase Sales

As the holiday season approaches, businesses of all sizes are gearing up to make the most of this festive time. Holiday branding plays a crucial role in setting the stage for success.

During this time, your best bet is to tailor your marketing efforts to align with the festive spirit. 

Sales and marketing departments should keep an eye on specific holiday themes and events throughout the year to stay on top of their game.

So, this comprehensive guide will help you do just that—create your best holiday marketing campaigns. Let’s delve into 19 proven holiday branding ideas backed by extensive research below.

What is Holiday Branding?

Holiday branding is a marketing strategy that involves tailoring your content marketing efforts with the festive spirit and holiday themes.

It’s about creating a unique and memorable customer experience during these special times.

Why You Should Pay Attention to Holiday Marketing

The holiday season isn’t just a time of the year for festive decorations. It’s a golden opportunity for your business.

Here’s why holiday marketing deserves your attention:

• Boosting Sales. The holiday season ushers in increased consumer spending. Deloitte’s research anticipates holiday sales to grow this year. This is a result of low-income consumers, who are projected to spend 25% more.
• Increasing Brand Awareness. Creative holiday campaigns make your brand more memorable, attracting new customers and boosting visibility.
• Building Customer Engagement. The holiday cheer fosters emotional connections. It deepens loyalty and trust among your audience.
• Establishing a Brand Voice. Holiday marketing efforts can help boost your brand strategy and reinforce your unique voice.

When Should You Start Your Holiday Marketing Campaigns?

Black Friday, which falls on the day after Thanksgiving, is traditionally considered the start of the holiday shopping season. Many small businesses launch their holiday marketing campaigns in early November to capture the attention of eager shoppers.

If you want to focus on the most celebrated holiday worldwide, Christmas, you should start in early December. Marketers can build excitement and capture the attention of shoppers looking for gifts and holiday deals.

Don’t overlook the New Year. As the year comes to a close, many people are in a reflective mood and setting goals for the year ahead. You can capitalize on this mindset from the end of December to January.

Your holiday campaigns’ timing may vary depending on your target audience, industry, and marketing objectives. It’s important to track trends, analyze data, and adjust your strategy accordingly to achieve the best results.

Guerrilla Marketing for Captivating Audiences

1. Storytelling through Social Media Posts

Creating excitement on your social media platforms is a must during the holidays. Consider running a countdown highlighting a different holiday product or offer each day leading up to the big day. Encourage engagement with daily giveaways or fun holiday trivia.

Practical Tip: Use Xara’s free templates to create eye-catching social media graphics for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

2. Festive Website Makeover

Transform your website into a holiday wonderland. Use holiday-themed graphics, colors, and banners to create a visually appealing landing page.

You can even change your logo into a festive visual to impress visitors. Holiday marketing is all about going out of your way and skipping the ordinary.

Practical Tip: Check out this free step-by-step guide to creating your logo.

3. Human-Sized Flyers

Take your marketing to the streets with human-sized flyers or billboards featuring your holiday promotions.

These eye-catching displays can grab the attention of passersby and create a buzz around your brand. Display them in busy areas, such as:

• Retail stores frequented by holiday shoppers
• Metro stations
• Bus stops

4. Augmented Reality (AR) Experiences

Embrace technology and create AR experiences that bring your holiday products to life.

Here are some of our most creative ideas:

• If you’re in fashion, ask a clothing retailer to offer an AR app allowing customers to try on holiday outfits digitally.
• If you’re in real estate, use Zillow’s free 3D Home Tour App to give visitors a glimpse of their future holiday home.
• Creating a virtual pop-up shop is a great idea for someone in retail. Check out how Lancome turned their virtual shop into a real marketing campaign with the help of Byond XR.

Emotional Branding that Builds Lasting Connections

5. Charitable Initiatives

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is huge during the holidays. Thus, consider running charitable initiatives where a portion of holiday sales goes to a cause.

This not only aligns with the spirit of giving but also enhances your brand’s reputation. Plus, it’s a great thing to do. If you’re not into organizing charitable events, check out some of the best charities according to Forbes.

Practical Tip: Use Xara’s event templates to create compelling visuals for your charity campaign.

6. Share an Inspirational Christmas Story

Connect with your audience on a personal level by sharing heartwarming holiday stories related to your brand. Highlight how your products or services have made a difference in people’s lives during the holiday season.

For example, if you’re in real estate, you can use this time to share an uplifting story real estate holiday idea.

It can be about first-time home-buyers finding their dream home before Christmas or a family who relocated to their dream city just before Thanksgiving.

Gamification: Marketers, Engage Your Audience

Hear us out: gamification is the future. This popular implies means using game elements and principles to engage, motivate, and reward customers for desired actions.

Think of a loyalty program where customers earn points and rewards for making repeat purchases–that’s gamification.

7. User-Generated Content Contests

Encourage your customers to become part of your holiday branding efforts by running user-generated content contests. Ask them to share their holiday-themed photos, videos, or stories featuring your products.

For instance, a coffee company might run a contest where customers share creative photos with their products. Ask them to use a specific hashtag with the chance to win free coffee or merchandise.

Practical Tip: Use Xara’s social media templates to design contest graphics for your holiday marketing campaigns.

8. Holiday-Season-Themed Interactive Competitions

Host interactive competitions on your website or social media platforms with puzzles, quizzes, or games. Offer themed prizes or discounts to winners to keep the holiday spirit alive.

For instance, a retail store could host an online Christmas-themed trivia quiz where participants answer questions about certain traditions. Prizes like exclusive discounts or gifts go to top scorers.

9. Organize a Treasure Hunt as a Holiday Marketing Campaign

Create an online treasure hunt where participants search for hidden holiday promotions or discounts on your website or social media. This gamified approach can drive engagement and boost sales.

In fact, Lacoste used gamification to organize a treasure hunt during the last Christmas season as well.

Practical Tip: Use Xara’s website templates to set up an interactive treasure hunt page with clues and rewards.

Remarketing and Retargeting

10. Personalized Gift Guides

Create personalized holiday gift guides tailored to your customers’ preferences. These guides make shopping easier for your audience, increasing conversion.

• Gartner research shows that customers who receive information that helps them in the buying process are 2.8 more likely to find the purchase process easier.
• Moreover, 91% of consumers prefer brands offering personalized, relevant offers and recommendations.

So, what are you waiting for? Add this idea to your holiday marketing campaign and watch your sales skyrocket.

If you need help creating the perfect holiday gift guide, check out this useful guide from Neil Patel.

11. Limited-Holiday Offers for Past Clients

Reward your loyal customers from the past year with exclusive limited-time holiday offers. This not only shows appreciation but also encourages repeat business. Plus, it’s a great way to show customers that you’re thinking about them during the festive season.

This is one of those holiday marketing campaign ideas that could bring in recurring revenue and indirect returns over time.

How so? Well, as you nurture past relationships, you reignite memories and strengthen product placement. Past clients bought from you for a reason, so why not remind them about that?

As a bonus, this type of holiday advertisement can turn into word-of-mouth marketing, too–the perfect gift for you.

Influencer Partnerships: Get the Experts on Your Side

12. Sponsor Influencer for Your Holiday Deals

Collaborate with influencers who resonate with your target audience. Let them get their creative juices flowing and come up with a holiday marketing campaign that showcases your holiday products.

Aim for creativity and a healthy dose of that holiday spirit if you want to get to your customers during this busy time.

Make sure to prepare this holiday marketing strategy ahead of time, as it takes plenty of resources to create, plan, and manage influencer deals. Plus, they are quick to sign with the first comer, so hurry up.

How partnering with influencers can help your holiday marketing strategy?

Partnering with influencers can help your holiday marketing strategy by leveraging their existing audience and credibility. Influencers have a loyal following, and when they promote your brand or products, it can drive more engagement, reach and ultimately increase sales during the holiday season.

13. Organize a Holiday Giveaway

Host holiday-themed giveaways in partnership with influencers. Encourage participants to follow your brand and the influencer, share content, or tag friends to enter.

Use this marketing strategy to amplify reach and engage customers. Still, make sure to offer a valuable free gift that really captures their attention.

Many brands use giveaways as their go-to holiday marketing tactic, so your offer has to shock and awe your audience.

14. Social Media Takeover for a Day

Invite an influencer to take over your brand’s social media marketing for a day of holiday-themed posts and stories. This is a great opportunity to provide fresh content and introduce your brand to the influencer’s audience.

Create a brief to hand to your influencer that contains:

• Your holiday message
• Who are your potential customers
• How you want to convey that holiday cheer
• Actual deliverables in terms of content
• Your top holiday promotions and best deals that the audience should check out

Festive Webinars and Workshops

15. Organize Holiday-Themed Events

Host webinars or online workshops with a holiday twist. Webinars should offer valuable information related to your industry, which you should curate ahead of time.

Topics could include holiday marketing strategies, gift ideas, or holiday self-care.

Create a festive webinar invite video to attract people to the event and collect relevant information using landing pages offering incentives.

16. Organize a Virtual Workshop with Your Online Audience

Engage your online audience with live virtual workshops or tutorials related to your brand. These interactive sessions create a sense of community and showcase your expertise.

Similar to live videos, virtual workshops bring potential customers closer to your brand while also increasing brand awareness.

Reward participants with holiday deals and other incentives to keep them loyal to your brand.

Content Strategies

17. Festive Holiday Email Marketing

Revamp your email marketing campaigns with holiday-themed templates and content. Send personalized happy holiday greetings, exclusive offers, and reminders of upcoming events.

To make sure you’ll achieve the best holiday campaigns via email, follow this advice:

• Keep your email newsletter visually engaging
• Don’t overcrowd it. Keep it short and sweet
• Offer holiday sales incentives
• Be consistent and send out reminders

18. Creating Holiday Video Content

Video content continues to dominate digital marketing. Make your holiday campaign pop using themed videos, festive colors, and a cheerful tone.

Showcase your products using uplifting stories or by delivering warm holiday wishes to your audience.

Check out how these brands used video content to deliver the best holiday marketing campaigns:

• Apple
• Target
• M&Ms

19. Holiday Blog Series

Blogs are all-year-round marketing gems. They bring in website traffic, educate, and convert.

For the holiday shopping season, launch a themed blog series.

Aim to cover different topics related to your industry. Share tips, how-to guides, and stories that resonate with your audience.

Make your blogs pop using the following:

• The right keywords
• Catchy visuals
• Relevant copy

Case Study: Coca-Cola’s Holiday Branding Genius

Coca-Cola has a legendary track record when it comes to holiday branding. In this case study, we will explore how Coca-Cola’s iconic holiday marketing campaigns have consistently elevated their sales during the holiday shopping season.

Background

Coca-Cola has been synonymous with holiday cheer for generations. The company’s holiday branding efforts date back to the image of a jolly Santa Claus enjoying a Coke.

Since then, Coca-Cola has continued to create memorable holiday campaigns that resonate with audiences worldwide.

The Strategy

1. Emotional Storytelling

Coca-Cola’s holiday campaigns are renowned for their emotional storytelling. The company consistently taps into the sentimentality of the season, emphasizing themes of:

• Togetherness
• Joy
• Sharing
• Nostalgia

Their commercials often feature heartwarming narratives that evoke a strong emotional response.

They never push a promotional agenda during this time, and that’s exactly what makes people connect with the brand and implicitly buy more of their product.

2. Iconic Brand Imagery

The use of iconic brand imagery plays a crucial role in Coca-Cola’s holiday branding success. The image of Santa Claus enjoying a Coke has become synonymous with the holiday season.

Thus, they created a strong association between the brand and the festive period.

3. Seasonal Packaging and Limited-Edition Releases

Coca-Cola introduces limited-edition holiday packaging and seasonal flavors during the holiday season.

These special releases create a sense of excitement and urgency among consumers. It drives sales as people seek out these exclusive holiday offerings.

Results

Coca-Cola’s holiday branding strategy consistently leads to a substantial increase in sales during the holiday season. In 2021, the brand’s trademark sales surged by 36% during Christmas.

The emotional resonance of their campaigns, the iconic Santa Claus imagery, and exclusive holiday offerings turned Coca-Cola into a staple brand.

Plan Your Holiday Marketing Campaigns Ahead of Time + Use Templates

With these 19 proven holiday marketing ideas at your disposal, it’s time to start planning your holiday marketing campaigns.

The holiday season offers a unique opportunity to:

• Connect with your audience
• Boost sales
• Leave a lasting impression
• Improve your customer satisfaction

Our advice? Don’t miss out on this once-a-year opportunity.

Implement these strategies wisely and make this holiday season your most successful one yet.

Want to save time while creating stunning designs? How about keeping your branding consistent across all holiday materials using automation?

👉Check Out Xara for an Easy Holiday Branding Campaign. No Credit Card Required.

PS: Happy Holidays!