1. Don’t let your campaign get drowned out by festive noise

It’s as inevitable as the Queen’s speech and re-runs of Bond movies that the festive season is bursting with Christmas campaigns – so make sure yours is original and entertaining, says Outside Line social media manager Tony Wright. “Heinz has launched a 12-days-of-Christmas campaign that has useful share functionality and a daily giveaway of prizes, rewarding people for their participation while also helping their channel to grow organically. Meanwhile, Greggs the bakers is running a bid to reach Christmas number one for Help For Heroes, putting some added purpose behind their activities.”

2. Don’t ignore Christmas, even if it’s your quietest time

Not all sectors experience a Christmas peak. For some, the opposite is true. But there’s usually some way of making Christmas relevant, without being seasonal for the sake of it. Consider gift vouchers, says Matthew Oxley, head of search at Gravytrain, or think about which of your products or services do better at Christmas. “A general insurer, for instance, will do very well from gadget insurance as gadgets make popular gifts,” he says. Even B2B companies can utilise the festive period, says Ramarketing owner Raman Sehgal. “Send your contacts something that will keep your brand front-of-mind. Whether this is a fancy gift or a simple e-card, don’t miss this chance to communicate.”

3. Don’t get carried away with discounts

The problem with slashing prices is that your customers will come to expect these lower prices. “Massive discounts and promotions prevent you from promoting any of your quality products,” says SMG agency managing director Jeremy Michael. “It also dilutes brand value and does not automatically generate sales. What is missing from these promotions is the focus on quality of service and drive to create absolute loyalty.” There have been too many stories this year of small companies losing significantly after a loss-leader promotion has gone too far, points out Constant Contact UK managing director Annette Lafrate.

4. Don’t forget to update your website

“The last thing someone wants to see is a dead page, so if you have an offers page, make sure that when the offer goes offline you redirect it to an appropriate product page or alternative offer page,” says DBD Media managing director Nigel Muir. Don’t hide your Christmas delivery cut-off on your website and don’t forget to have your pay-per-click campaign set up and ready to go for sales campaigns that launch after Christmas, he adds. “Experience shows us that Christmas and Boxing Day often have some of the highest traffic peaks of the year as people are at home and online – often trying out new online devices or trying to escape the family.”

5. Don’t take a scattergun approach to email marketing

Christmas e-mail marketing campaigns can be spectacularly unsuccessful if incorrectly executed. “The scattergun approach can blow up in marketers’ faces simply because, as a consumer, being inundated with offers for things we have no interest in is extremely annoying,” says Experian CheetahMail data analyst Helen Taylor. “This can lead to anti-marketing – when marketing campaigns discourage potential customers rather than intriguing and exciting them.” Brands need to deliver campaigns that really stand out – such as including video in your mailouts or an animation to push up the open and response rates.

6. Don’t ignore lessons from last year

A look at last year’s successes is one of the best ways to get a good start on your Christmas marketing strategy, believes Emailvision vice-president Joseph Smith.“With e-mail campaigns, for example, check which subject lines got the most opens. Which approach generated the most clicks and conversions? How did your database of customers respond to the increased frequency?” Also, look at which customers made purchases last year. “You’re likely to have a segment of customers who have only ever purchased at Christmas. Why not target them with an ‘avoid the Christmas crowds’ campaign? And don’t forget to examine what people bought last year. Are any upgrades or complementary products that you can offer?”

7. Don’t be afraid to interact with your customers

“When preparing for your Christmas campaign, think about creating a two-way dialogue with customers, says Joseph Smith, VP of Emailvision. “Let them know you’re on Facebook and Twitter and invite them to get more involved.” Give them incentive to come back, too – exclusive deals across the company’s social media and e-mail channels, for example. Make them feel part of an exclusive club, agrees Constant Contact’s Lafrate: “What’s the value of a customer being on an e-mail list, a Facebook fan or Twitter follower if they get the same discount as a non-follower?”

8. Don’t just create your own content

“Inspire your communities to create the best Christmas content for you and your channels,” says Wright. “For Lactofree, we have created a Christmas community of fans who will take on typical recipes and make them lactose-intolerance friendly. All the recipes have been decided by the rest of the Lactofree fanbase and will be shown to them in the run up to the holidays to make their Christmas easier.”

9. Don’t fail to deliver

Don’t overlook your delivery deadlines, says Click Consult client services director Geoff Parker,. “The impact of saying you can deliver before Christmas and not doing so can be very bad for repeat business and reputation, not least for those people waiting for Christmas presents that don’t arrive in time.” Don’t let stock run out and fail to update your website, he adds. “Poor customer service for the consumer can mean negative feedback that lasts longer than the Christmas season.”

10. Don’t insult your customers’ marketing intelligence

“Customers have become so savvy they’re almost marketing experts themselves,” believes brand agency Mystery founder Dan Einzig. “They see straight through promotions with small print, so keep your offers simple and honest. Try not to use an asterisk, for instance, as customers often conclude the offer is too good to be true and don’t even bother reading the terms and conditions.” Travel promotions are notorious for small print, he says. “Loyalty schemes such as air miles consistently disappoint customers by promising discounts that are rarely available on the actual dates they want.”

11. Don’t forget to publicise your opening hours

With ever more businesses shutting down at Christmas, it’s essential you communicate this well in advance to clients via phone, e-mail, direct mail, social media and of course on your website. “This is particularly important when dealing with non-western markets that might not celebrate Christmas,” says Ramarketing’s Sehgal. “If your supplies come from, say, India, make sure they are not delivered when your doors are shut on Boxing Day. Likewise, you don’t want your major Emirates based client chasing you for a project update when you’re tucking into your Christmas dinner.”

12. Don’t indulge in off-target festive gimmicks

In the frenzied Christmas marketing space, it’s critical for brands to maintain their values, says Pulse Group creative director Tony O’Brien. “Yet many marketers, eager to get in the Christmas spirit, attempt to pull off gimmicks that don’t reflect the true brand. These brands risk broadcasting a muddied and unclear message to consumers who simply won’t respond. Christmas should not be seen as ‘time off’ for a brand. If anything, it should be used as an opportunity to take advantage of increased consumer spending to drive profits while cementing their view of the brand at the same time,” he says offering the example of Coca-Cola, which uses consistent yuletide campaigns to launch the festive period.

Source The Marketer 2011