John Lewis have plunged £7 million into one advert, children are eagerly anticipating the day when a hungry fat man will break into their house and homes suddenly have more lights outside than in. It can only mean that Christmas is once again clearly upon us. Even those who try to emulate the ethos of Ebenezer Scrooge, cannot ignore the fact that Christmas is big business. From a marketing perspective, it affords companies the opportunity to give clients a cheery reminder of who they are and what they do. It is unlikely that many brands will be able to allocate the kind of budget John Lewis can, however there are other ways to utilise Christmas to enhance your marketing strategy.
2012 recorded a £148m spend on single Christmas cards. A card is great low-cost way to raise brand awareness. Using a digital print company to produce personalised Christmas cards, ensures the message sent out conveys exactly what you intend it to. Think of it as a mail-out which will definitely be taken notice of. Office workers are sure to display cards on their desk throughout the whole of the Christmas season. It is probable however, you will be competing against other businesses for attention. So how do you stand out from the crowd?
Employing a digital print campaign to create a personalised card gives you complete control over your message. To get even more longevity out of the campaign, consider including promotional items in the mail-out too. In a recent survey by the British Promotional Merchandise Agency (BMPA), 87% of people said they would keep a promotional item for longer than a year with 79% agreeing they were likely to work with that brand again soon.
Here are three strategies to try:
Create a theme
The Coca-Cola delivery truck is now synonymous with their annual Christmas campaign, you can even pick up miniature versions of it online. Think about what item suits your brand, then theme the mail-out around it. You could promote a product, service or even show off your brand values. For example, companies who pride themselves on being environmentally friendly, could choose recycled card and an eco-friendly promotional item.
Create a holiday hashtag
Use your Christmas campaign to increase interaction with your brand online. Print your social media handles to the card and gift, encouraging people to join your conversation. Using a hashtag is another way to create a buzz and track engagement. The John Lewis hashtag #BearAndHare was trending almost immediately after the release of the advert. Think about what defines your campaign and what conversation it is likely to generate. If you did not choose one, what do you think people would create for themselves? Use these answers to make your choice, remembering to keep it short and snappy!
Create a Christmas countdown
Think about the different ways you could design the card itself. A card which transforms into an advent calendar is a clever way to get your recipient engaging every day in December. The print area behind each door allows ample scope for inventive marketing. Special offers, funny quotes or interesting sayings will keep people talking. You could even utilise promotional items as winning gifts. If participants open the door to a spot prize, they will need to email or even tweet a unique code to redeem it.