This one’s for anyone trying to pull in traffic and drive conversions during the busiest shopping window of the year. In this holiday marketing guide, each day brings a new idea to use leading up to Christmas and beyond. ’Tis the season to be merry and strategic!
1. Update Your Website’s Landing Page with A Holiday Theme
Give your website a festive makeover and update your landing page with holiday-themed visuals, banners, and colors to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for visitors. Incorporate holiday promotions, exclusive deals, or limited-time offers prominently on the page to capture the attention of potential customers.
A visually appealing and holiday-themed landing page enhances the user experience and signals to visitors that your brand is in tune with the festive spirit.
2. Run Christmas Marketing Campaigns on Social
Social platforms are flooded with seasonal noise in December. That’s your cue to go in with focused offers and structured campaigns. Use image/video content that reflects the season visually, but lead with benefits and timing.
Don’t boost random posts. Define the outcome (clicks, signups, sales), then build ads backward from that. Segment audiences. Run retargeting for site visitors or cart abandoners. Holiday urgency works best when layered with context-specific targeting.
3. Get into the Festive Spirit with Holiday Blog Content
This helps with organic search, but it’s a longer play. Time it right or skip it. If your post isn’t live by early December, you miss most of the traffic.
Make the blog content useful. Teach something. Solve a problem. Connect the topic to what your business does.
4. Target Holiday Shoppers with Pay-Per-Click Ads
Another holiday marketing strategy is to utilize targeted Google Ads campaigns that align with popular seasonal search queries. By targeting your audience with PPC ads, you maximize visibility and increase the likelihood of converting potential customers into festive buyers.
How to sleigh your Christmas marketing PPC game:
- Select festive keywords relevant to your products or services.
- Target specific demographics interested in holiday shopping.
- Craft compelling copy with holiday-themed CTAs for that festive touch.
- Highlight special offers or discounts to entice holiday shoppers.
- Keep a close eye on performance and adjust as needed for maximum impact.
5. Create Gift Guides Based on Segments
Gift guides aren’t new, but they still perform because they reduce buyer friction. Don’t throw a dozen random products on a page. Group them by use case, job role, or budget bracket.
Example Ideas:
- “Gift Ideas for Remote Workers Under $50”
- “Top 5 Tools for Busy Managers This Holiday Season”
- “Holiday Guide for Small Business Owners in the Field”
Feature these guides prominently on your website or in email marketing campaigns to assist shoppers in finding the perfect gifts!
6. Run A/B Tests on Seasonal Ads
Multivariate testing isn’t holiday-specific, but it’s still one of the smarter moves you can make in December marketing. You’re likely in a rush to push your campaigns live…maybe even building last-minute Christmas marketing assets…but skipping A/B testing can cost you performance. Don’t assume your best evergreen ad will hit the same during the holiday season. Different mindset = different intent.
A/B testing is what tells you which version of your ad actually works. And in December, when competition spikes, you don’t want to guess. Run at least two versions of the following:
- Calls-to-action
- Visuals (product vs. lifestyle, festive vs. neutral)
- Headlines or lead text
Track click-through rate, conversions, and cost-per-click. Make changes fast. In-season data becomes irrelevant once December ends, so test early in the month while you still have time to pivot!
Even if you’re working with a smaller ad spend, this process gives you a clearer idea of what kind of language and imagery connects with holiday shoppers.
7. “12 Days of Deals” Email Campaign
This campaign type drives urgency and opens up 12 touchpoints with your audience. It’s simple in structure but requires prep to execute well. You’ll need to batch the emails ahead of time, build a tight subject line strategy, and mix up the content so it’s not all discounts.
Break the 12 days into a mix of promotional offers, helpful content, and engagement triggers. The key is pacing and variety. Don’t burn your audience out by sending 12 of the same type of offer.
Structure Tips:
- Use consistent subject line formatting: e.g., “[Brand] – Day 4 of 12: [Benefit]”
- Include dynamic countdown timers in the emails
- Set up UTM tracking so you can evaluate what days/email types convert best
Example Daily Breakdown:
- Day 1: Free Shipping on All Orders
- Day 2: Bundle Deal (Buy One, Get One 50% Off)
- Day 3: Early Access to New Product Line
- Day 4: Share Your Wishlist (Engagement CTA)
- Day 5: Email-Only Promo Code
- Day 6: Access to Holiday Webinar or Tutorial
- Day 7: Gift Guide Recap with Top Picks
- Day 8: Refer a Friend, Get $10
- Day 9: Behind-the-Scenes Holiday Prep Video
- Day 10: Customer Spotlight Story
- Day 11: Flash Sale (6 Hours Only)
- Day 12: Final Reminder – Shipping Deadline Cutoff
Execution Advice:
- Segment your list: loyal customers might get deeper discounts; cold leads might get lighter value offers or tips
- Automate sends through your ESP, but monitor opens and CTR daily for pivots
- After day 12, do a final wrap-up message with a thank-you and “What’s Coming in January”!
This campaign can drive serious clicks and sales, especially when paired with social content or remarketing ads that match the daily theme.
8. Share Your Favorite Client Reviews
Trust factors close sales. In December, buyers move fast, and reviews can push them across the line. Surface testimonials on high-traffic pages and inside your email campaigns.
Example Ideas:
- Run an ad campaign using real customer holiday photos (with permission)
- Feature a rotating customer quote in your homepage hero section
- Use review snippets in Google Shopping ads
9. Run A Holiday Themed Social Media Contest
What better way than with a jolly good social media contest? Get your followers in the festive spirit by organizing a holiday-themed extravaganza.
Keep it simple. Ask for a comment, a tag, or a picture. Pick a winner. Use the entries as content in January when engagement drops.
Formats:
- Caption this product photo
- Share your team holiday setup
- Tag a coworker for a giveaway
Spice it up with seasonal hashtags and exciting prizes.
10. Refine Google Ads for Holiday Search Intent
Holiday queries behave differently. They’re short-term, urgent, and high-intent. That means your Google Ads should adapt.
Example Ideas:
- Add seasonal keywords like “stocking stuffers for [persona]” or “last-minute [product] gifts”
- Create urgency with sitelinks like “Ships in 24 Hours” or “Only 3 Left”
- Use ad customizers to show remaining inventory dynamically
11. Update Your Logo with a Temporary Holiday Variation
Deck the halls (or rather, your logo) with boughs of holly, a Santa hat, or a sprinkle of snowflakes. Infuse a festive vibe into your corporate identity and let your logo join the holiday cheer.
Then, share the revamped logo across your digital platforms for all your followers to see. It’s a fun and visual way to let everyone know your brand is not just on the nice list but is also celebrating the season in style. After all, who doesn’t love a fun logo?
12. Plan Ahead for The Upcoming Year, Reflecting on Your Holiday Strategies for Improvement
Last but not least, let’s pave the way for a successful new year! Reflect on this holiday season’s strategies, learn from the festivities, and plan ahead for an even brighter and more impactful year ahead.
MARION is Your Year-round Digital Marketing Ally
MARION can help you with your December marketing strategy, and well into 2026! If you’re short on bandwidth or need execution help across channels, MARION can step in. We handle media planning, campaign builds, asset creation, and analytics.
Ready to turn your Christmas marketing into year-round success? Let’s turn your visions into victories and make the coming year a celebration of continual growth and prosperity.
