Q4 2024: Last-Minute Marketing Strategies for the Holiday Season

Hello Busy Marketers,

If you’re reading this, you probably know it’s time to gear up for the busiest and most lucrative time of the year. Whether you're running an e-commerce store or managing a brand’s online presence, the holiday season is your golden opportunity to connect with customers and boost sales.

Essential Dates to Remember (and make sure you check the link at the bottom for more dates and ideas)

October 2024

• 7th Labour Day (ACT, NSW, SA): Kick off the holiday season with early-bird deals and sneak peeks.
• 31st Halloween: Perfect for creative campaigns. Think spooky-themed promotions or limited-time offers.

November 2024

• 5th Melbourne Cup: Great for tapping into the festive spirit with fun, engaging content.
• 29th Black Friday: It’s still the heavyweight shopping day. Start teasing your offers early to build anticipation.

December 2024

• 2nd Cyber Monday: Focus on digital deals and time-sensitive offers.
• 24th Christmas Eve & 25th Christmas Day: Plan your last-minute sales and festive greetings.
• 26th Boxing Day: Don’t forget about those post-Christmas shoppers!
• 31st New Year’s Eve: Reflect on the year and set the tone for 2025 with a memorable message.

It’s not too late to create an effective strategy to help you capitalise on the most profitable time of the year. Here is how to make the most out of the next few months with simple, actionable steps.

Key Tip: Create a holiday marketing playbook with your campaign goals, key messages, and promotional calendar. This will help you stay on track and aligned with your team. Read till the end, as I have a gift for you. 

1. Prioritise Your Efforts: Focus on Quick Wins

With limited time, it’s crucial to zero in on strategies that deliver the most impact. Here are some quick wins to get you started:

• Revamp & repurpose. Identify which campaigns worked best last year and give them a fresh twist. Update visuals, refine the messaging, and you’re ready to go! 
• Flash sales & time-limited offers. Use countdowns on your website and social media to drive immediate action.
• Leverage your email list: Send a quick survey to your email list to understand what they’re looking for this season. Then, craft special offers to meet those needs.

Pro Tip: Use retargeting ads to bring back visitors who browsed but didn’t buy. 

2. Speedy Social Media Strategies

With only a few days left before October, you’ll need to move fast on social media. Here are a few hacks to help you catch up:

• Create a content calendar on the fly: Don’t stress over a perfect calendar. Plan for the next two weeks at a time, focusing on key dates like Halloween, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. Or grab my 2024 Q4 viral content calendar for free (link at the bottom of this newsletter).
• Use templates: Canva is your best friend! Use pre-made holiday templates for posts, stories, and ads. Customise them with your branding, and you’re ready to publish.
• Engage Daily: Make time for daily check-ins on social media. Responding quickly to comments and messages boosts engagement and builds trust.

Pro Tip: Schedule posts in batches over the weekend. Use scheduling tools like Buffer or Later to keep your social channels active while you focus on other tasks.

3. Audit and Optimise Your Website

Even with no time to spare, your website should still be a top priority. A quick audit can prevent you from losing potential customers:

• Check for mobile optimisation: Make sure your site looks great and loads quickly on mobile devices. Most holiday shopping happens on the go! And with the new metro line in Sydney, many late shoppers will buy while they commute.
• Simplify the checkout process: The fewer clicks, the better. Remove any unnecessary steps to reduce cart abandonment.
• Add holiday touches: Update your homepage and banners with a festive theme to get your customers in the holiday spirit.

Pro Tip: Highlight your shipping cut-off dates prominently. Last-minute shoppers will appreciate the clarity. 

4. Email Campaigns: Keep It Simple, But Strategic

Emails are your fastest way to reach out. Focus on these essential campaigns:

• Holiday promotions kickoff: Announce your holiday deals early. Include a special offer for your most loyal customers. Write for only 1 person in mind: your ideal customer.
• Abandoned cart reminders: Send friendly reminders to customers who leave items in their cart. Include a discount code to nudge them to complete the purchase. I wrote a brilliant one for my online shops which worked like magic for me - I will share my proven template in the next week’s newsletter. 
• Last-minute gift ideas: Send out gift guides based on customer segments. Make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for.

Pro Tip: Automate as much as possible. Set up a few key automation flows so you can “set and forget” while focusing on other aspects of your business. Check my post from last week for ideas, or reach out for a fast implementation.

5. Collaborate & Partner Up

Don’t have time to create everything yourself? Leverage partnerships:

• Influencer collaborations: Reach out to influencers for quick shout-outs and promotions. It’s an easy way to reach a larger audience without creating extra content.
• Cross-promotions with complementary brands: Partner with brands that complement your own to run joint promotions or giveaways.

Pro Tip: Keep partnerships simple. A few Instagram stories or a co-branded email can work wonders without a lot of back-and-forth.

6. Stay Flexible & Adapt Quickly

This year was all about being agile. Things can change rapidly, and your best-laid plans might need adjustments. Keep an eye on trends, monitor your analytics, and be ready to pivot if needed.

• Monitor competitor activity: See what your competitors are doing, and don’t be afraid to adopt similar tactics if they’re working.
• Use real-time insights: Check social media and website analytics daily to understand what’s working and what’s not.

Pro Tip: Keep a few backup strategies in mind, like additional flash sales or extended promotions, in case you need to switch gears quickly.

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with so little time left but remember: doing something, anything, is better than doing nothing. Focus on the essentials, execute swiftly, and be prepared to adjust as you go. You’ve got this!

It’s not too late to make a big impact this year. Let's make the most of what's left of it.

Best of luck,

Camelia

PS: Here is my free gift for you if you made it to the end: Q4 2024 Social Media Calendar