The festive season is a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with their customers and spread holiday cheer. Regardless of budget constraints, there are a number of ways to engage audiences and make a lasting impression. This blog delves into practical and creative content ideas tailored to low, medium, and high-budget scenarios, ensuring businesses of all sizes can capitalise on the festive spirit.

Low Budget Festive Strategies

  1. Festive-Specific Flyers
Even on a shoestring budget, festive-specific flyers are a powerful tool. They offer a straightforward method to announce deals and events, or simply convey season’s greetings. Street promotion for your restaurant or adding something extra in your regular delivery boxes promoting a Christmas special can be highly effective. And with tools like Canva at your disposal, it’s super easy to knock up a great design, without the cost of using a designer. 
  1. Developing Festive Guides
Creating festive guides or blogs is another cost-effective strategy. These guides could range from gift recommendations to local event listings, offering valuable information to customers while subtly promoting your products or services. An effective way of reaching a wider audience is by including other products and brands in your guides, which will encourage these businesses to share their mention, on their own platform. This approach not only informs but also engages your customer base. 
  1. Social media boosting
Creating a festive-themed social media post, including any of your promotions or holiday messaging, is great to get your organic audience in the spirit of things. Why not go a step further and allocate a small budget towards boosting this post to a wider, targeted audience? You can effectively reach new customers with your tailored messaging from as little as £2 a day, offering you a chance to quickly add in a call-to-action for viewers to learn more, shop your main page, or contact you. New to the world of boosting? Meta has some great resources which can help you get started which you can find here. 

Medium Budget Festive Strategies

  1. Social Media Giveaways
Social media giveaways work – they receive 3.5x more likes than your average post –  and honing in on them throughout the festive season is an absolutely sure way of exciting your customers, whilst increasing brand visibility, awareness and growth. To capitalise on this growth, consider partnering with another brand for a giveaway collaboration to expand your reach even further with non-competitive but complementary businesses. 
  1. Targeted PR Outreach for Festive Activities
Stepping into the festive season, focusing on PR strategies can really boost your bookings and sales. You can highlight your seasonal promotions, events, and products through local and national press to help raise awareness and brand visibility. Utilising press features such as gift guides and listicles is super effective in helping push bookings and sales.  Incorporating influencers into your festive PR strategy is also an effective route for PR. Partnering with relevant influencers can amplify your reach, helping to spread your message and promotions. They have the power to authentically showcase your products, making them more appealing to their followers. With 64% of shoppers relying on them for gift-giving inspiration, influencers can be the key to unlocking new customers without spending loads of money.
  1. Festive Menus
Rolling out festive menus isn’t just about dishing out new flavours; it’s a smart play for restaurants looking to really cash in on the holiday buzz, especially with those big group bookings. Think about it – everyone’s looking for that perfect spot for their holiday get-togethers. If you whip up the ultimate festive menu that’s got a bit of flair – maybe some seasonal specials or a cheeky holiday cocktail – you’re setting the stage for larger parties to choose your spot. It’s not just great for the vibe, it also means more efficiency for your team and a nice boost to your revenue during the festive rush.

High Budget Festive Strategies

  1. New Product Lines
Launching a festive product range isn’t just about ringing up sales; it’s about creating those “Oh, wow!” moments that stick in people’s minds. But let’s be real, rolling out a brand-new product for the Christmas season isn’t a walk in the park. It’s worth considering how launching a new SKU can be hard work, it may involve big costs and be a drain on resources. You’ve got to nail everything from the idea stage to getting it out there in the market. This strategy, when executed well, can have a huge impact on sales. Consider the success of Lush with their Snow Fairy line – a stellar example of how a well-planned festive product can captivate the market, evidenced by the impressive sales of over 240,000 units in 2022 alone. 
  1. Producing High-End Festive Video Advertising
Delving into high-end festive video advertising is a sure way to elevate your brand’s presence during this important season. For example, look at how the supermarket giants now compete for the top spot with Christmas adverts, each trying to spin a heartwarming festive tale and win the hearts of audiences in under 60 seconds. A great example is Asda’s Buddy The Elf Campaign which scored top marks for effectiveness, utilising a popular festive icon that is well known amongst people of all ages. Although this undoubtedly would have been a costly endeavour, Asda managed to keep costs down by using already shot footage of Will Ferrel from the elf film. 
  1. Executing Extensive Online Advertising Campaigns
Engaging your audience during the festive season is key, especially when competing with so many other brands for the attention of consumers. Paid social media advertising is a powerful strategy to make a lasting impact. From promoting exclusive holiday deals to showcasing festive content, it’s great for captivating your audience and boosting brand visibility as AD impressions increase during this time period. It’s not just about spending; it’s about strategically investing in targeted campaigns that keep you at the forefront of people’s minds. It’s worth noting that bid prices and competition rise during December, with advertising spend to hit a record £9.5 million this year, so making sure your ads are targeted, visually appealing, and offering value to customers is imperative to see a return.   As we wrap up our festive content guide, it’s clear that the holiday season offers endless opportunities for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re working with a tight budget or ready to splurge, there’s a strategy for everyone. In essence, the festive season is not just about visibility, but about creating memorable experiences and lasting connections with your audience. If you’re looking for some project support on anything we have mentioned above, feel free to contact us for a no-strings-attached chat and we will see how we can help. The festive season is all about giving after all.