Do you use traditional marketing channels for holiday campaigns?

[kvlschaefer]

Hey Community, 

Holiday marketing is the production of campaigns centered around certain holidays at the country, region, or even local level using different marketing channels. Holiday marketing is constantly evolving in addition to the different marketing channels we use for our campaigns.

When we are thinking about our respective holiday marketing campaigns, the first step is to identify which channels to use: traditional and/or digital marketing channels:

• Traditional marketing channels refer to any form of offline marketing. Examples include print, broadcast, direct mail, phone, and outdoor advertising such as billboards. 
• Digital marketing channels on the other hand refers to any form of marketing that is online such as social media or websites. 

Our decision to use traditional and/or digital marketing channels can be based on different factors such as geographic location, budget, target audience, existing customer base, and much more. 

There has been a shift to digital marketing channels, as it’s easier to measure our ROI, and channels such as social media can be cheaper options (or even free) than traditional marketing channels such as print and billboards.

With that being said though, we would love to hear your thoughts on traditional marketing channels for holiday campaigns. 

Reply in the thread below if you are planning to use traditional marketing channels this year or have used them in the past and with an example. 

[danmoyle]

Thanks for the tag @kvlschaefer (and for the resources to share!). 

I'm a fan of digital over traditional in general. However, finding the right mix for an audience is critical. Local radio (h/t @Jnix284) and local TV news programs (especially morning news where it's a little more personality) can bring your local small business to a new awareness. And like @jolle mentioned, I don't think it's just "We have the lowest prices" that gets attention. Go personal. Tell a story. Have some fun. Write a new holiday song (sorry Jacob LOL). Design a billboard near your business that gets their attention and gives them a memorable next step. I think traditional methods like local event sponsorship can also build your brand. (self serving link - I wrote about this on the advocates blog here)

For more regional and national companies, traditional may not be as accessible, unless maybe you're using OOH advertising across regions. So to me, digital may be better for the budget. 

That's my two cents! Happy holidays, friends. 

[kvlschaefer]

Thank you for these tips for local marketing and digital marketing efforts! Knowing your audience can make all the difference when it comes to the success of a campaign. 

What would the title of your new holiday song be, @danmoyle? 😄 

[danmoyle]

I'd probably parody a traditional song in the flavor of The Ramones. Maybe Silent Night but to the tune of Blitzkreig Bop. 😅 

[kvlschaefer]

Love it @danmoyle! Where's the 😂 reaction when we need it!? 

[danmoyle]

@kvlschaefer you should hear the mortgage song I wrote (and sang!!) in the key of The Ramones. Maybe if you ask me nicely I'll share it... 

[kvlschaefer]

Let's get this conversation going with our awesome Community members! 

Hey @Jnix284, @danmoyle,  @jolle  - Do you use (or have you used) traditional marketing channels for holiday campaigns? 

Thanks! ⭐ 

Best,

Kristen

[jolle]

Thanks for the great prompt, @kvlschaefer! 

I think that there's definitely a place for both traditional and digital marketing methods (and combined methods, like @Jnix284 shared). However, there is so much competition during the holidays. Everyone has a Christmas sale that's their biggest event of the year and everyone has "something special" for that "hard-to-shop-for person on your list." I think you can drive real impacts with traditional or digital marketing methods, but it really matters how you do it and stand out from the noise. I know this response is a little out there, but hopefully it resonates with someone!

I believe that, next to an in-person conversation with someone, nothing beats a handwritten letter. You can send your clients or hot prospects an email campaign with a gift card, or you can send them some nice chocolates with a thoughtful note that speaks to them. This is way more about client appreciation than marketing, but I'm sure you can recall (or still have) a note that someone wrote you 10 years ago. For anyone on your business' VIP list, I would go with the more personal, traditional route (with a teaser "watch your mailbox for a little something" email as well).

For the rest of your audience, the focus should still be on sending a lasting, impactful message that's different from all of the other ads and commercials that are burning them out. If you're embracing the spirit of Christmas and trying to stand out from everyone else, you'll probably be speaking more to time with family, time to rest and take care of yourself, and time to go out of your way and be thoughtful for others. Of course, you can't really buy or sell that stuff, and you truly need to mean what you say! I guess that kind of means that making money is no longer the top priority, and I can understand that there are businesses who wouldn't get on board with this almost anti-marketing. However, I think the goal here is connecting with your audience and showing them that you care enough to focus on them and their well-being while so many other companies are trying to pry open their wallets. Money is no longer the primary goal, but I bet you would see support from people who appreciate your message and need whatever you're offering. And even the people who will never buy from you may be moved enough to spread your message and send business your way.

This care extends to the workplace as well. If you're a business owner, prioritizing and defending holiday PTO is crucial. Your workplace should know that they'll get their much-deserved time off, and your clients should be made aware of when you'll be closed with the fewest number of exceptions you're able to provide. I think that upholding these values (if they apply to you) can tell your employees and clients a ton about the type of business you run and have direct retention implications.

This approach probably comes across as undersimplified, super idealistic, and cliche, but I would venture more into this territory before trying to craft a more compelling catalog or invent a new Christmas song (as fun as that would be). Hopefully this makes sense haha (hoho?)!

[kvlschaefer]

Fantastic ideas, @jolle! Upholding your business' values and communicating them to your employees and clients can sure make you stand out among the crowd! 

Thank you for sharing these suggestions with the Community 😄 

[danmoyle]

Very cool out-of-the-box ideas @jolle!

[Jnix284]

Thanks @kvlschaefer , this is a really great topic to think about heading into the holidays!

In the past, I have done several campaigns that combine traditional marketing with digital - I think the right channel mix comes down to industry and audience.

If you want to run a local radio ad, that makes the most sense if you're running a local promotion and if the radio market overlaps your target audience.

I've used a lot of traditional marketing in the past, the ones that were most successful made it easy for the potential customer to reach the digital assets - it wasn't enough on their own.

For example, a direct mail piece that contained a QR code linking it to the digital campaign.

I'm sure it varies by industry, but for me, the least successful was trying to connect traditional marketing with social activity - it was too big of a leap to go from traditional channels to drive meaningful engagement on social.

[kvlschaefer]

Fascinating insight into how you combined traditional marketing efforts with digital assets, @Jnix284! I love to hear how you bridged the gap between these two channels with a QR code 🙂 

Thank you for sharing! 

[danmoyle]

Great advice on the mix and what matters (local radio can be underrated and overlooked!) @Jnix284. 🙌