With 85% of Brits starting their Christmas shopping in October, the festive season is officially upon us. Christmas is jam-packed with family gatherings, office parties, and gift-giving, resulting in consumers spending 29% more in December than a typical month.
As consumers reach for their wallets, Christmas offers a significant opportunity for small businesses to boost sales through effective festive advertising. But with so much holiday buzz, how can your business stand out?
Here, we’re going to look at Christmas advertising options and give you creative ideas that your small business can use to make the most of the holiday season and stand out.
Why Christmas advertising is crucial for small businesses
Research shows that 48% of UK adults say Christmas ads help inspire gift ideas and 70% of young adults confirm that Christmas ads help to create a festive mood.
Christmas advertising campaigns not only allow small businesses to capitalise on the holiday sales surge but also foster customer loyalty and strengthen their local brand presence through strategic Christmas campaigns. A well-crafted Christmas campaign will allow you to:
Boost brand visibility: Christmas campaigns increase brand awareness, helping small businesses stand out in a crowded market and stay top of mind.
Drive urgency and sales: Limited-time offers and festive deals create urgency, pushing consumers to make purchases during the holidays.
Create emotional connection: Holiday ads tap into the festive spirit, making it easier for small businesses to connect with customers on a personal level and build loyalty.
Christmas also brings a surge in foot traffic. ONS/Revolut reports a spike in retail in-store spending during December, peaking on the 23rd. This makes Christmas the perfect time for small businesses to ramp up their out-of-home (OOH) advertising efforts and take advantage of the festive shopping rush.
Traditional vs. digital Christmas advertising
When planning a Christmas campaign, you need to think about the best way to get in front of your audience. You’ll want to use a mix of both traditional and digital advertising channels to maximise your visibility. Let’s explore that in more detail.
Top traditional advertising options:
Traditional advertising (e.g. billboards, flyers, TV and radio) give you a wide reach and make sure that you don’t get lost in a sea of digital content. Billboards can also be used in highly targeted ways to reach potential shoppers by your store, or in places where your target audience is likely to congregate.
Billboards and bus shelter ads: With almost two-thirds of Christmas purchases being made in-store, billboard campaigns allow you to directly target consumers that are ready to spend and looking for gift ideas. According to detailed reports, out-of-home advertising provides a 47% uplift in sales activation effects compared to non-out-of-home users.
In-store display ads: In-store ads are a great way to connect with your audience where they are making purchasing decisions. These could be in your store, in stores that carry your products or shopping malls, and include limited-time promotions or just focus on brand awareness. You should also consider advertising in pubs and bars, or other indoor gathering spots that your customers are likely to frequent.
Flyers and local newspaper ads: Great for smaller, local businesses, flyers and newspaper ads allow you to reach a specific community, promoting seasonal deals, special events, or new products directly in an area.
Compared to other traditional advertising methods, Christmas shoppers show particularly high engagement with out-of-home (30%) compared to other channels. This makes billboard campaigns a great way to extend the reach of your budget.
Top digital advertising options:
Digital options (e.g. social media, search engines and YouTube) are a great way to complement traditional advertising and ensure ongoing contact with your audience across multiple devices and platforms. For example, you can mirror messaging across both a billboard and social media campaign, and direct people to follow you on social media using billboard advertising.
Social media campaigns: With so many people scrolling for recipes and gift inspiration, this is a great medium to run holiday-themed giveaways or promotions.
Email marketing: Email marketing is a beneficial option to consider when sharing more in-depth content such as festive tips, recipes, and gift ideas.
Website pop-ups: Website pop-ups that feature exclusive discounts and holiday specials are an effective way to drive traffic to your own website or physical store.
In 2023, social media ads accounted for 33% of all digital ad spending, and platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are widely used by marketers to engage consumers. Using a combination of out-of-home and social media maximises your ability to connect with your audience over key holidays like Christmas.
Creative Christmas advertising campaign ideas for 2024
To cut through the flurry of festive ads, it’s essential to stick to proven strategies that not only achieve your campaign goals but also boost brand visibility and sales.
1. Festive billboards in local areas
In the UK, 83% of people recall seeing an out-of-home ad within the last 30 minutes before shopping. With everyone out and about during the holidays, out-of-home advertising provides significant brand exposure to drive your small business sales.
Why it works:
Effectively targets consumers: By strategically placing your billboard using geo-targeting and programmatic ad buy-ins in less saturated local areas, you can effectively target your ideal customers.
Pinpoint exact locations: Out-of-home media owners with advertising locations across the UK can provide exclusive billboard locations in areas where your target audience regularly passes by.
Drives in-store traffic or further action: With digital displays featuring dynamic content, you can create a Christmas campaign that captivates and entices people to visit your store or website.
A local grocery store could use a digital billboard to showcase a ‘12-days of Christmas’ campaign. The dynamic content could adjust to show a new deal every day during the countdown to Christmas.
2. Christmas-themed discounts or loyalty offers
Limited Christmas discounts and festive specials can encourage higher foot traffic and online conversions, as customers look for deals during the holiday season.
Why it works:
Enhance customer loyalty: Rewards foster long-term relationships with customers and motivate them to return.
Create a sense of urgency: Limited holiday offers prompt customers to act quickly to avoid missing out on savings.
Attract new customers: Well-timed discounts can bring in new customers who may become regulars.
A local retailer could use a local billboard by their store to promote earning loyalty points with every purchase. This will help target shoppers in the area, making them more likely to buy multiple gifts from their store.
3. Run a holiday competition
Competitions are a great way to encourage consumers to interact with your brand through things like digital billboards, social media or online submissions.
Why it works:
Drive traffic: A desirable prize incentivises people to participate, bringing more traffic to your website or store.
Collect data: Competitions provide an opportunity to gather valuable customer information which can be used for future campaigns.
Enhance brand loyalty: Festive-themed prizes create positive associations with brands, deepening customer loyalty and encouraging repeat business.
A store could use programmatic billboard ad buys and dynamic content to showcase great stocking-stuffers for different family members - and give shoppers the chance to win each gift with every in-store purchase.
4. Supporting a local charity
As Christmas is a time for giving, there’s no better time to support a charity. Supporting a local non-profit will help boost brand awareness and connect with your community.
Why it works:
Community engagement: Helps your business give back to the community, fostering goodwill and showing your commitment to local causes.
Customer trust: Demonstrates social responsibility and can help build trust and encourage repeat business.
Collaborative opportunities: Both your business and the charity can promote each other to new audiences.
A restaurant could donate food to local shelters when specific menu items are ordered during the holiday season. To amplify this initiative, the restaurant could utilise a nearby billboard location or their social media to promote the campaign to neighbourhood customers and encourage others to get involved.
How to make your Christmas advertising stand out
As Christmas is a busy time for advertisers vying for consumer attention, it’s crucial to make your Christmas campaign stand out from competitor ads. Luckily, there are a few ways in which you can do this:
Use holiday imagery and colours: By using Christmas colours and imagery throughout your campaign, consumers will make an instant festive connection.
Personalise your messaging: By speaking directly to your local community, you’ll help emphasise the personal touch that consumers can relate to.
Incorporate seasonal trends: Last year saw a heavy focus on playful humour (we’re looking at you, John Lewis). Try to hone in on seasonal trends that might make your ad more relevant to consumers.
By leveraging these strategies, you can create a Christmas advertising campaign that resonates with your audience and boosts visibility.
Plan early to maximise your reach this Christmas
Small business advertising can make a big difference. Now is the time for you to create a Christmas campaign that works to engage with your consumers, connect with your community, and make this your most profitable festive season yet.
With the right campaign idea, multiple channels, and festive creatives, you’ll boost brand exposure, drive walk-ins, and increase sales to end 2024 on a successful note.
At Alight, we boost small business visibility and brand awareness through our UK network of out-of-home locations, including billboards bus shelter and retail screens across the country. Together we can help you choose the right location for maximum brand exposure and Christmas-themed creative to grab the attention of your target audience.
Let us help you sleigh your Christmas campaign and kick the festive season off with a bang! Get in touch with our team today.