Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! However, as the nights draw in, and high streets light up with festivities, many B2B companies are left in the dark.
In recent years, high street retailers have been the subject of huge discussion; when will John Lewis release their advert, will M&S, Lidl or Very produce a better Christmas campaign? The annual unveiling is a highly anticipated event, and for B2C marketers, Christmas is key! John Lewis cites their Christmas TV ad campaign as the department store’s most profitable return on investment.
What does Christmas mean for B2B marketers?
B2B organisations tend not to splurge on Christmas; but could they create Christmas campaigns that help grow their customer base and increase sales?
The answer isn’t so simple…
Using Christmas as an excuse to push certain products that are not necessarily associated with the festive holiday season may not always be taken positively. But, carefully created campaigns can be incredibly successful.
Whilst the Christmas season gives fewer options for B2B marketers in comparison, there are some easy things you could be during the countdown to the big day.
8 things every B2B company should be doing at Christmas:
Holiday season basics
Don’t forget to tell people when you’re available. Many businesses close or offer reduced opening times around the Christmas period. Add seasonal opening times to your website, your social media channels and ask staff members to add these details to their out-of-office emails. You don’t want to lose potential customers because they can’t contact you and have a bad customer experience.
Identify seasonal shifts in your products
All businesses are affected by seasonal shifts, so ensure your website is displaying the products and services that are most valuable in the run-up to Christmas. Utilising Google Trends is a great starting place to discover this.
For example, every year the term ‘wifi’ peaks in the lead up to Christmas as many shoppers get online, for a B2B internet provider, this may be the ideal time to promote these services to companies who are struggling with heavy traffic from wireless connections.
Create seasonally related content
Find a story that relates your industry to the festive season. This may require some research but could help you create content that ties your product offering to Christmas. For example, an electrical contractor could create content which identifies the additional dangers associated with office Christmas lights, or an IT provider could highlight the value of additional server space for their clients in the lead up to Christmas.
Seasonal terms skyrocket at Christmas, so create content around the seasonal terms that relate to your business.
Capture new subscribers with seasonal offers
Even if you don’t have an e-commerce site, Christmas is a great way to capture subscribers. Offer subscribers something useful in return, for example, a free whitepaper, a year round-up infographic, or exclusive pre-product launch information. Users tend to show less caution when signing up for seasonal campaigns so you could see some real momentum.
Spread festive goodwill
‘Tis the season of giving after all! You could donate a percentage of sales to a charity over the Christmas period, or give customers and leads a unique gift that shows you care about the holiday season.
Don’t disappear over the holidays
Whilst you’re home tucking into Christmas dinner, be safe in the knowledge that your business is still reaching clients with social media automation. Use a tool like HootSuite, so that even when you’re not there, the company is still present!
Don’t over-do it!
Whilst you’re home tucking into Christmas dinner, be safe in the knowledge that your business is still reaching clients with social media automation. Use a tool like HootSuite, so that even when you’re not there, the company is still present!
Think about the new year
It’s so easy to get caught up in festive cheer that we lose sight of potential opportunities in the New Year. Does the new year bring new budgets to your business and savings to customers? If so, then provide them with an incentive to gain conversions in the year ahead.
We look forward to seeing your Christmas campaigns and hope you have a fantastic festive season!
Find out how we can help with your B2B Christmas marketing, get in touch by calling 01403 261491 or emailing [email protected].