Unless you work in printing or hospitality, Christmas can quite often appear to be a dead zone for B2B marketers. Time to take a well-earned rest. But actually, done in the right way, seasonal campaigns can work very well for B2B and should definitely be a part of a well-seasoned marketer’s armoury. It’s a question of weighing up the pros and cons.
Yes, there’s no reason why business marketing can’t tap into the season of good will, but your design does have to be spot on. Your images, banners, and messages need to be pitched in exactly the right way or you’ll hit a wall. And that’s because you are up against a lot of distraction. Red, green, gold, and silver sparkles will be flying everywhere; your designs do need to catch the eye, but they also need to be taken seriously.
What’s the best approach?
We’d say, when it comes to B2B Christmas marketing, shift the emphasis of your goals for the season. Let go of worrying about lead generation and instead see your communications as a means of building the strength of your brand. Connect with your audience in a fun but meaningful way by doing something nice and friendly… just for the sake of it. Make your customers and contacts feel special; because people remember how you make them feel.
Understand how your RoI is to be measured
If a seasonal campaign isn’t specifically about sales, that doesn’t mean you can’t still have quantifiable objectives for it. If you’re emailing, you can still measure open rates, click through rates, call-to-action response rates, requests for further information etc. Social media is the same… there’s no reason you can’t still engage.
Get the design right
Whether it’s an email campaign, a banner/social media campaign, or a dedicated web page, getting the design and layout right is critical. B2B can be a bit dry at times, and Christmas is the polar opposite (forgive the pun), however you’re still aiming to connect with people in the right way. Making them feel warm and fuzzy yet professional and still focused is an art.
Use an account based marketing approach
Tailoring your communications to particular businesses, and even to specific employees, will always work best. Of course, that does depend on your product or service, but you understand what we mean. Perfectly pitched personalisation at a hectic time like Christmas could reap you amazing rewards, including customer loyalty.
Have a reason to make contact
If you don’t want to look as though you’re trying too hard… and failing, it’s best to have a ‘proper’ reason for contacting people. One idea is to communicate your office hours over the festive period. Some businesses close altogether, others operate on reduced opening times. Another idea is to promote a Christmas event you’re either hosting or attending. And of course some B2B operations do have seasonal products or peaks in service, so if that applies to your business make use of that fact. There’s no reason why you can’t tailor the communication to tap into their business need whilst also cheering them up.
Think beyond the festivities
If your business offering is likely to be of use after the festive period, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t highlight that before the big day… Keep it fun, witty, and memorable and you’ll be onto a winner. Remember, new budgets often kick in near the beginning of a new year; it would be great to be included in the next round of spending.
Update all your digital banners for the season
Having a festive banner on your website is one thing; you don’t need to change your whole website to get into the spirit of things. However, it’s easy to overlook other digital collateral and you’re missing a trick if you do. So make a point of remembering to update your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn etc. banners too. Each update puts your brand in front of your audience, as the platforms like to tell the world you’ve made a change. Get the design of those banners right and it’ll be free digital PR for you!
