The holidays are officially here, and if your marketing plan feels as long as Buddy’s festive to-do list, you are not alone. The season brings bigger audiences, bigger expectations, and bigger opportunities to connect. Your strategy must be wrapped, tagged, and ready for prime time.
With some thoughtful preparation, you can make the most of the holiday landscape. Inspired by the timeless wisdom of Elf, here are five must know tips to make this your strongest holiday season yet.
“I planned out our whole day: First, we’ll make snow angels for two hours, and then we’ll go ice skating, and then we’ll eat a whole roll of Toll-House cookie dough as fast as we can, and then to finish, we’ll snuggle.” – Buddy, Master Tinker Apprentice
Tip #1: “Santa’s Coming!” Start now
According to the National Retail Federation, 40 percent of consumers begin holiday shopping before Halloween.
Waiting until late November is possible, but far from ideal. Begin planning your digital advertising at least two to three months before the height of the shopping season. Consumers research well before they buy.
Early advertising helps you:
- Build awareness before the rush
- Reach higher quality audiences
- Reduce last minute competition
- Guide shoppers from discovery to purchase
If Buddy taught us anything, it is that smart elves and smart marketers always start early.
Related Choozle resource:
Check out our Overview Document that outlines how to Build a Full Funnel Advertising Strategy.
Tip #2: “The best way to spread Christmas cheer” is engaging creative
The holiday season is a time to stand out with your creative message. This is why it is our #2 tip. Creating eye-catching creative assets is one of the best ways to reach your desired audience. Your creative assets for your holiday campaign can be festive, emotional, or humorous, but it should be bold and fit with the overall theme or focus of this year’s efforts.
Launching your campaigns two to three months early gives your brand time to build awareness, drive consideration, and nurture potential buyers before the rush begins. An early start also helps you shape your full funnel strategy, which is foundational to strong seasonal performance. If you need guidance here, this helpful Guide offers a clear framework for building a balanced funnel.
If Buddy the Elf was running a marketing team, he would be the first one reminding everyone that smart elves always start early.
Tip #3: “Ow! Son of a nutcracker,” that didn’t work
Many consumers and retailers are looking forward to the holiday season, but they know that many traditional activities like Black Friday shopping aren’t a reality. More brands and stores are focusing on ecommerce sales, which is expected to increase competition even more. Around 61 percent of retailers expect more activity through digital advertising channels, and businesses are ramping up their holiday marketing plans. As we approach the holiday season, it is essential to note that many unknowns and strategies won’t always work.
But don’t fret, there are adjustments you can make to be successful.
Whether you’re reaching for CTR, CPA, CPC, or reach, we recommend waiting about a week before making adjustments to your ad groups. This also applies to the types of targeting strategies you are using. With this amount of time under your belt, you’ll be able to see more accurate data on your results and decide where to make changes.
Tip #4: “You did it!” but don’t stop
As you start to make changes CPMs, keep in mind the bigger picture. If we look at the CPM trends of previous years, CPMs gradually increase with the last week in November, standing out as the tipping point on a slight upslope trajectory.
As the week’s progress in Q4, it is essential to keep a close eye on win rate and pacing metrics as they will indicate if your CPMs are competitive enough to win the available inventory. Think about planning by increasing your base bid and max bids before well Thanksgiving weekend to capitalize on increased demand.
Tip #5: “Do you want help?” we’re here for you
Holiday shoppers are moving faster, researching more, and expecting better experiences than ever before. Their priorities can shift overnight, which is why flexibility is no longer optional. It is central to any successful holiday strategy.
This season, consumer behavior will be shaped by convenience, value, and trust. Shoppers want clarity on shipping timelines, confidence that inventory is in stock, and reassurance that they are getting a fair deal. They are also more selective about which brands they engage with. McKinsey’s latest research on holiday spending reveals that nearly a third of consumers are willing to switch brands if they find better value or a more seamless digital experience.
What does this mean for marketers? It means you cannot simply “set and forget” your campaigns. You need to actively monitor performance, look for early signals in the data, and adjust your strategy as the season evolves. Small changes can have an outsized impact, whether that is reallocating budget to higher performing audiences, refreshing creative to combat fatigue, or adapting your messaging as consumer sentiment shifts.
Staying close to the data not only helps you maintain performance, it also ensures you are meeting your audience where they are, with what they need, at the moment they are most ready to buy. The brands that stay nimble will be the ones that keep their momentum all the way through the final push in December.
Let Choozle help you win
This season brings both challenges and opportunities, and you do not have to navigate them alone. Whether you want to strengthen your targeting, enhance your creative strategy, or streamline your programmatic approach, Choozle is ready to support your goals.
Ready to elevate your holiday campaigns with Choozle?
Reach out to our team of experts today and we will help you bring more cheer, more efficiency, and more results to your seasonal strategy.
