The holiday season can be challenging for marketers to navigate, especially when it comes to B2B marketing. Usually, target audiences are more worried about ending Q4 on a high note (and bottom line) and focused on planning for the next year—not to mention focused on the holidays themselves. But the upcoming holiday season also presents a unique opportunity to connect with your audience in a festive and memorable way. Let’s get one thing straight: 

Nobody wants your humbug marketing this year. 

At such a critical time in the year, it’s vital that marketers of all industries craft compelling and out-of-the-(gift)-box marketing campaigns to attract and engage leads, no matter where they’re at in their buyer’s journey. From creating festive content to harnessing the power of personalized outreach, in this article, we’re providing you with five invaluable tips to elevate your B2B marketing efforts during the holidays.

Don’t be a Grinch. Let’s get into it.

1. Remain Holiday Agnostic Throughout Your B2B Marketing Campaigns

There are so many beautiful holidays to celebrate throughout the final months of the year. It would not only be inconsiderate to leave any out of your B2B marketing materials, it would also be a missed opportunity to connect with audiences of all backgrounds.

But we get it, there are so many holidays, what are you going to do, list them all out in every email and social media post? Probably not. We recommend you stick with agnostic “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings” messaging rather than more holiday-specific messages such as “Merry Christmas.” Not only will this messaging appeal to a wider audience, it also showcases your brand’s willingness to be inclusive. 

Pro Tip: If you have the ability within your database to segment your audience by holidays they likely celebrate, a great idea would be to craft a personalized email campaign, celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and other specific occasions.

2. Publish Holiday-Themed Content Across All Marketing Channels

The phrase “deck the halls” takes on a whole new meaning when it comes to strategizing your B2B marketing campaigns during the holiday season. Now, we don’t suggest metaphorically throwing tinsel on every snippet of outreach you publish. But we do recommend that all holiday-themed content is festive, personal, and provides a clear and easy-to-make call to action.

Too often, we see holiday marketing materials with a bland message that only reads, “Happy Holidays.” Sure, it’s short, simple, sweet, and to the point. But, there is so much more you can do with holiday marketing, and so much more your audiences can be motivated to do. For example, consider sending a holiday email with messaging similar to the following:

“Unwrap the present of productivity this holiday season – book a demo and let's sleigh those business challenges together!”

This message still adds that holiday flare everyone loves, but also uses the magic of the season to encourage people to take action and book a demo. It’s a win-win!

3. Ungate Your Content

November and December are busy months. Inundating your audiences with extra steps to get to the content they need is a hindrance. While submission forms are incredible for generating new leads, there’s a time and place for them. During the holiday season, people need to move fast and frankly, don’t want to spend an extra minute filling out a submission form. 

Ungating your content allows your guide, infographic, case study—you name it—to get into the hands of your best-fit leads immediately. This frictionless approach establishes a seamless connection with your audience, paving the way for authentic engagement and accelerated decision-making. The most optimal pieces of B2B marketing content to ungate are light in context, such as an infographic or datasheet. Long-form guides and white papers, with more in-depth research and reporting, are best to remain gated.

Pro Tip: It’s often the case that ungated content will inevitably lead new website visitors to gated content, where you can capture their information (when they're ready) through a submission form.

4. Focus on Customer Retention 

Capturing the attention of new leads is always top of mind for B2B marketers—we get it. But the holiday season provides a great opportunity to engage with your current customers and develop strategies to keep them happy—and coming back to your business. 

Focusing on customer retention during the holiday season not only reinforces existing relationships but also sets the stage for continued collaboration and business growth in the coming year. Not to mention, by providing exceptional holiday experiences or personalized offerings, brands can differentiate themselves from competitors, making their brand more memorable and valued in the eyes of customers. 

Pro Tip: Consider leveraging upselling tactics to increase profits for the year. As a matter of fact, an increase of 5% in customer retention can drive profits up to 75%!

5. Take Advantage of Holiday "Down Time" 

Despite the holiday chaos, there is undoubtedly a sense of “down time” where marketing teams can stretch their minds and come up with innovative ideas. As such, the holiday season can provide a unique opportunity for marketing leaders to revamp their B2B marketing initiatives for the new year.

During this time, marketing teams are able to step back from the daily grind, reflect on the year's performance, and tap into the creative reservoirs of their minds. We recommend taking this time to:

• Conduct a thorough analysis of the year's campaigns, identifying what worked well and what could be enhanced
• Set new goals and redefine target audiences based on market changes
• Explore emerging trends that could shape the industry landscape
• Refine messaging, optimize marketing channels and the martech stack