Every year, as December approaches, “T’is the season” seems to stand for something other than twinkly streets and Christmas carols. Holiday marketing campaigns are stealing the end-of-year show, cluttering our inboxes and filling our screens with so many “special” offers and greetings that they don’t feel so special anymore. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t advertise during the holiday season. The real question is: How do you get your ads to stand out from all that noise?
The answer is easier said than done: By creating an emotional connection with your audience.
“Great Christmas presents should show that you really get the person you’re giving to. The same applies to marketing: A great personalised marketing campaign shows that you really understand your audience, and that you care.”
It’s personal
Personalising your content is a way to create a more meaningful and relevant connection with people who, like yourself, are probably oversaturated with marketing messages that are often too generic to be remembered. Personalisation, however, helps your message stick because it can do much more than just address people by their names. (Although that helps too: 82% of marketers noticed that using a personalised subject line for marketing emails significantly increases their open rates.)
Many savvy brands are exploring the power of personalisation to enhance their customers’ experiences, add relevance to their messages, and make their content stand out. One example is Netflix personalising how users see the artwork designs of films and TV shows according to their viewing habits as a way to help “each title put its best foot forward for every member.”
More recently, Boots used personalisation to come up with its holiday video advert following the insight that UK buyers want to give fewer and better Christmas presents this year. Wish a dash of humour, Boots is creating an emotional connection with UK shoppers by pointing out how difficult it can be to find the right present for certain people in our lives (while smartly reminding them that at Boots, they can find something for everyone).
By tying its holiday campaign together with the hashtag #GiftLikeYouGetThem, Boots is also relating to shoppers who believe that great Christmas presents should show that you really get the person you’re giving to. The same applies to marketing: A great personalised marketing campaign shows that you really understand your audience, and that you care.
It’s strategic
But how can you really get what’s in the mind of your hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of followers? That’s a full time job, as we know only too well.
For starters, it might be a good idea to narrow your focus. Instead of aiming to cast a wide net with your holiday marketing campaign, you might want to nurture personal connections you’ve already established, with people you already understand – because they’re interacting with your brand.
Award-winning creative consultant Sam Ball shared a similar idea during a distillery event in November: “Focus on who your super fans are and engage with them, then let them talk to the rest of your audience for you.” Rather than trying to please everybody at once, make your communication with fewer individuals really count. Make it personal. After all, personalisation is no longer considered an add-on for marketers – it’s one of the foundations of modern advertising.
It’s possible
This holiday season, we’re making our communication with our greatest fans and dearest clients really count. As part of our holiday marketing campaign, we’re using voundry, by distillery, to render personalised videos and GIFs in real time and use them to thank our super fans and clients for a good year. With a cheerful animated video that speaks to each and every one of them, we have a warm way to make our clients from all over the world, who we can’t see in person that often, feel closer to us. In times when every brand is out to make a quick sale, we’d like to focus on making our audience feel valued instead. And you can too.
“Personalisation is no longer considered an add-on for marketers – it’s one of the foundations of modern advertising.
”
It’s worth it
Cut through the holiday marketing noise by reminding your audience that you care for them. Creating that rapport with your fans is as much a gift to them as it is to yourself – and it will keep giving way beyond the holiday season.
Get in touch with a distiller to learn how we can help you put the personal touch back into content so your voice stands out and stays relevant.
Meanwhile, why not try personalisation first-hand? It’s easy with voundry, by distillery (we promise). Create a Happy Holidays card for a colleague, and see for yourself. Enjoy! (And Happy Holidays!)