How to plan your Christmas print marketing campaign

Christmas is often a hectic time of year for many and for businesses. That is why it is so important to plan ahead for the holiday season.

Planning your Christmas marketing far in advance can make a significant difference in the number of sales you generate throughout this competitive period (and ensures you don’t leave everything to the last minute!)

With digital channels often flooded during this season, for many organisations, one of the best ways to promote your brand is through print marketing!

It’s a terrific way to swiftly reach your target audience whilst being relatively low-cost… but it can be difficult to know where to begin if you’re new to it.

At Visual Print and Design, we’ve been growing companies all across the nation through creative print solutions since 2009. That’s why we want to share our guide to help you effectively plan your next Christmas print marketing campaign:

Step 1: Establish your campaign goal(s)

Knowing your goals from the get-go helps create a clear vision for your project and will keep your planning and message on track throughout the entire process.

Step 2: Devise a timeline for your campaign

Behind a great Christmas campaign lies a lot of work. Creating a clear timeline of milestones will ensure that everything is completed on time. Consider the channels you’ll be using, any print pieces that need designing and printing as well as the distribution of your campaign.

Step 3: Set a budget

Before deciding on your budget, consider:

• Printing costs
• The price to hire a creative team
• Installing and/or distributing your print etc.

Step 4: Pick your marketing medium

You should choose your print medium based on the goals of your campaign and the capabilities of that channel reaching your target audience.

A well-placed poster, for instance, is great exposure for your business that will be likely to attract traffic. Whereas flyers and leaflets can be handed to the public or left in establishments such as cafes and shops etc.

Before making any decisions, make sure to review your campaign objectives to determine the best marketing channel for your target audience.

Step 5: Establish your message and theme

The foundation of your campaign should be built on a key theme and message. This may well be a customer’s very first interaction with your brand so it’s very important to utilise these effectively within your designs, imagery and copy. And as always, don’t forget to keep your message consistent throughout.

Step 6: Make your customers feel special

The festive period is the ideal opportunity to show your customers some appreciation and ensuring your campaign does this can help you grow your business during the festive period and the rest of the year. As long as it is in line with your brand, a small gift, freebie, or discount can be a great way to convert new and lapsed prospects.

Step 7: Delivering your campaign

After all your planning and preparation, it’s now finally time to start distributing your campaign! Remember to monitor, track and tweak if necessary to ensure you’re getting the best results.

Step 8: Take time to reflect

After completing your Christmas marketing campaign, it is always important to go back and reflect on what was successful, measure against your KPIs and what could be improved upon. And with that knowledge, you’ll know exactly what to fine-tune for the following year.