Christmas is a magical time of year. With festive decorations, holiday cheer, and endless gift-giving, it’s also one of the most important times for businesses to learn how to engage customers. For marketing teams and agencies, the holiday season presents a golden opportunity to boost brand loyalty, strengthen customer relationships, and increase sales. But how exactly can you capture the attention of your customers and keep them engaged over Christmas?
Let’s dive into the importance of customer engagement over the festive season and explore some creative strategies to make a lasting impression.
Why Customer Engagement is So Powerful (Especially at Christmas)
At its core, customer engagement is about building meaningful connections with your audience. When you engage your customers effectively, you foster loyalty, trust, and brand affinity – all of which are crucial to long-term business success. And Christmas, with its focus on giving and goodwill, is the perfect time to strengthen those relationships.
Here’s why it matters during the holidays:
- Customers are ready to spend – Christmas is prime shopping season, and most customers are actively looking for gifts, experiences, and seasonal offers. 43% of consumers start their gift shopping before October so now is a great time to position your brand as the go-to choice.
- Holiday spirit is contagious – People are more emotionally open during the festive period, which means they’re more likely to respond positively to your messaging if it’s festive, personal, and thoughtful.
- Competition is fierce – Every business is vying for attention. Engaging your customers helps you stand out from the crowd, keeping your brand top of mind in a sea of Christmas marketing.
So, how to engage customers over Christmas in ways that make them feel valued and appreciated? Here’s where a personal touch can really work wonders.
The Power of Being Personal
The festive season isn’t just about flashy promotions and blanket emails. Adding a personal touch to your customer interactions can set you apart from the standard holiday marketing noise.
- Tailored Offers and Recommendations: Use data-driven insights to recommend products or services that your customers are likely to love. For instance, if someone frequently buys wellness-related products, offer them a deal on spa days or mindfulness experiences as a Christmas treat.
- Custom Communications: A personal sounding email, with the customer’s name and past purchase history referenced, goes a long way. Even a simple “Thank you for being part of our community in 2024 – here’s a little Christmas gift just for you” feels more heartfelt than generic sales emails.
- Exclusive Rewards for Top Customers: Show your appreciation by sending your most loyal customers something extra, whether it’s a festive discount, free gift wrapping, or even a small Christmas gift like a gift card for a future purchase. Showing recognition to their loyalty strengthens relationships.
By adding a human element and making your customers feel personally valued, you’re enhancing their emotional connection to your brand. And nothing says Christmas like a thoughtful gesture!
Great Examples of Christmas Customer Engagement
Here are a few standout ways businesses have wowed their customers during the holiday season:
- John Lewis’ Christmas Campaigns: Famous for their emotionally-charged Christmas adverts, John Lewis creates a buzz every year by telling a heartwarming story that connects with customers on an emotional level. But it doesn’t stop there – their social media, in-store experience, and special offers all tie into this narrative, building a consistent and engaging holiday experience.
- Starbucks’ Festive Cups & Rewards: Starbucks makes its annual red cups a key part of its Christmas strategy, and they keep customers engaged with festive flavours and special promotions through their loyalty program. By making their coffee part of people’s holiday traditions, they keep customers coming back.
- Spotify Wrapped: Not your typical Christmas promotion, but Spotify’s year-end “Wrapped” feature gives users a personal review of their most-listened-to songs and artists from the year. It’s engaging, fun, and personal which is perfect for sharing on social media. Although not specific to Christmas, it’s launched in December and encourages customer interaction at a time when engagement is high.
Tips for Boosting Customer Engagement During the Festive Season
Now that we’ve looked at some successful examples, here are a few tips for your own marketing team to consider as you plan your customer engagement strategy for Christmas:
- Festive-themed Social Media Campaigns: Whether it’s a 12-days-of-Christmas giveaway or a festive hashtag, engage your customers on social media with fun, interactive content. Encourage customers to share their holiday moments with your products, or run a competition with a festive twist. The key here is to spark interaction.
- Use Experiences as Gifts: Instead of pushing just products, why not offer experiences as part of your Christmas campaign? With Virgin Incentives, you can offer unforgettable experiences, from hot air balloon rides to luxurious spa days, as gifts or rewards. Experiences create emotional memories, which customers will associate with your brand long after the holiday season.
- Create Urgency with Limited-Time Offers: People love a good deal, and the pressure of Christmas shopping often pushes them to make quick decisions. Use this to your advantage by offering limited-time holiday discounts or exclusive festive bundles that customers can’t resist.
- Surprise & Delight with Small Gestures: Even something as simple as a handwritten thank-you note in a package, a free festive treat with purchases, or surprise discounts can brighten a customer’s day and build a positive association with your brand.
- Run a Festive Email Marketing Campaign: Keep your customers in the loop with well-timed, festive-themed emails. These can include holiday countdowns, gift guides, or exclusive offers that make them feel like they’re part of your Christmas story.
- Give Back: Align your brand with the holiday spirit of giving by supporting a charity or local cause, and invite your customers to be part of it. Whether it’s donating a percentage of your profits to charity or running a charity raffle, customers love to support businesses that do good during the festive season.
The Importance of Gathering Customer Feedback Over Christmas
The Christmas season is also an excellent time to gather customer feedback. Why? Because your customers are in the middle of interacting with your brand – whether it’s browsing your holiday promotions, making a purchase, or redeeming a reward. It’s the perfect opportunity to get real-time insights into what’s working and what could be improved.
- Survey post-purchase: A simple follow-up email asking customers about their shopping experience can give you valuable insights.
- Check social media reactions: Are people sharing your Christmas campaigns or complaining about delivery delays? Monitoring social media feedback can help you adjust your strategy quickly.
- Feedback on rewards and gifts: If you’re using experiences as rewards or gifts, ask your customers how they felt about them. Did it leave a lasting impression? Would they prefer different options?
Gathering feedback ensures you not only meet customer expectations but also gives you a roadmap for next year’s festive season. It shows your customers that their opinions matter and that you’re always striving to improve their experience with your brand.
Final Thoughts
Christmas is a time for joy, togetherness, and giving and learning how to engage customers during the holidays can reflect that. By adding personal touches, surprising and delighting your customers, and listening to their feedback, you can build stronger relationships that last beyond the holiday season.
So, this Christmas, don’t just focus on sales, focus on making your customers feel appreciated and engaged. And if you’re looking for a unique way to do that, consider giving the gift of experiences with Virgin Incentives. Whether it’s a supercar drive, a luxury hotel stay, or a river cruise, you’ll be offering memories that last a lifetime, just like the relationships you build with your customers. Need some inspiration? Take a look at our 2024 corporate Christmas gifting guides below:
