By: Moon Aung Oct 15/2025
You felt like you were just enjoying your New Year holidays yesterday, and suddenly, it’s already Q4. Has it ever occurred to you that time really does fly? Now that October has arrived, the busy holiday season is right around the corner.
If you’re a business owner unsure how to make the most of this high-traffic season, whether that’s boosting your sales or increasing your brand recognition, here’s your step-by-step guide to get ready.
Set a Clear Objective
Before diving into campaigns or creative ideas, take a step back and define what success looks like.
Do you want to increase sales by a certain percentage? Grow your customer base by a specific number? Or perhaps boost website traffic or engagement?
Whatever your goal, make it specific, measurable, and time-bound because clear goals help shape your marketing strategy and guide your budget and channel choices.
Choose the Channels
Think about your clients and where they are interacting with your product. Are they searching on Google? Or are they more active on social media? Maybe Meta, Pinterest, TikTok, or even Reddit?
Once you identify where your audience is most present, focus your efforts there. You don’t need to be everywhere. You just need to be where your customers are most likely to take action.
Planning a Strategy
Now that you’ve set your goals and chosen your channels, it’s time to build a plan that ties everything together.
A solid strategy gives structure to your holiday marketing efforts. Here’s what to include:
- Timeline: Start planning early (ideally by October) so you have time for campaign setup, creative production, and testing.
- Budget allocation: Do you have a dedicated budget for the holiday season, or are you relying entirely on organic traffic? There’s nothing wrong with focusing on organic reach, but think about it – this is the time when your competitors are going all out with their ad spend, heavily promoting their products. Running ads can help your brand appear more visible and appealing in front of your audience. If you do have a paid budget, distribute it strategically across channels. Prioritize those that have historically performed well or where your target audience is most engaged.
- Campaign types: Consider the types of campaigns you want to run. Social media awareness campaigns? Conversion-focused campaigns? Or a multi-level approach like Performance Max on Google Ads? Perhaps email marketing to remind those early birds about the products they need. If you’re running Google Ads, learn how to stand out from the crowd during the competitive season for advertisers.
- Promotions: Map out key dates such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, and Boxing Day. Decide what promotions or offers you’ll run for each.
Produce/ Renew Your Creative Assets
Holiday campaigns are not just about discounts – they’re also about emotions and storytelling. Sure, you might think the same assets you used for previous years were classic, but if that’s the case, your customers will remember if you used them last year. Freshen things up with some new creatives to grab their attention and entice them to your business.
- Refresh your ad creatives with seasonal visuals and messaging.
- Highlight limited-time offers, best sellers, or gift ideas.
Ensure your website and landing pages are mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and optimized for conversions.
Set Up Tracking and Measure Performance
In order to know what’s working (and what’s not), you need accurate tracking.
- Make sure your Google Ads, Meta Pixel, and GA4 tracking are properly set up.
- Monitor key metrics like conversion rate, cost per lead (CPL), and return on ad spend (ROAS).
- Use real-time data to make quick optimizations during the season.
Keep the Momentum Post-Holiday
Once the rush is over, don’t just disappear – stay connected with your customers.
- Follow up with thank-you emails, feedback requests, or loyalty discounts.
- Retarget holiday shoppers who didn’t convert.
- Review your campaign performance and note what worked best to inform next year’s strategy.
Putting a Bow on It
The holiday season can be a hectic but highly rewarding time for businesses. By setting clear goals, choosing the right channels, planning strategically, and keeping track of your results, you’ll be well-equipped to turn this busy season into your most successful one!
Ready to get started? Let Snaptech’s Media Planning team get to work to help you have a successful holiday season. Contact us today!
About the Author
Moon Aung