4 Festive Marketing Plays for B2B Brands (plus 1 you wouldn’t expect)

Who says B2C brands get to have all the fun? The holiday season is fast approaching, and with it, countless holiday-oriented marketing campaigns teasing excitement for the good times ahead. But here’s the deal, just because you're selling to business decision-makers doesn’t mean you can’t get in on all the fun. There’s plenty of opportunities to add your own twist to each holiday and capture your buyer’s attention - but only if you’re bold enough to do it.

Whether you're selling sneakers or software, at the end of the day your buyers are human beings. Sure, the latter may involve individuals who are working for larger organizations, but even department heads have a plan, a budget, and love a good holiday promo. 

That’s why we’ve compiled a list of ideas to make it easier for you to incorporate holiday cheer into your B2B marketing plans in Q4. Let’s get into it.

1. Give, give, give

Seasonal giveaways and contests are a great way to engage your best supporters in an interactive way and give them a chance to try their luck at winning a gift for themselves or their business. Plus, partnering with other brands gives you a chance to put your collaboration initiatives on display, making it a no-brainer for other complimentary brands to reach out as well. 

Need some inspo? Here’s one we’re launching this month:

One lucky team will get a chance to win a 1-year subscription to Canva. Check out our contest details here to enter.

2. Create a seasonal display ad campaign

Invest in a festive display ad campaign that captures your audience's attention while spreading some good ole holiday cheer. Most of us spend a bit more time cozying up at home and working through our holiday shopping online during the cold season. That’s why display ads are a great way to get your brand in front of their valuable eyes and hook your prospects. 

Leverage holiday messaging and creative design to really make an impact. Here’s one our partner RollWorks launched last year that we absolutely loved. They partnered with 11 other B2B brands, including us to promote their 12 Days of ABM holiday initiative. 

Each brand owned 1 day of the12 days of giveaways and offered an exclusive prize, deal, or discount to interested prospects. 

3. Send personalized gifts to your customers

Nurturing relationships is one of the most thoughtful ways you can show existing and previous clients that you care. 

By reminding them of your top-tier service and willingness to go the extra mile for customers, you’ll not only spread the love this holiday season, but you’ll also win their business. Personalized gifts don’t have to be expensive - even a small handwritten card is enough to be remembered. Check out a corporate gift-giving service like Postal.io for some inspo.

Here’s an example of a Spoonful of Comfort gift box you can send to your customers for Thanksgiving. 

4. Get creative with video

Holiday messages and greetings don’t have to be reserved for current customers. Your team can create a touching, thoughtful, funny, or inspiring holiday greeting using just your iPhones and webcams. 

Maybe you have an in-house creative team who can assist! Or, go the extra mile and hire a freelance videographer to help you make your message stand out. Wish your community happy holidays, share information about upcoming promotions, or share a little bit more about how your company celebrates the holiday season. Find yourself a Santa and have fun with it.

Here’s a 2020 favorite from the team at Vidyard. 

Bonus: Deliver a festive email ad campaign 

Perhaps you don’t have the budget to create an exciting video message or send personalized gifts to your customers. Do you know one thing you can do that’s even more impactful? 

Send a handcrafted email. Keep in mind, we’re not talking about the promotional email campaigns your marketing team is planning to send, we’re talking about the emails your team sends every single day to interact with your customers, your partners, and prospects. 

At Opensense, we call this everyday email.

Sending the individuals you work with a handcrafted email to simply say thanks is the most personal thing you can do in the digital world. If you want to scale this personal touch, consider setting up an email ad campaign. 

There you have it!

We hope these ideas have served as inspiration for you as the exciting holiday season approaches. Go the extra mile in Q4 to stand out among your competition as they remain stumped about how to get involved in holiday promotions this year. Above all, don't forget to have some fun.