Inbound Marketing Insights

Creating effective B2B holiday marketing campaigns requires both cleverness and strategic planning. We've compiled expert advice from B2B marketing professionals, such as CMOs, SEO Experts, Business Owners, and Operations Directors, on making your holiday marketing initiatives resonate with your clients. From strategically managing budgets around holiday timeframes to customizing holiday gifts, here are 12 strategies to ensure your B2B holiday marketing campaigns are memorable and impactful for your audience.

1. Adjust Budgets Around Holiday Timing
2. Highlight Seasonal Business Benefits
3. Offer Early-Bird Deals for B2B Clients
4. Personalize Holiday Gifts for Clients
5. Launch a Year-End Business Toolkit
6. Create Helpful and Relevant Holiday Content
   
7. Leverage Mobile for Personal Engagement
8. Innovate with a Reverse Holiday Calendar
9. Provide End-of-Year Industry Insights
10. Start Early with Relevant Messaging
11. Capitalize on Off-Peak Campaign Timing
12. Focus on Personal Connections

Adjust Budgets Around Holiday Timing
Unpopular opinion: Decrease your budget strategically before holidays and increase it during holidays.

A classic situation we all know: getting things done before the holidays, closing that one open deal, and sending the last email before having a well-deserved break. Stress levels peak, and your mind races. There is no space to take in marketing messages, ads, or any other form of communication. Your marketing budget is likely wasted during these times.

Therefore, act anti-cyclically. Increase your budget during the holidays, not before. You will get much more attention from your target audience during the holidays. People are scrolling through their social media feeds and reading online content relaxedly. They have time to consume content and are open to taking in messages.

Of course, this strategy only works if you are not selling seasonal goods, which is unlikely in a B2B environment. Holiday marketing is an opportunity for brands to jump on the bandwagon. However, it's crucial to time your campaign right. The timing of your campaign can make or break its success, so it's important to plan strategically.

Stephan Wenger, Founder and Editor, B2B Marketing World

Highlight Seasonal Business Benefits
When planning a B2B holiday marketing campaign, it's important to emphasize the features of your offering and how it can benefit businesses during this time. For example, many companies manage annual reports and wrap up financial activities during the holidays, so the risk of data breaches can be heightened. This is when we will create a campaign focusing on how private, encrypted cloud storage solutions can protect valuable data during this critical time and help businesses save millions. When creating campaigns during the holiday season, ensure your approach aligns with the specific needs of the period and positions your solution as a vital tool for meeting business needs.

Mia Naumoska, CMO, Internxt

Offer Early-Bird Deals for B2B Clients
I've seen how critical strategic planning is for B2B holiday marketing. The secret is to focus on relevancy and timing. Offering early-bird deals catered to our clients' holiday shipping needs has proven to be one of our most successful strategies. For instance, we provide early booking discounts and incentives before eCommerce high seasons to ensure our business-to-business (B2B) clients are ready for the busy Christmas season.

This method helps our clients plan and increase their operational efficiency and assists us in managing shipment capacity. This strategy improved our long-term relationships with our partners and led to a 25% rise in early shipments last year. By matching your clients' business cycles, you can create timely and valuable promotions that encourage loyalty.

Jen Seran, Director of Operations, Stallion Express

Personalize Holiday Gifts for Clients
Holiday marketing in the B2B world can be challenging because it's easy to forget that, at the core, we're still dealing with people. While it might not seem as emotional as B2C, people appreciate thoughtful gestures, especially during the holidays. When I plan a campaign, I focus on fostering relationships rather than just pushing sales.

One strategy that worked for me is sending personalized, meaningful gifts to key clients. Instead of generic branded merchandise, I try to choose something that reflects their values or company culture. For instance, last year, we sent handwritten holiday cards and made small donations to causes our clients care about. It wasn't about the size of the gift but the thought behind it.

The feedback was terrific. Many clients reached out, genuinely touched by the gesture, and it strengthened our partnerships heading into the new year. So, if I had to give one piece of advice, it would be this: focus on the connection. People will remember how you made them feel long after the holidays.

Oleksandr Dzhevaga, Head of Business Development and Marketing, SYMVOLT

Launch a Year-End Business Toolkit
Strategizing holiday marketing campaigns requires a nuanced approach tailored to the business audience. The key is to balance professional relevance with the season's festive spirit. One effective strategy is to focus on end-of-year business themes that naturally align with the holiday season. For instance, many companies are wrapping up their fiscal year, planning budgets, or setting goals for the upcoming year. A holiday campaign could offer valuable resources, tools, or insights to support these activities while incorporating subtle seasonal elements.

A practical tip is to create a "Year-End Business Toolkit" for your campaign. This could include templates for annual reports, goal-setting worksheets, or industry trend forecasts for the coming year. Package these resources with a holiday-themed design and messaging that acknowledges the season without being overly sentimental. For example, a campaign tagline might be: "Wrap up your year strong and set the stage for success in [next year]." This approach maintains professionalism while subtly invoking the gift-wrapping imagery associated with the holidays.

Remember to time your campaign carefully, considering many businesses slow down during the holiday period. Aim to launch your campaign early enough to catch decision-makers before they take time off, ensuring your message reaches them when they're still in a business mindset.

Matt Earle, President, Reputation.ca

Create Helpful and Relevant Holiday Content

One of the best ways to help maximize your B2B marketing strategy is to create holiday-focused content that is helpful and relevant to your clients. This involves developing materials that capture the festive spirit and provide practical value to your business partners. You can ensure your marketing efforts are engaging and effective by aligning your content with your client's unique needs and challenges during the holiday season.

Over the years, we've identified several types of holiday content that have proven particularly popular and effective. These include holiday catalogs that showcase your latest products or services in a festive light, guides that offer useful tips and advice tailored to the season and connecting with customers, and whitepapers that delve into industry trends and insights relevant to the end-of-year period. Some other ideas include checklists that can be useful for helping clients keep track of tasks during the busy holiday season, webinars to provide an interactive platform for sharing expertise, and blogs to offer a more informal way to connect with your audience, offering stories or insights that resonate during the holidays.

You can take it further by creating a comprehensive "holiday hub" on your website or digital platform. This is a centralized repository where your clients can easily access your holiday-themed content in one convenient location. By providing a one-stop shop for all your seasonal materials, you make it simple for clients to find the information they need, whether they're looking for inspiration, guidance, or entertainment. This organized approach improves the user experience and strengthens your brand's presence during the holiday season, reinforcing your commitment to supporting your clients with valuable resources and insights.

Rich Meyer, Vice President of Marketing, Prism Global Marketing Solutions

Leverage Mobile for Personal Engagement
The tip that worked wonders for me was going all-in on mobile. But I'm not doing it in the typical way (as always). Forget responsive design—that's standard. I'm talking about leveraging mobile devices' personal nature. During holidays, decision-makers often check work emails on their phones, even outside the office. This is a prime opportunity to stand out. I create campaigns that blur the line between B2B and B2C. Think holiday-themed interactive infographics and such. These grab attention amid out-of-office replies.

One tactic that's yielded great results is sending personalized video messages—not pre-recorded clips, but spontaneous clips as if I'm sending a quick holiday wish to a friend. It's unexpected in B2B, which is precisely why it works. I also use location-based mobile marketing. When executives travel, I send geo-targeted content relevant to their destination, mixing business insights with local holiday traditions.

Successful B2B holiday marketing balances professional and personal. By tapping into mobile's unique capabilities, you can craft campaigns that resonate on a human level, even in a business context. After all, behind every B2B decision is a person celebrating the holidays.

Milosz Krasinski, International SEO Consultant, Owner, Chilli Fruit Web Consulting

Innovate with a Reverse Holiday Calendar
Not so long ago, after years of traditional campaigns, I stumbled upon a strategy that's been a real revolutionizer for us. It's like a reverse holiday calendar. Instead of the usual countdown to the holiday, we flip the script. We kick off the holiday and count forward, unveiling daily surprises for our clients. Think exclusive industry insights, sneak peeks at premium features, or quick-hit video tutorials.

This approach does two things. First, it keeps the holiday vibe going when everyone else has packed up their tinsel. Second, it delivers consistent value during that post-holiday lull when business slows to a crawl. Now, our clients look forward to each day's reveal, which gives our sales team perfect excuses to check-in. Plus, it's a clever way to spotlight different aspects of our offerings without appearing too strong. We ran with a "12 Days of Productivity" theme one year, sending out daily tips and tool recommendations. The response blew us away. Clients were implementing our suggestions left and right and reaching out to chat about how our product fit into their productivity plans.

Mike Sadowski, Founder & CEO, Brand24

Provide End-of-Year Industry Insights
One effective strategy in B2B holiday marketing is to focus on value-driven content that speaks directly to your client's business objectives. B2B buyers are primarily motivated by ROI and efficiency, especially as the year ends, and they review performance and plan for the next year. For example, creating an end-of-year insights report highlighting key industry trends and actionable takeaways for the upcoming year can be a great way to engage your audience during the holidays. This type of content positions your company as a thought leader and offers real value to your clients as they strategize for the year ahead. To increase engagement, you can pair this report with a limited-time holiday offer, such as a discount on next year's services or a complimentary consultation.

By focusing on content that delivers value and offers practical, forward-looking insights, you build trust and maintain strong engagement with B2B clients during a season when decisions are being made for the next fiscal year. This strategy keeps your brand top-of-mind, even when your clients prepare for the holidays.

Ira Prevalova, Growth Marketing Director, Adverity

Start Early with Relevant Messaging
An essential tip for B2B holiday marketing campaigns is to start early and focus on timing. Unlike B2C marketing, where consumers often make last-minute purchases, B2B companies work with longer sales cycles and budgets usually planned well in advance. It's crucial to begin holiday campaigns at least 2-3 months before the holiday season to align with businesses' budgeting processes.

Additionally, make your holiday content relevant to business needs. For instance, many businesses are planning for the next fiscal year during the holidays. Tailoring your messaging around how your products or services can help them start the year strong, improve efficiency, or reduce costs can resonate well with B2B buyers. Offering exclusive holiday promotions or discounts that apply to the following year's services can also incentivize early purchasing decisions. Starting early, aligning with their financial calendars, and providing relevant solutions that address their future goals can set your campaign apart and result in higher engagement and conversion.

Dan Tabaran, Head of Marketing, Influencity

Capitalize on Off-Peak Campaign Timing
When it comes to B2B holiday marketing, timing is key—but not in the way most people expect. Instead of jumping on the bandwagon during the holiday rush, try shaking things up. Launch your campaigns way before or after the season hits. Most B2B companies flood inboxes in late November and December, creating a mess of messages. But if you send your campaign in, say, mid-October or even wait until after the holidays when everyone else goes quiet, you'll grab attention when your competitors aren't as active. This approach has worked wonders for us. It catches customers off guard and feels more intentional, rather than just being another voice in the holiday chorus.

You could pair this strategy with something immediately useful—maybe a tool, guide, or early access to an offer that tackles end-of-year stress or helps with new year planning. It shows you really get your clients' needs at a time when they're most open to it, making your outreach pop without having to elbow your way through a crowded market. After all, you aim to offer something they can use when they need it most, not when everyone else is already clamoring for their attention.

Bartosz Wrobel, CEO, Gorrion

Focus on Personal Connections
My primary tip when strategizing B2B holiday marketing campaigns is to keep it personal! Even though in the case of B2B, one business is trying to reach another, it's important to remember that people are behind that business. As a B2B marketer, I see dozens of holiday marketing campaigns each season, and the ones that stand out the most always show me the people or personality behind the brand. 

On the flip side, the most successful campaigns that I've driven have focused on people. In one campaign, we used the theme of "Our wishes for you this holiday season" and shared photos of our colleagues with their families, on vacation, or doing something interesting that tied in with that theme. We received great feedback and engagement on that campaign.

Erin Caher, Marketing Manager

In wrapping up, crafting a successful B2B holiday marketing campaign hinges on strategic thinking and personalization. The expert tips, from adjusting budgets around holiday timing to offering personalized gifts and creating year-end toolkits, emphasize the importance of timing, relevance, and building meaningful connections with business clients. By leveraging these 12 strategies, you can stand out during the holiday season, foster deeper relationships, and drive measurable results. Focusing on what resonates with your audience will help ensure your holiday marketing campaign is impactful and memorable.

If you're interested in discussing how to prepare and maximize your holiday campaign for this year, we invite you to schedule an inbound marketing consultation with our team.