You may feel it’s a little early to start thinking about the holidays, but if you want to show your customers you care in a way that's memorable and goes the extra mile, there’s no better time to get started.

There’s value in going that extra mile too. A PwC study found that almost 60% of B2B customers had never had an experience with a brand that made them feel special, which stands in contrast to the fact that, on average, the most loyal customers account for up to 80% of a company’s revenues.

So, with the holidays just around the corner, we’ve brought together five ideas you can start working on now to get prepared.

1. A personalized email campaign

Personalization in B2B marketing is big business. In fact, 86% consider personalized, 1:1 marketing to be essential for B2B marketing success. The holidays present the perfect opportunity to make the most of that and reach out to clients with a handcrafted, personalized email campaign.

It’s low effort, easy to put together, and there's opportunity to take those emails as far as you feel comfortable. It also offers the chance to reconnect with past inactive customers in a way that's low-pressure. You could do a simple thank-you or go beyond that to offer more content, like a retrospective on the year’s successes or some milestone awards you’ve achieved with them as a client.

2. A thematic interactive

Interactives offer an amazing opportunity to reach users in new ways by simplifying tricky concepts, solving useful calculations, or showcasing products in a way that’s more compelling. Spanning charts, interactive articles, and illustrations, they can be as involved or as simple as you like.

They’re also a great way to show your appreciation over the holidays, like this one, which we created for design-build business Ingenuity. Delivered via personalized email and printed cards, it celebrated a milestone year for the company by letting people explore its new office space, projects, and team, while making it clear how its customers helped make it happen.

A holiday campaign Motum B2B created for Ingenuity.

3. A long-form piece of content

Long-form articles, e-books, and whitepapers are regular features in B2B marketing strategies, with 69% deploying long articles in the last 12 months. People resonate with them because they promise value, and B2B businesses should be using them because they position you as a thought leader.

Given you’ll be sending this at the end of the year, trend content and recaps work well. Think about preparing a recap of insights you’ve noticed in the industry throughout the year or look ahead to coming years to predict what you feel will happen. Remember, it doesn’t have to be written. Long-form content works well as audio and video too.

4. Offer something for free

We don’t need to tell you how different B2B is to B2C. It’s not like you can fire out regular 2-for-1s or promise a gift for a limited time, but that’s not to say you can’t look to B2C for inspiration.

If you’re offering a subscription model or something that renews monthly, you could offer a free month or a discounted rate for a limited time. If you’re not offering a subscription model, think about what else you can give away.

Holiday activations are also a good time to remind customers of what you already do offer for free year-round, such as samples, demos, or consultations.

Almost 60% of B2B customers have never had an experience with a brand that made them feel special.

5. Host an event

While this will require a lot more time and budget, events are a great way to show your appreciation.

Not only do they give customers a chance to interact with you on a personal level, but they make a moment (and your business) more memorable.

You could host a physical event, inviting clients to a networking opportunity or a behind-the-scenes tour of wherever you do business, or you could host something virtual, inviting people to a webinar or roundtable event.

Remember...

As with any campaign, the more you plan it, the better it will be. So, before you get excited about what you’re going to create, take a moment to think about the necessities:

  • Who do you want to target, and will everyone receive the same thing? While this list was specific to customers, it can be repurposed if you want to appreciate partners, vendors, or anyone else.
  • What does a successful holiday campaign look like and what actions (if any) would you like your customers to take?
  • Where will the campaign live? Will it be just digital, sent across email or social media, or will there be a print component too?
  • How will you track your efforts and data and how will you use that data to improve both marketing efforts over the next months and your next holiday campaign?

Need help getting your holiday campaign off the ground?

Spanning branding and design, content and creative, websites and ecommerce, and search and performance, Motum B2B has the skillset you need to make your B2B vision a reality. Reach out to see how we can get your campaign ready for the holidays.