How to Build Loyal Customers for the Holidays and Into the New Year

It’s the holiday season, and as you may have noticed, it’s expected to be a big one for online retailers and shoppers eager to put last year’s pandemic curveball behind them. This fall marks a crucial season for marketers to pull out all the stops, open up their advertising playbooks, and maximize the opportunities afforded by the merriest time of the year.

Here’s a look at how your brand can engage with customers this fall and encourage many happy returns in 2022.

Kick Off the Holiday Shopping Season with Personal Emails

What better way to ring in the holiday shopping season than a personalized email to your loyal base of customers? True, this is a busy time of year for everyone’s inbox, but that doesn’t mean discounts and promotions are unwelcome. A friendly reminder with a personal touch (absolutely no “Dear Customers” or “To whom it may concern”) plus a digital coupon goes a long way.

Timeliness is also important. Of course expiring Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals will prompt action across many demographics — limited-time offers or deals with an air of exclusivity are proven to make a big difference — but some effects of the pandemic are still being felt. Shipping delays and other supply chain issues are expected to threaten some of the busy shopping season, making early deals even more beneficial for customers and retailers alike. Also keep in mind the majority of shoppers in 2021 plan to begin their seasonal shopping push before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Take Advantage of Dynamic Retargeting

One of the joys of being a marketer around the holidays is seeing all the work you’ve done throughout the year pay off. Past interactions with customers that may not have led to sales are never more valuable than in the busy shopping season, giving your dynamic retargeting campaigns an extra boost on the tail-end of the sales cycle.

Your brand can cater to its most qualified individual users by delivering ads featuring products of interest across all major platforms. Whether these shoppers previously added products to their shopping cart before abandoning the purchase or simply browsed your digital marketplace, promoting those same products accompanied by a seasonal discount and/or free shipping will do wonders for your low-funnel ad strategies.

Remember, advertising free delivery upfront and further enticing users with coupons and discount codes covers the two largest determining factors for online shoppers who ultimately convert!

Getting the Most out of First-Party Data

The sheer number of advertisements around the holidays can easily overwhelm potential customers. Brands and products aiming to set themselves apart need to deliver more relevant, personable ads that cut through the surrounding holiday noise and offer something of real value. To successfully engage potential customers, you’ll need to apply what you’ve learned about them directly to your ad campaign setup throughout the busy shopping season. In short — good holiday campaigns smartly utilize first-party data.

Constructing your first-party data pipeline begins with tracking how customers interact with your content across different devices and shopping platforms. Though methods of tracking user data have pivoted away from third-party cookies, the majority of customers are willing to provide basic personal data for a better brand experience. Nobody likes to be bombarded with spam ads, which is why most shoppers respond more positively to ads adapted to their personal preferences.

Keeping Customers Engaged in the New Year

The relationship between online brands and their customers can often become a one-sided conversation. New Year promotions and posts on key platforms provide an opportunity to balance out the scales and listen to your own loyal users. Engage customers with polls, posts, surveys, and promotions rewarding those who share a favorite quote or what they hope to accomplish in 2022. After all, what better way to ensure your brand’s goals are aligned with customers than exploring their goals for the coming year with them?

The new year is also a great time to let fans of your brand know what’s in store. Your business likely has a good sense of the major events, product releases, and potential milestones coming in the next 12 months, and it’s easy to generate initial excitement with a quick preview. Whether you’re celebrating an important anniversary, debuting a brand refresh, or moving into a new location, giving users a peek at what’s to come will help build momentum into the year ahead. Taking the time to cultivate a relationship with new and loyal customers can create a relationship that lasts for many holiday seasons in the future.