Holiday Influencer Marketing Ideas

Has your team been tasked with developing holiday influencer marketing campaigns?

It can feel like a tall order to be responsible for coming up with unique ideas that cut through the seasonal onslaught of online sales promotions to reach your target audience. But statistics show that influencer marketing is an extremely valuable channel to promote your products and services during the holidays. Just check out these numbers:

• Insider Intelligence reported that in 2022, 4 out of 5 GenZers shopped social media during the holiday season, and two in five used social for all or most of their shopping.
• More than half (53%) of advertisers surveyed said they planned to increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2023, shifting away from legacy media channels like print and TV and out-of-home advertising (e.g., billboards) to creator and influencer campaigns.
• Insider Intelligence predicts that 88.7% of marketers will use influencer marketing by 2026.

Knowing that an influencer marketing campaign — done properly and with the right content creator — can provide an impressive return on investment, it’s only a matter of developing the right campaign. We’ve assembled some ideas to get you started.

Reach your audience with varied holiday content

Don’t be afraid to try out various types of content and channels — or to segment your campaigns to target different groups of consumers how and where they prefer. For example, while an in-store live stream on TikTok may appeal to Gen Z, Gen X may respond better to before-and-after photos of a promising product’s results on Instagram. 

Need some ideas for holiday influencer marketing campaigns? Try your hand at any of these:

Virtual challenge

Collaborate with an influencer to create and facilitate a challenge that can help drive engagement while producing user-generated content for your brand to use as future marketing collateral.

The virtual challenge should offer the influencer’s followers a chance to win special deals such as discounts, free products, or gift cards. 

When American music app Smule wanted to push out a holiday singing challenge, it enticed social media users to participate by offering a featured performance on the Smule Challenges playlist (seen by millions around the globe) and a featured post on the brand’s blog, socials, and SmuleGlobal playlist. 

Users posted their performance on social media with the hashtag #HolidayChallenge, which provided Smule with plenty of UGC for later marketing. In addition, the company created a playlist from the Smule Holiday Challenge winners, which drove traffic to the app. 

Black Friday shopping hauls

Build anticipation or excitement around Black Friday shopping hauls by partnering with influencers who can provide a peek into incredible deals. 

Your campaign can also encourage followers to share their hauls tied to your store or brand. Recommend that followers tag product categories for greater visibility. 

Need some inspiration? Check out this TikTok from mid-tier influencer Taylor Nelson, who highlighted her holiday shopping haul from Ulta — while still in the store to highlight specific products in the five for $5 section. 

Online shopping tips

Influencers can provide expertise regarding expert online shopping strategies for maximizing savings during Black Friday. From buyer’s guides and video recommendations to product comparisons and insightful assessments, the right content creator can guide followers in making informed buying decisions.

Looking for an example? See how The Krazy Coupon Lady shares her expert holiday shopping secrets in this YouTube Short.

Live-streamed shopping event

Partner with influencers to host live-streamed shopping events before and during Black Friday. Suggest a direction for the campaign in which the content creators provide more information about the products and maybe even hold a Q&A session to answer their audience’s questions.

Curious about what a live-streamed shopping event might look like? The dynamic duo content team behind Destination Stone took their 2.15K YouTube subscribers with them in this video as they shopped locally for deals on toys at their local Walmart and Target. 

Holiday season stories

Beyond just buying and giving gifts, the holidays are a time to partake in traditions, spend time with the family, and celebrate the people, pets, and opportunities for which we’re grateful. 

Collaborate with influencers and their followers to share brand-related holiday anecdotes. These could include favorite and meaningful gifts they’ve given or received, travel stories, family gatherings, and holiday outfits (think matching pajamas).

Ask influencers to mention and tag brands in their content while encouraging followers to share their holiday stories. 

Consider randomly selecting customers to fulfill wish lists, which will not only foster engagement and community but also showcase your brand’s connections to the holiday season.

As well-known influencers on TikTok, the Weiss Family chose to do a roll call of each family member’s favorite Christmas movie in this video. As you can see in the comments, their followers quickly chimed in with their favorite holiday movies. It’s a perfect opportunity for a brand to market boxed videos, streaming services, snacks, drinks, pajamas, comfy furniture, or even food delivery services.

DIY projects 

You don’t need to sell craft supplies to market holiday DIY projects, including decor, baking, homemade gifts, or product gift baskets. 

In this Instagram video from content creator Jeanna Crawford of Jeanna Loves Christmas, the influencer demonstrates how to create a garland ceiling from greenery she purchased from Sullivans Home Decor.

The influencer also shared links and promo codes to help her followers save on items like holiday lights, garlands, picks, swags, and sprays. 

Put these holiday influencer marketing ideas to use this year, or use them for inspiration to develop your approaches to promoting your brand during Black Friday and beyond.