Winter Marketing Tips and Ideas

The winter months are full of marketing opportunities. Between purchases sparked by the changing weather to the gift-giving holidays, brands can — and should — get their products in front of customers. But how? Even seasoned marketers get tapped for ideas, so to stimulate your creative juices, here are some winter marketing tips and ideas.

Winter marketing tips

As you brainstorm and execute campaigns, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Every campaign needs a measurable goal. 
• Plan as early as possible and use tools and reminders to stay on task. 
• Review last year’s campaigns to see what worked and what didn’t. 
• Use multiple distribution channels, from email and digital ads to blogs and influencers. 
• Don’t forget to research and use relevant hashtags.
• The holidays aren’t just a good time to drive sales, it’s also a good time to drive social engagement. 
• It’s a time of giving, so consider adding charity work or nonprofit partnerships to your strategy. 

Winter marketing ideas

Marketing trends are always changing, but these campaign ideas are tried and true:  

Plan targeted holiday campaigns

The holiday season is one of the biggest consumer spending events, with the average person spending $832.84 in the last two months of the year, according to the National Retail Federation. 

Make sure you have plans for the “big holidays” like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve.

Consider these ideas:

• Host an early flash sale on a popular item
• Invite VIP customers to an online sale on Christmas Eve
• Launch a “12 Days of Christmas” giveaway on social media
• Tap influencers to create live holiday-themed tutorials 
• Put together a holiday basket of company swag and give it away on Cyber Monday
• Create a gift guide and email it to your customers

For more marketing advice, check out Holiday Marketing: Things Marketers Should Plan Now. 

Ask an influencer to create a winter look book

As the seasons change, wardrobes do too. Tell customers about new trends and offer outfit inspiration. Ask an influencer to put together a look book on your brand’s behalf.

A lookbook highlights a handful of different styles. You could help busy moms find appropriate winter dresses or suggest the best footwear for kids sloshing through the snow. 

Want to see an example? Buckle teamed up with LuxMommy to highlight a handful of casual holiday outfits in this look book. Links to buy each piece are listed in the comments. 

Provide decor inspiration

Help customers dress up their homes for the new season. Suggest winter-themed decor for the mantle, offer a video tutorial on seasonal tablescapes, or give renters simple outdoor decorations to add to the porch. 

If this idea aligns with your brand’s products, consider collaborating with an influencer to add a more authentic feel to your campaign. Send several influencers a handful of your seasonal products and ask them to use your products in a tablescape, for example. When the influencer shares it, your products are promoted to a new group of potential customers. 

Influencer Momma From Scratch offers some winter decor ideas in this video: 

Be a tourist in your own city

During the winter, especially around the holidays, there are many sights to see. Help your customers explore the city by highlighting local events, light displays, or fundraisers. 

As a brand, consider sponsoring one of these events and then shoot and share a video tour of it or ask a local blogger to share the event in a holiday round-up like this 30 Free Holiday Events for Kids in Chicago. 

Share winter recipes

Winter conjures images of warm sweaters, hot cocoa, and hearty soups. During this chilly season, ask customers to share their favorite recipes. It’s especially fitting for food brands or restaurants. Ask customers or influencers to share a recipe using one of your brand’s ingredients, for example, or restaurants could challenge people to remake a signature soup. 

Recipes can stretch beyond food, too. You could ask customers to share their favorite hot toddy recipe or ask mom’s to share their favorite recipe for homemade holiday playdough. 

This winter, try some new marketing efforts to attract and retain customers. If you haven’t tried an influencer marketing campaign, start your search for the ideal creator on IZEA’s Marketplace. On this influencer marketing platform, you can find influencers, review profiles, and purchase content all in one place.