Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely seen the holiday advertisements that will surround us now until Christmas. Businesses do it for a reason – it works! Holiday advertisements are an extremely effective way to stay top of mind with your customers to ensure that your products and services are part of their holiday purchases.

So how can you get the most out of your holiday advertisements? There are several key factors you want to consider to ensure the time and money you spend on putting together your holiday marketing plan has the best chance of yielding results for your business. Here’s what they are.

Refresh your ads.

If you’ve been running the same or similar advertisements since summer, it’s likely that you’ve become part of the back drop for your customers. The holiday season is a great time to take a fresh look at your advertisements’ design and content and customize them to the holiday season. Come up with a theme or tagline for your ad campaign that can be carried across all types of media, from TV and radio to print and outdoor. This “change of scenery” will cause customers to take notice, which is a valuable opportunity to communicate your message and grow your brand.

Sell what your audience wants to buy.

This sounds simple, but really think about it. You’re never just selling your product or service. Smart businesses know that while they might provide a specific product or service, what they need to “sell” is what the customer wants to buy. This can be an emotion, a feeling or a benefit. Rather than having your holiday advertisements focus on a physical product, instead sell the emotion that your product evokes for your customer.

Offer sales that are exciting.

One key area where businesses fall short with their holiday advertisements is that they don’t offer sales or promotions that get customers excited. Remember, you’re competing against just about every other business out there who is running holiday ads. Your holiday offers need to be something big enough that it causes your customers to want to take action. Nowadays, offering 10% off is not going to get customers to leave their couch. Really think about what you can afford to offer that is significant and meaningful to your target audience.

Segment and personalize your ads.

Finally and most importantly, your holiday advertisements should feel customized to whatever audience you’re trying to reach. If you’re dishing out major dollars only to “spray and pray” with your ad strategy, you’re going to be highly disappointed with the results. You can actually spend less money, in a more targeted way and get better results. One of the ways to do this is by segmenting your advertising to reach a highly targeted audience, and then customizing each ad you place to that exact audience. This is a huge help for businesses who are trying to reach different demographics. This allows you to customize your ads with different messaging too!

As a business this holiday season, you want to be sure you’re spending your holiday advertising budget in the most effective way possible. If you’re like most, this is time of year to bring in your biggest sales. Be sure to plan ahead and be strategic with how and where you’re advertising. Most importantly, put effort into developing a creative and eye catching holiday ad campaign that will not only bring in more sales, but build your brand.

Does your business’s 2018 holiday marketing plan incorporate these best practices? There’s still time to make sure you’re getting the most out of your seasonal advertisements!