How to Make Your Advertising Creative Cut Through the Holiday Noise

1. Use incentive to your advantage.

Give your target audience a reason to pursue your offer by creating special promotions in the form of discounts, free shipping, BOGO, holiday giveaways, or whatever type of incentive you can use to help the customer save some money. Most shoppers tend to be particularly budget-conscious during the holiday season, so if you’re offering something that makes them feel like they’re getting a good deal, they’ll be more likely to take you up on it.

2. Create a sense of urgency with your ad text.

Compelling copy that creates a sense of urgency is one of the most effective ways encourage buyers to respond to your calls-to-action. Using words and phrases such as “act now,” “this week only,” “limited time only,” “door buster,” “hurry,” “one day only,” etc., will put a time limit on your offer, which can bring a buyer to a point of decision a lot quicker than if you were to use text that isn’t time-sensitive.

3. Incorporate creative holiday-themed words and ideas into your ad copy.

The operative word here is “creative,” which means avoiding going for the low-hanging fruit such as “Happy holidays from our business to you,” “Make it a Christmas to remember,” and the like. Phrases like this are generic, over-used, and not very imaginative, making it highly unlikely that they’ll stand out from the crowd.

Instead, brainstorm a list of words and ideas that relate to the holiday season, and then figure out unique and creative ways to incorporate these concepts into your ad copy. For example, if you’re selling earrings, your ad copy might read “They’ll go perfectly with your ugly Christmas sweater.” By taking a fresh approach toward tying your product or service into a popular holiday concept or idea, you’ll boost the relevance and appeal of your ad in the mind of your target consumer, which can lead to more sales.

4. Come up with creative ways to evoke holiday-inspired emotions with your images.

The same premise mentioned above regarding ad copy holds true for the images in your ads as well–it’s all about being creative and figuring out a way to take a new angle on traditional holiday themes. As you can imagine, this means far more than just adding snowflakes to your graphics.

If you really want your images to cut through the holiday noise, you have to make every effort to connect your products or services to the emotions and feelings that most people associate with the holiday season–e.g., love, happiness, fun, generosity, nostalgia, comfort, excitement, etc. These powerful visual reminders of everything we love about the holidays produce the desired “warm fuzzies” effect that inspires users to click on your ad and make a purchase.

In only a couple of weeks, the holiday shopping season will be in full swing, so the time for you to prepare and refine your holiday advertising strategy is right now. Use the tips outlined above to help your brand gain visibility, so you can take advantage of the many opportunities that this special time of year has to offer.