The approach of Christmas is an exciting time for businesses. But with excitement comes the dreaded Christmas copy clichés. Before long, everyone’s singing the same carols and forgetting their own brand identity.
Here are some tips for junking the clichés and making your Christmas marketing campaign stand out.
’Tis the season… to ditch those old chestnuts
Too many old chestnuts are still roasting on an open fire. Modern marketing campaigns are still falling back on old sayings and puns that have been done to death. For example:
’Tis the season to check out our fantastic Christmas deals!
Christmas has come early to [insert name of retailer here]!
It’s beginning to look a lot like [insert amazing offer here]!
All I/you/the dog wants for Christmas is [insert product here]!
Our latest offer is a real Christmas cracker!
If you don’t want your customers to read your advertising and utter the same sounds as when they read a bad cracker joke, avoid all of the above in your Christmas copywriting. Headlines and slogans should be original – especially at Christmas time, when advertising is at its noisiest.
Remember your brand identity
It’s easy for businesses to get carried away at Christmas time and market products and services in a way that betrays their brand identity. Don’t abandon the tone and style you normally use in your blogs and advertising just to push a Christmas deal. And don’t try to ‘Christmasify’ your range when it really isn’t relevant to the season – it’ll come across as forced.
Find a new angle for your Christmas copywriting
Avoid the obvious when developing your Christmas advertising campaign. Think about those who aren’t as keen on Christmas. Use humour to target these people (e.g. ‘Christmas presents for people who hate Christmas presents’). You’ll find that a good sense of humour will grab attention from the people who do love Christmas as well.
Christmas isn’t just for the family, so think about targeting workers who engage in ‘Secret Santa’. It’s a whole other market that not enough businesses are taking advantage of.
Anticipate the common disasters that befall households at Christmas (travel calamities, illnesses, broken ovens or fridges). By doing this, you get the chance to write copy that’s helpful, humorous and taps into what a lot of people think and worry about.
And businesses should also remember that not everyone is buying their Christmas presents in September. A lot of people are last-minute Larrys and procrastinating Pollys who hotfoot it through town on Christmas Eve. Think about these people as well, e.g. ‘Christmas gift ideas for last-minute shoppers’.
If you need any help writing truly original Christmas content – whether it’s a festive blog post, press release, radio advert or product description – give me a call on 07411 331721 or email me at cr_berry@outlook.com.
