The festive season is upon us. Shops are busy, but so are online retailers. Suppliers are also pretty busy because this is one of the prime B2G purchasing seasons of the year. We’ll look at that in more detail below because it is crucial to the procurement lifecycle. But first, we’ll answer the question posed above: Just how can suppliers optimise their marketing campaigns over the festive period?
The first step is to plan ahead – at least four months ahead. So, this is advice best used in 2025. Nevertheless, let’s hop to it.
Steps To Effective B2G Marketing In The Holiday Season
We know the first step in a successful Christmas marketing strategy is to plan ahead, but what does that entail?
1) Start Planning Early
This is really about organisation; getting your ducks (or elves) in a row. It includes brainstorming, budgeting, and preparation. So:
- Your Christmas marketing goal
- Christmas marketing campaign ideas
- Your action plan
- Contingency plan
- Resource allocation
- Your holiday season schedule
The schedule for your Christmas campaign marks important dates and activities, for example, the first round of social media ads on Facebook, launching early bird specials, announcing competition winners – that sort of thing.
This way you’re well prepared. You even have a plan B, which is always good.
2) Optimise Social Media
Some people think that government bodies don’t use social media, or they stick to professional sites like LinkedIn. They’re sort of right. It’s difficult to picture the Secretary of State for Defence posting pictures of team-building events on Instagram.
However, the stately Secretary might be very busy posting memes on his private TikTok account.
That’s the point; the people behind the titles use social media and they might think your Facebook ad was interesting and want to find out more when they get to the office the next morning.
Basically, develop and implement a social media marketing strategy but pack it full of holiday cheer.
3) Personalised Christmas Marketing Strategy
This is great if you have established relationships with buyers because there is already rapport, sending festive greetings is almost expected.
Familiarity also means you can be a bit informal, not “Yo bro” informal but not “To Whom It May Concern” either.
If you’re still working on relationships or have barely started in the B2G market, you can also send festive greetings. It’s not “To Whom It May Concern” territory, but it’s a bit more formal than those with long-standing relationships.
Aim for “Aunt who lives abroad.” That’s the right kind of tone and you can still personalise it sufficiently.
4) Christmas Themed Content
Content creators can shine when it comes to Christmas-themed content. They have more freedom to exercise their creative muscles as they balance the business’s tone, voice, and style with the holiday spirit.
A great Christmas marketing idea is to incorporate engaging games and interactive concepts that create a fun, nostalgic, or festive experience for audiences, ultimately enhancing engagement and promoting the brand during the Christmas season.
Depending on the type of business, festive themes can include decoration ideas, festive cocktail recipes, ideas for a green Christmas, alternative gifts (charitable donations instead of presents, a day volunteering at the local animal shelter, a basket of food for The Salvation Army), you get the concept.
The content itself can be YouTube or TikTok video clips, blog posts, or infographics. Team up with related businesses for guest posts or interview influencers for on-demand webinars.
You must remember two things when creating content for Christmas marketing campaigns.
- It must add value (entertainment has value).
- Remain authentic to your brand.
5) Measure Your Performance
Analytics – you always need analytics if you want to measure the success of marketing campaigns. Analytics measure important metrics, including social media engagement, email click-through rate, website traffic, and webinar views – everything you need to know to improve for the following holiday season.
You have about eight months to fully understand the depth of data before you need to start planning your next Christmas campaign.
Email Marketing Ideas for Christmas
Email marketing is a crucial aspect of any Christmas marketing campaign. Here are some ideas to make your email marketing efforts more effective during the holiday season:
Create a Christmas email campaign with festive visuals and copy
The holiday season is the perfect time to infuse your email marketing with festive cheer. Create a Christmas email campaign that showcases your products or services in a visually engaging way. Use high-quality images, animations, or videos to capture the holiday spirit and make your emails stand out in crowded inboxes. Your email copy should be concise, clear, and compelling, with a strong call-to-action (CTA) to drive sales. Think of it as wrapping your message in a beautiful Christmas package that recipients can’t wait to open.
Add Christmas email subject lines that drive engagement
Your email subject line is the first thing recipients see, so make it count. Use festive keywords like “Merry Christmas,” “Holiday Sale,” or “Gift Ideas” to make your subject lines more relevant and engaging. A well-crafted subject line can be the difference between your email being opened or ignored.
Use cart abandonment emails to recover lost sales
Cart abandonment emails are a powerful tool to recover lost sales during the holiday season. Highlight the products they left behind and offer incentives, such as discounts or free shipping, to encourage them to complete their purchase. This strategy helps recover lost sales and enhances customer loyalty by showing that you care about their shopping experience.
Website Optimisation for Christmas
Optimising your website for Christmas is crucial to attracting holiday shoppers and driving sales. Here are some ideas to make your website more festive and engaging:
Add a Christmas website image and update your homepage
Your website’s homepage is the first impression holiday shoppers will have of your brand, so make it festive and inviting. Update your homepage with a Christmas-themed image or animation that showcases your holiday products or promotions. This could be anything from a beautifully decorated Christmas tree to a festive banner announcing your holiday sale.
Ensure your website’s design and layout remain consistent with your brand’s overall aesthetic and messaging. A cohesive and festive homepage can capture the holiday spirit and entice visitors to explore further, boosting your Christmas sales.
How To Plan For The New Procurement Cycle
The procurement cycle is basically the procurement process on a loop. Each tender has a cycle. For suppliers, the cycle starts when they receive a tender notification that fits their business offerings.
However, this is not the cycle under discussion today.
We’re looking at the bigger picture. We’re looking at the national procurement cycle and how suppliers can use annual trends to prepare their bids.
There are three primary stages in the annual cycle:
Budget planning: September – February
Government bodies are looking towards the upcoming financial year. At this stage, they have a good idea if their budgets will increase, decrease, or stay the same. This enables them to prioritise projects and estimate resource allocation.
Suppliers often work with buyers and other stakeholders to ensure that government bodies have the input needed to make informed financial decisions when the time comes.
Procurement surges
There are two primary surges in public procurement.
November – December: As they head towards the end of the fiscal year, government departments want to use up whatever remains in their budget. This is a good time for the contracts that were low on the list of priorities but can now see the light of day.
Holiday marketing campaigns can also play a crucial role during this period, as they help suppliers engage with government departments creatively and effectively.
Suppliers must be prepared for the rush with templates, case studies, financial records, customisable RFPs, and other tender documents ready to go.
April: This is around the beginning of the new fiscal year. Budgets are shiny and fresh and many government bodies are champing at the bit to get their priority procurements underway. Suppliers must be on their toes to capitalise on this period, especially when it comes to strict budgets and compliance regulations.
Summer holidays: Many contracting authorities publish tender notifications before the summer holidays and other significant breaks. Councils often take a summer break, giving suppliers a chance to prepare their bid proposals without too much pressure regarding timing.
Early Engagement
Early engagement is important because suppliers get an inside scoop on upcoming tenders. Sort of. There is no unfair advantage. All suppliers are encouraged to engage early with contracting authorities. It’s one of the first steps to building buyer relationships. It’s also an opportunity to weigh in on contract details.
For example, input from suppliers helps contracting authorities refine their contract requirements. The narrow definitions tell suppliers exactly what is required, while the buyers have a better understanding of what can reasonably be expected while a contract is being delivered.
Creating a festive spirit through interactive campaigns, special offers, and themed events can enhance customer experiences.
Networking can also be included in early engagement strategies and relationship building. Attending various industry events – maybe even some year-end functions – is a good way to meet the movers, shakers, and influencers in your field.
Cadence Marketing Has Your Festive Season Covered
Cadence Marketing specialises in B2G campaigns. We’ve been around the block a few times and along the way we’ve amassed a wealth of experience and expertise to cover every holiday, including campaigns for the Christmas period.
We’re especially good at email marketing and webinars; two very effective Christmas marketing channels over the holiday season.
Contact us to book a free consultation or simply to find out more about how our public sector marketing specialists can kick your campaigns up a gear.
