The end of the year is another special time in marketing. Because in addition to the holidays in marketing, it also means: reviewing the year. Because while the B2B environment may not be the classic Christmas business, there are still many ways to run a successful B2B online campaign at the end of the year. It is important that you start early. In this article, we have summarized which side you should pay attention to.

 

Companies need to plan their end-of-year campaigns at the end of the year. This applies to communication in B2C companies as well as in the B2B environment. And the idea of ​​your own B2B online campaign at the end of the year is worth a closer look. Because in addition to looking back at the goals you achieved last year and with business partners, at the end of the year you lay the foundation for the next year. And last but not least, you have the perfect opportunity to market your offers to your own target audience.

 

At the end of the year, the company often has a marketing budget left for a particular contact. Why not use the budget and time constructively to start a successful B2B online campaign at the end of this year and the beginning of the new year? The following five tips reveal how companies can design successful mailing and campaigns for the end of the year, even in the midst of a year-end rush.

 

Tips for your year-end B2B online campaign

 

1. Tried and tested is sometimes better

In marketing, there is often a demand for new ideas. The attention of e-mail recipients, website users, and customers should quickly gain interest in content marketing sustained by new content.

 

However, not everything is always “new” trimmed. So before you move on to the creative stage, it’s worth pausing for a moment. Think carefully about the needs and expectations of your target group. And remember: the end of the year is marked by traditions.

 

Most people associate stability with Christmas and the pre-Christmas period and rely on familiar things: Christmas tree decorations, general holiday meals, repetitive customs on New Year's Eve. And then think of last year’s Christmas or year-end promotion. Have you had any success with it? Then rely on the "date by date" strategy and revive the best. Not identical, but as a form.

 

Social media posts like blog posts, newsletter topics, Facebook, Instagram, Linked In, and the like don’t have to renew the wheel every year. What gives itself is to try with a small part of the "new" and pick the tested formats. For example, this may be a recent trend to include in your Christmas and year-end strategy. Perhaps this year you have already identified a topic that has received a new spin. Or have you come up with new products year after year?

 

Take advantage of this and try to pack something new in a tested format, such as the popular Digital Advent Calendar, which has become almost a traditional thematic marketing tool not only in the B2C area but also in the B2B area.

 

2. Tell a story - storytelling is king

Christmas is associated with positive emotions like any other time of the year. In the last weeks of the year, the focus is on classic values, tradition, and continuity. And with that comes the story. Because nothing presents appropriate stories as well as traditions, values ​​, and emotions. It entertains, flashes and moves.

 

The importance of storytelling in terms of content marketing is immense. Still, especially for the B2B online campaign at the end of the year, it’s important to take another close look at your storytelling.

 

Finally, digital, modern, good old storytelling has merged with websites, e-mails, blogs, and social media with multimedia possibilities. Always keep in touch with your company, your products, and your services.

 

Stories build empathy and trust in your target group. You can reinforce the latter by including current issues such as charity and sustainability in your storytelling. A company that not only shines with sales figures but also gives something of its own profit or is committed to sustainability, can collect image points.

 

At the same time, it gives customers the feeling that they have made some contribution with their order or purchase. It’s important, however, that charitable emails should always be the focus for good reason - so it’s best to avoid advertising here. Just tell your customers a story about you, who your company is, and what your promises are.

 

3. Matching gifts for your customers

Do you want to give special gifts to your customers this Christmas? Small attention is the only thing for this. Just make sure that this generous effort does not turn into the infamous pair of socks under the Christmas tree. So, think carefully in advance which gift is suitable for which customer.

 

In our post, we are giving you tips on how to find the right Christmas gift for your customers. Also, we have informed about the customer gift trends for 2021 and prepared a summary for you.

 

Gifts in email marketing 

In Email Marketing, you can identify the appropriate customer gifts by dividing your newsletter recipients into equally interested groups. For example, according to what they clicked on last year's Christmas newsletter or what they've ordered from you so far. It already tells you a lot about the interests of your customers. But the industry, technical parameters such as operating systems, and socio-demographic information that you gain from target group analysis also serve as the basis for user segmentation.

 

Popular gifts in the B2C sector include vouchers, raffles for attractive products, and gift tips. Special discounts or free additional services are available for business customers, products purchased on B2B, and digital services.

 

4. Find the right level for your B2B online campaign

Benefits of Christmas e-mail promotions and other B2B online promotions: You have set a time. Regardless of whether you focus your emails on St. Nicholas Day, Christmas, or New Year's Eve, or whether you're even launching a full-fledged digital adventure calendar campaign in marketing, the end of the year timeline is set. It’s important to find the right setting for the story you want to tell or gift to your customers.

 

In certain situations, marketing your content is still not enough to create 2 equally useful, entertaining, and interesting emails - then limit yourself to one mailing on the day of arrival, for example. Regardless of which opportunity you choose: Don't randomly distribute your ideas and gifts in individual marketing emails. Instead, plan a play. Draw attention to your Christmas B2B online campaign with the first e-mail and arouse customer interest in the following e-mails.

 

5. Use all year round for reviews, thanks, and good resolution

After adventurous mailing, greetings, and gifts for the festival, the year is not over yet. So think about the time after Christmas and the upcoming (B2B) business year. The turn of the year is a traditional themed and welcoming occasion for many customers, business partners, and companies to look back on the past year and plan something new for the next year.

 

Even if the B2B company’s business year does not end on December 31, the managing director and departmental managers personally receive the stock at the end of a calendar year. And it can affect your plans for the coming weeks and months. Review the year with your business clients and focus on all the goals and successes achieved together.

 

For both B2B and B2C companies, it is usually advisable to thank you for your good cooperation and trust in us at the end of the year. Right now, it's a good idea to get feedback and thus find out how you can improve your customer service (and your marketing) in the future.

 

Also, you should already have a vision of what your customers can expect next year: if there are new products, services, or other offers, for example, give them a little prediction now. Or do you already have a good resolution for the new year? Let your customers be a part of it!