Orca Communications explains when to start reaching out to your customers about Holiday gift giving.

1. Christmas in July?
When to Start Reaching Out to Your
Customers About Holiday Gift Giving

2. When do
Holiday Gift
Givers Start
Shopping?
Before Halloween
Before Labor Day
In November
Beginning of
December

3. Things That Would be
Nice to Have…
Here are the things you will need for a
successful Holiday communications
campaign:
Nice List
oA Plan
oHoliday Messaging
oPricing / Packaging
oImages
oAds/Promos
oPR
Naughty List

4. A Plan
• Set goals for your Holiday campaign
• Identify who will be buying your product and for whom
• Be sure you have enough inventory and/or a plan to quickly beef up
inventory should you be uber successful
• Create a calendar of activities so the timing of your communications
initiatives are intentional and coordinated – remember to include
multiple channels (that make sense for your product, your budget):
direct sales, direct mail, email, social media, paid advertising, public
relations
• Establish a budget and have professional assistance lined up as
needed in advance so it’s not a last minute scramble

5. Messaging
• Think of clever ways to tie-in your product with
the Holidays
• Don’t forget there are many Holidays in
November/December so don’t focus all of your
messaging on just one
• Do remember the reason for the season, keep
your messaging joyful and fun
• Develop messaging around your products
describing why they will make great gifts and for
whom

6. Pricing and Packaging
• Consider packaging with gift giving in mind:
• Sell it pre-wrapped or in a gift bag or basket
• Package as a set of products or with complementary products (for
example, if you are selling tea, you could package a set of your most
popular flavors with a fun teacup or teapot)
• Offer special Holiday-themed pricing or discounts

7. Images
• Have high quality images available (consider hiring a
professional photographer)
• Ideally an assortmentof images: just the product(s) on a
white/plain background, photo of the product in-use,
photo of the product in its gift packaging or with a
Holiday theme – red ribbon tied on it, under a tree, in a
stocking, in the snow, etc.

8. Ads/Promos
• Get a series of ads lined up and ready to go (to use in
social media, paid online advertising, paid print and
email campaigns – whichever you are planning to
deploy)
• You do not have to invest in new creative – many
times simply adding some Holiday-themed
keywords or imagery is all that you need
• Start advertising early to capture some of that early
Holiday spending and to ensure Holiday gift givers
keep your product in mind when they do start their
shopping

9. Public Relations
• Christmas in July? When it comes to public relations…that’s 100%
YES!
• Those Holiday gift guide rounds ups you see are often researched and
assembled months in advance! Spots are limited so being first and
not late to pitch your product is key to snagging one of those coveted
spots
• Look for gift guides where your products will fit well – look at your
messaging and find opportunities that match.

10. Public Relations
• Pitch gift guides with a message that directly addresses
their theme – is it stocking stuffers? Make sure your
product can fit in a stocking and then pitch it as the
perfect stocking stuffer!
• Be sure you have product samples, those high-
resolution images we mentioned and complete product
information (sizes, colors, prices, etc.) available to send
as soon as an editor expresses interest.

11. Here’s Wishing You a Happy and
Profitable Holiday Season!!!
Want to stay focused on sales and shipping product and leave the PR to
someoneelse? Contact Orca…this is what we do!
Reach us by email at info@orcapr.com or call us at 480-422-0034
www.orcacommunications.com