Hey 👋

Welcome to Neighbourhood Post issue #5 - easy to implement digital marketing ideas straight through your metaphorical letterbox.

If you didn’t read that subject line in Noddy Holder’s screaming voice, I’ll be very disappointed.

Whether you like it or not, Christmas is careering towards us like an out-of-control, red truck.

So this week’s newsletter is all about making sure you’re ready.

Let’s get festive. 🎅🏻

👉 By the way, if you’ve missed previous newsletters you’ll find them here.

📩 And if you’ve been forwarded this email you can subscribe here.

Jingle All The Way 🎄

The summer is only just fading away, but it won’t be long before we’re applauding John Lewis for their depiction of a lonely tiger befriending a bicycle to the soundtrack of Katie Melua covering Uptown Funk.

Whether you’ve been planning your campaigns for ages or you’re just starting, I’m here for you.

Here are 6 thoughts to spark inspiration…

#1 - Don’t force festive relevancy.

There’s two parts to this.

Firstly, is your cause or product something people really need at Christmas?

Be realistic about what you can achieve and be honest with yourself about how much people need what you’re offering right now.

Secondly, don’t feel you have to shift all your messaging to be Christmas themed.

People will see lots of Christmas related content, don’t blend in for the sake of it.

#2 - Post Christmas is sometimes better

Don’t just focus on the lead up to Christmas.

The ‘dead zone’ between Christmas day and the New Year can often get you better results.

Think of it this way:

People are off work, staring at their phone more often.

Your social media, email marketing and content are more likely to gain attention.

And you’re suddenly not competing against 1 million other Christmas marketing messages.

The other bonus is people begin planning their 2024.

What do they want to do? What kind of person are they going to be? How do they want to better themselves? 💪

Align your messaging to that mindset and help your audience achieve their goals for 2024.

#3 - Don’t do the obvious

• Look at our 12 days of boring giveaways

• Check out our Advent Calendar of mundane content

• Here’s a photo of our awkward staff Christmas party

To stand out, you need to think outside the box. 🎁

That’s hard to do, but if you’re struggling, don’t settle for boring.

Put the elf back on the shelf, ignore your CEO when they say “let’s make a John Lewis ad”, and focus on getting really creative.

#4 - Be generous

Embrace the Christmas spirit.

Everyone’s going to be in a good mood, and you can stand out by providing real value to people.

That could be a discount, it could be a heart-warming campaign, it could be help and advice on how to achieve their goals, it could be donating to a charity.

Don’t be stingy, make a genuinely interesting offer.

Christmas is a time for giving - what does that look like for your brand?

#5 - Set goals and save data

This is my favourite of all the festive advice.

How did your Christmas marketing go last year? 📈

If you can’t answer that, please give your future self an early 2024 Christmas present and track your data. 🎁

• How many people did you reach on social media?

• How many web visitors did you get?

• How many conversions?

Save it all in a comprehensive report, because when you get to this time next year you’ll be able to plan more accurately.

#6 - Start simple

OK this one isn’t marketing related, but Mark just wanted to let you know, when planning your Christmas dinner:

“Start with the peas, get the easy stuff out the way first.”

….You’re welcome. 🦃

What we’re looking at 👀 and listening to 👂

Christmas special!

Guess our top 5 favourite holiday films from the GIFs. Extra points if you can guess whose favourite it is: Dan, Lillie, Joe, Emma or Rosie?

Before you go - we’ll never use these newsletters to directly sell you our services, but we’re always here if you need any expertise or support 👍