Even though stores tend to skip from Halloween right to Christmas (pausing just a moment for Black Friday), we would like to take a moment to give Thanksgiving the respect it deserves.
That’s because Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season — a time when people are not only gathering around a table but also getting a head start on their holiday shopping. Which means that, for marketers, Thanksgiving time offers a great opportunity to connect with customers on a personal level and boost their holiday sales by doing so.
So, with Thanksgiving just around the corner, now is a perfect time to throw in a dash of holiday spirit to your marketing strategy. Whether you’re looking to engage customers, show your gratitude, or just make their holiday shopping less stressful, we’ve got the festive Thanksgiving-themed strategies you won’t want to miss!
Keep reading for 10 creative Thanksgiving marketing ideas that are sure to maximize your impact this holiday season and keep your customers coming back for seconds!
Why You Shouldn’t Skip Thanksgiving When it Comes to Marketing
Thanksgiving Day might be overshadowed by the sales frenzies that are Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the entirety of the Christmas season, but it’s still a prime opportunity to connect with your audience before the rush really starts!
Here’s why a Thanksgiving marketing campaign can be a game-changer for your brand:
- Builds Customer Loyalty Through Gratitude —Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks and, by expressing gratitude toward your customers, you create a personal bond that can boost loyalty and remind customers of the human side of your brand.
- Warms Up Customers — A Thanksgiving campaign can act as a gentle reminder of your brand and set the stage for customers to remember you and your products or services when your Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals start hitting their inbox.
- Highlights Brand Values — Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reinforce the values that make your brand unique, like generosity, family, and community.
- Differentiates Your Brand During a Competitive Season — Seriously. Everyone forgets about Thanksgiving! With many brands focusing solely on Black Friday and Christmas, a Thanksgiving campaign can make your brand stand out.
- Encourages Engagement and Word-of-Mouth Marketing — Thanksgiving-themed content — like gratitude posts, customer appreciation shout-outs, or family-focused campaigns — encourages shares and positive word-of-mouth which can organically expand your reach.
10 Creative Thanksgiving Promotion Ideas to Try This Season
And now that you’re convinced that Thanksgiving is a great season for marketing, here are 10 tasty tips to try this Thanksgiving season!
1. Offer Holiday Perks
The week of Thanksgiving is a great time to thank your loyal customers by offering exclusive perks!
Here are some fun and exciting perks you can offer to grab your customers’ attention and keep your brand top-of-mind all season long!
- Free Shipping – Nothing says “thanks” like removing a purchase barrier! Encourage more conversions by offering free shipping on all orders placed during Thanksgiving week!
- Thanksgiving-Only Discounts – Create special, limited-time discounts just for the Thanksgiving holiday to make your products and services even more enticing.
- Friends and Family Discount – Tis the season, right? Encourage customers to spread the word by introducing a Friends and Family Discount that they can share. This will boost brand awareness and get you in front of more potential customers!
- Social Media Giveaway – Host a Thanksgiving-themed giveaway on social media to engage followers and expand your reach. Whether your prize is one of your products, branded swag, or even a holiday turkey, giveaways build up hype and get your followers excited!
2. “Thank You” Campaigns
It’s the season of gratitude and shouldn’t that extend to your loyal customers?
Create a personalized “Thank You” campaign by sending out heartfelt emails to your loyal customers and subscribers, offering little tokens of thanks along with exclusive discounts, free gifts with purchases, and other perks.
You can also take it one step further by adding personalized handwritten notes in orders taken during the month of November. Personal touches and a little extra effort like this remind customers that they’re valued and appreciated!
3. Create Thanksgiving-Themed Content
In the frenzy of the Thanksgiving and Black Friday rush, position your brand as a helpful resource to guide your followers and subscribers through the madness.
Here are some fun content ideas to add value to your customers’ holiday experience!
- Shopper’s Survival Guide – Publish a guide with tips on navigating holiday shopping, finding the best deals, or even managing holiday budgets. You can do this as a slideshow, in a blog format, downloadable format, or whatever you think your target audience will value most!
- Top Deals Highlight – Create a blog post or social media series that showcases the best deals on your site to help customers find what they need quickly.
- Thanksgiving Gift Guide – Offer a list of gift ideas for Thanksgiving hosts, friends, and family members, featuring your products to make gift-giving easy and hassle-free.
- Holiday Decor Inspiration – Share creative ways to decorate for Thanksgiving, including fun ideas that incorporate your products!
- Thanksgiving Recipes or DIYs – Post fun and easy-to-make Thanksgiving recipes or DIY crafts to give followers festive ideas to try at home.
- Black Friday Prep Tips – Offer advice on preparing for Black Friday, including tips on making a shopping plan and finding early access deals.
4. (Pumpkin) Spice Up Your Socials
Embrace the Thanksgiving spirit on social media with fun, seasonal content to grab your followers’ attention!
Here are some ideas to bring a cozy Thanksgiving vibe to your social platforms.
- Thanksgiving Countdown – Post a daily countdown leading up to Thanksgiving, featuring fun facts, tips, or mini-deals to keep followers checking back.
- Holiday-Inspired Images – Share images of your products in Thanksgiving-themed settings, like a sweet holiday table spread or seasonal decor, to bring some warmth to your feed.
- Thanksgiving Recipes – Post simple, crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving recipes to encourage engagement and show your brand’s playful side. Bonus: Invite your followers to share theirs (more on this in a bit!).
- Spotlight Seasonal Deals – Promote your holiday deals with warm, inviting graphics that make it easy for followers to spot special offers.
5. Holiday Bundles and Gift Sets
Take the hassle out of buying and gift-giving easy by combining your most popular items or complementary products into gift sets.
Offer them at a slight discount or with fun, free holiday packaging to add some extra value and grab attention!
You can also consider adding one of your lesser-known products to a bundle to introduce your customers to more of what your brand has to offer. These bundles not only increase the average order value but also make shopping a breeze for customers on the go who are looking for thoughtful and pre-packaged gifts!
6. “Season of Giving” Referral Program
Thanksgiving is a time for sharing, so why not launch a referral program that rewards customers for introducing friends and family to your brand?
Offer both the referrer and the new customers a special Thanksgiving discount or gift, framing it as a “Season of Giving” initiative. This kind of referral program not only brings in new customers but also strengthens connections with your existing ones by making them feel valued and appreciated!
7. Encourage Thanksgiving-Themed USG
Don’t let your brand have all the fun this Thanksgiving; encourage your followers to get in on the action too!
Boost engagement and build a sense of community around your brand by encouraging user-generated content (UGC) with a Thanksgiving twist.
Ask your customers to share things like their favorite holiday-themed recipes, memories, or family photos (bonus if those photos feature your product!). Or create a branded frame for your customers to download and use for their photos!
Be sure you create some branded hashtags (#Thanksgiving2024, #A[YourBrand]Thanksgiving) for your customers to use so that their content is easier to find!
Repost their content on your social channels and be sure to credit the creator. UGC is not only a fun way to involve your followers on social media but also adds authenticity to your brand’s presence and expands your reach!
8. Email Marketing Deals
Your email marketing can have a big impact during Thanksgiving!
Send well-timed email blasts that share your fun Thanksgiving content, exclusive deals, and gift guides to your loyal subscribers. Consider offering a discount or free shipping exclusive to email subscribers to turn them into loyal holiday shoppers!
Whatever content you’re sending, be sure to use a warm, seasonal design in your emails and inviting subject lines to grab attention in a season of crowded inboxes!
9. Offer Early Black Friday Deals to Loyal Customers
Ah, Black Friday. The most infamous shopping day of the year.
The rush is coming but now is a great time to remind your audience that they don’t need to stand in line for hours or deal with a frenzied crowd to get the same value.
Reward loyal customers by giving them access to early Black Friday deals as a Thanksgiving “thank you” from your brand to them. Announce these sweet deals through social media or targeted emails and consider using a VIP label to create a sense of urgency and exclusivity!
10. Support a Cause
And, of course, in a season of giving, it’s the perfect time for your brand to give back as well.
Consider supporting a cause that’s important to your brand values by donating a portion of your holiday sales, organizing a food drive, or contributing to a local charity.
Share your campaign on your website and social channels and encourage your customers to join in too. A cause-driven campaign gives you a chance to give back to your community, resonates well with customers who value social responsibility, and boosts your brand’s reputation.
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Is Your Brand Set Up for a Successful Holiday Season?
Thanksgiving is only a few weeks ago, so there isn’t much time to implement these fun holiday strategies.
So, if your brand could use some assistance in creating the assets you need to implement any of the strategies above, then all you have to do is ask!
Designity is an innovative Creative as a Service platform that connects businesses just like yours with a huge pool of vetted, US-based creative talent (only the top 3% of all of the talented folks who apply each year!), specializing in fields like graphic design, copywriting, digital marketing, social media, motion graphics, video production, and more — all the talent you need to bring your Thanksgiving campaign to life!
And with each Designity account led by a designated Creative Director to source your creative team, guide your strategies, and make sure you have the assets you need when you need them, you can get this all done without adding long hours to your day or putting off other duties that need your attention.
Why not check out our community portfolio to see how Designity has been able to elevate the visuals and brand identity of businesses just like yours? If you like what you see, then go ahead and book your demo call.
We’ll get you started with a two-week, no-obligation trial so you can test drive our 100+ marketing and design services and see why Designity is the best gift you can get your brand this holiday season!
Are you ready to boost your holiday sales?
