We get it. You aren’t in the retail game, so you can’t directly profit off consumers’ holiday wish lists. But there’s plenty of other ways to maneuver your marketing so that your brand benefits from the holiday season marketing boon.

Read on for three examples of non-retail holiday marketing that illustrate how your business can effectively advertise during the holiday season.

Uberflip Saves Christmas

Uberflip is a content marketing software company that centralizes and organizes your digital content into streams (blogs, social media, eBooks, videos, presentations, etc.)–creating a user experience that increases engagement and leads.

In 2015, they told a familiar holiday story with a digital twist – “How the Content Crunch Stole Christmas”.

The use of Slideshare provides a storybook-like canvas to easily digest the 49 pages of eye catching illustrations and sparsely written copy. The storytelling, of course, is a vessel for highlighting the features and efficiency of the software in a relatable and relevant manner. As the target, you’re engaged, entertained, but also educated about the product’s benefits.

But why would a B2B software company feel the need to line their campaign up with the classic Dr. Seuss story? After all, the Uberflip software isn’t something you can even remotely market as a gift.

Festive campaigns help brands capitalize on the warm and fuzzy feelings brought by the holidays. While businesses are an all-consuming entity, they are entities comprised of individuals with emotions, which includes decision-makers on software purchases. Lining a campaign up with a childhood story like The Grinch evokes nostalgia for those who are fond of this time of year.

The target will associate Uberflip with positive sentiments, increasing their likelihood for choosing the company’s software when looking to streamline their digital content.

Allstate Insurance Prepares You for Holiday Mishaps

Similar to Uberflip, Allstate Insurance frames their main message around a Christmas classic with a 12 Days of Christmas parody called “12 Days of Mayhem”.

Dean Winters’ performance as the personification of Mayhem is now synonymous with the Allstate brand. His deadpan delivery is hilarious. As an abstract representation of the target’s problem, “Mayhem” keeps Allstate’s ads focused on misadventures the agency can solve.

While the Mayhem character makes for great year-round advertising, we’d be remiss to act like insurance policies make for a great surprise under the tree come December 25^th.

According to Forbes, accidents are more likely to occur during the Christmas season. Over 1,000 people are injured, and $900,000,000 in home damages are attributed to holiday-related fires in the United States alone–offering prime advertising real estate for an insurance company to capitalize on.

The statistics don’t lie, and this universal truth about the Yuletide season means Allstate’s target will relate to these Christmas calamities. It is 100% fact when the voiceover claims “the holidays are mayhem”.

Allstate displays how advantageous research and thinking outside of the gift box can carve a niche for your non-retail product or service within the prosperous holiday marketing landscape.

There’s Magic(al Credit) in the Air

Magical Credit, a high-risk lender, is taking on its own holiday marketing initiative. They’ve captured the spirit of the holidays by offering applicants an incentive to apply for a loan: a chance to win a $100.00 gift card.

And while loans aren’t at the top of your gift list, they’ll help cover the cost of the most expensive items on your loved ones’ gift list.

Magical Credit understands their target’s experience. During the holidays, expenses begin to pile up overwhelmingly, so taking out a loan is a necessity for some. Imagine breaking the bank on gifts, dinners, and a vacation, then suddenly a water pipe bursts in your basement, or your engine goes kaput.

Offering the gift card during April wouldn’t have the same impact. But an opportunity for an extra hundred bucks is an enticing proposition when you need to buy presents for what seems like a small country.

Magical Credit is also releasing Christmas themed blogs throughout December, offering holiday spending tips. The goal of course, is to add value to your customer’s lives, and you can only do so by providing valuable content.

If you don’t sell products and services that can be gift wrapped, it doesn’t mean your business can’t compile its own holiday wish-list.

Eden’s team of marketing and advertising experts are equipped with the creativity to find the magic in your holiday campaign.

Contact us today to help you grow your business in the year ahead!