Thanksgiving Marketing Strategies

By Braden Salas

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Marketing Coordinator

Thanksgiving is a time for friends, family, and of course, food! It’s also a great opportunity for businesses to connect with customers and create some memorable marketing campaigns. In this blog post, we’ll explore some creative Thanksgiving marketing ideas that you can use to reach your target audience. So, whether you’re looking to increase sales or simply raise brand awareness, read on for some inspiration!

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Thanksgiving Marketing Strategies

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to get together, give thanks for all the good things in their lives, and enjoy great food. Along with the Thanksgiving feast, people look forward to kicking of their holiday shopping.

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping holidays of the year. Many companies launch their holiday advertising campaigns around Thanksgiving, hoping to capitalize on all the benefits that come with the holiday season. Retailers compete for consumers’ attention with Thanksgiving-themed advertising campaigns, special sales, and extended hours.

Sales

Like the holidays soon after (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, & Giving Tuesday) people like a discount on their traditional thanksgiving food! Create discounts or coupons to circulate to your customer base. Many grocery stores are known for their loyalty programs providing free Turkey or Hams during the holidays with a certain amount spent or rewards achieved.

Thanksgiving has essentially become Black Friday Eve. With Black Friday sales set to kickoff the next day, or even that night, the early bird gets the worm. Creating Thanksgiving-themed pre-Black Friday sales can help build awareness ahead of the holidays, so you are consumers’ first choice when looking for holiday sales.

Advertising

Thanksgiving advertising typically focuses on two things: Thanksgiving-themed products and sales of Thanksgiving-related items. For example, many stores will advertise Thanksgiving-themed items like turkey-shaped cookies or pumpkin spice lattes. Others will run sales on Thanksgiving staples like appliances, cranberry sauce, or stuffing mix. Whatever the focus, Thanksgiving advertising is designed to get consumers thinking about the holiday and entice them to buy products related to it. Thanks to the power of marketing, Thanksgiving has become not just a day of giving thanks, but also a day of spending money.

Thanksgiving advertising can be very effective, as people are generally more receptive to marketing messages during the holidays. However, it is important to ensure that Thanksgiving ads are not too intrusive or offensive, as this can alienate potential customers. When done right, Thanksgiving advertising can be a great way to boost brand awareness and boost sales.

Events

Give thanks this Thanksgiving by hosting a food drive for the hungry. Host a clothing drive or any other kind of assistance to make sure those who need it most can get the essentials! Find local organizations to donate the goods or funds raised, to help those less fortunate.

Social Media

As Thanksgiving approaches, many brands ramp up their advertising efforts to capitalize on the holiday spending spree. With social media being one of the most popular channels for Thanksgiving content, it’s no surprise that Thanksgiving-themed ads are becoming more and more prevalent. With so much competition, how can you make sure your Thanksgiving social media ads stand out?

Here are a few tips:

  • Use eye-catching visuals: Thanksgiving is all about the feast, so make sure your ads are full of mouth-watering visuals that will tempt users to click through.
  • Use humor: With all the stress that comes with Thanksgiving preparations, a little humor can go a long way. Don’t be afraid to inject some fun into your ads!
  • Focus on value: Thanksgiving is a time when people are looking for deals, so make sure your ads highlight the great value your brand has to offer.

Some companies even create special Thanksgiving-themed hashtags to encourage customers to engage with their brand. Nevertheless, it’s not just about marketing; social media can also be used to connect with customers and build relationships. Thanksgiving is a time when people are looking for connection, and businesses that take advantage of this can reap the rewards in the form of loyalty and brand advocacy.

Email Marketing

Thanksgiving is a key time for email marketing campaigns. Not only are people generally in a good mood and more likely to spend money during the Thanksgiving holiday season, but they are also likely to be checking their email more frequently as they make arrangements with family and friends. For these reasons, it is important to make sure that your Thanksgiving email marketing campaign is well-planned and executed. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your Thanksgiving email marketing:

  • Make sure your subject lines are clear and concise. People are likely to have a lot of emails in their inboxes, so you need to make sure that your message stands out.
  • Keep your messages short and to the point. Again, people are likely to be busy during Thanksgiving and may not have time to read long emails.
  • Personalize your messages where possible. Include the recipient’s name in the subject line and/or body of the message to help create a sense of connection.
  • Use attractive visuals. Thanksgiving is a visual feast, so make sure your email reflects this by including Thanksgiving-themed images or videos.
  • Don’t forget to include a call-to-action in your email. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to offer discounts or special promotions to your customers

About LiftEngine

Since 2005, LiftEngine's primary mission has been to help clients better understand and connect with their most responsive prospects and customers, online or offline. Our expertise is behind the marketing campaigns of 400+ clients.

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Published on Jul. 20, 2023, Last Updated on Jul. 20, 2023