The dos and don’ts of holiday-themed marketing for independent artists
The festive season can present some advantageous marketing opportunities, but be careful not to overcook the turkey.
The holiday season is a time for celebrating, festivities, and also relaxing and enjoying a well-deserved break. Being an independent artist is hard work, so it’s important to take some time off to enjoy the season. But, it’s also a great time of year for fun marketing opportunities. The key to getting this right is balance; not too full on festive but not totally devoid of seasonal fun, as well as balancing rest and work. We’ve got the dos and don’ts of holiday themed marketing that will engage your audience without being clichéd and making you work too hard.
The dos of holiday-themed marketing
It’s beneficial to stay consistent when it comes to marketing, and you don’t want to disappear off feeds and vanish from your audience’s minds during the festive break. So, first of all, let’s go through the dos of marketing yourself as an independent artist during the holidays.
Embrace the holiday spirit
If you’re marketing yourself, be it on social media or through gig posters, during the holidays then it makes sense to acknowledge and embrace the festive spirit. Ignoring the season would mean missing a trick, and hopping on the holiday bandwagon can help connect you more with your audience and help you be more personable from afar.
You don’t need to go crazy; festive colours, themes, and holiday music can give your marketing content an injection of seasonal spirit.
Offer exclusive content
Give your fans a gift that is exclusive to the season. New releases are a great way to drum up hype and attention, so why not put together a Christmas cover song? Alternatively, you could do some holiday vlogging or a livestream with a festive theme.
Use genuine storytelling
Strong and considered storytelling is a year-round important marketing strategy. The key word to not here is genuine. You can market yourself by telling stories relating to the holiday season, linking your experiences and your music. But, if it isn’t genuine or authentic, it can come off a little forced and potentially do more harm than good.
Run holiday promotions
Having multiple revenue streams is important for independent artists, particularly as earning a living from streams alone is so challenging. If you have merch to sell, consider running a holiday promotion, offering discounts for the festive season. This could mean discounted vinyl, band t-shirts, even gig tickets.
Collaborate with others
Collaborations are perfect for expanding your reach and engaging a new audience. It’s especially good during the holidays, as you can get creative without being super serious with less pressure on the output. After all, the holidays is meant to be fun and light-hearted.
The don’ts of holiday-themed marketing
Now, for the don’ts. You tread a fine line during the holidays, and you can risk either not getting involved enough, or getting so festive it feels fake. So, here are some marketing mistakes to avoid so your holiday marketing hits the sweet spot.
Don’t overdo the festive content
Don’t forget your regular style of marketing and content creation. If you are too full on with the festive theme, things can begin to feel repetitive and forced quite quickly. Make sure you balance holiday-themed marketing efforts with your normal presence.
Don’t ignore the calendar
Timing is important in marketing, particularly seasonal marketing. Don’t leave it too late to create festive content, otherwise your marketing efforts won’t have the greatest impact. In the same breath, don’t drag on the holiday-themed content for too long, otherwise your audience could get festive fatigue. Late November to early January is a good rule of thumb.
Avoid generic messaging
We mentioned earlier that it’s important to tell genuine, authentic stories. Expanding on this point, it’s best to avoid clichéd and generic content and messaging. Stick to tailoring your unique brand and style to the holiday season, rather than completely stripping yourself of personality just to fit with the current trends.
Don’t neglect analytics
Knowing what will go down well in terms of holiday-themed marketing can be a bit of a gamble. Seasonal trends change every year, so it’s important to keep an eye on your analytics. Whether its YouTube Analytics, Instagram or email marketing, staying up to date with yours stats will indicate what your audience enjoys and what doesn’t go down so well.
Don’t be too salesy
Let’s be real, marketing is all about trying to get something. Be it engagement, reach, it all pretty much comes down to money. We know that sounds icky, and you may be thinking, “no way, I’m in it for the art!”, but you need to fund your art somehow. It’s fine, I’m doing it right now.
But, no one likes having things forced on them or shoved down their throat. Think about what you are marketing and why – are you trying to reach new fans, are you trying to sell your album to existing fans? Figure that out, and then big yourself up in a measured and considered way without overdoing it.
Holiday-themed marketing and content ideas
If you’re conscious of the fact that your content calendar is looking a little bare this holiday period, here are some fun yet simple marketing and content ideas to help get you in the festive spirit.
- Christmas covers: You don’t have to get into the studio for this one, hop onto the acoustic guitar (or whatever your weapon of choice is) and share a fun cover on Instagram Stories or as a light-hearted SoundCloud upload.
- Festive giveaways: Host competitions with a festive theme, and give away some of your merch to the lucky winners. You could ask fans to redesign your EP cover art to be holiday themed, for example.
- Holiday playlists: Curate and share playlists featuring your festive favourites, and maybe even drop in a couple of your own tracks while you’re there.
The holiday season is a fantastic opportunity to connect with fans, spread joy, and end the year on a high note. From festive covers to heartwarming livestreams, there are so many creative ways to make your music part of the season’s celebrations. Have fun, keep it light, and don’t let a good opportunity pass you by. End your marketing efforts on a good note, and remind your audience how great you are so you’re fresh in their minds for the New Year.