For a B2B business, the month of December is the busiest time of year to buy gifts. Even, a good number of business-to-consumer (B2C) companies use B2B holiday marketing tactics in their businesses during the holiday season.
In 2023, customers spent approximately $7.23 billion from Thursday to Saturday. Online sales reached $7.9 billion in 2023, with 174 million Americans making purchases between Thanksgiving weekend and Cyber Monday.
People who work in business-to-consumer sales know how busy the weekends can be and how important it is to make money. However, people who work in B2B rarely participate part.
Black Friday, for instance, is an event that all businesses can use to make a lot of money. But, most B2B companies think it’s only for B2C companies. This concept needs to be changed.
In recent years, holiday marketing has risen significantly. Shopping for BFCM and Christmas now begins around Halloween and goes all the way into the new year.
This article will explain effective holiday marketing tactics for B2B.
Who Can Get Benefits From Holiday Sales?
Not all business-to-business sectors can benefit from holiday sales. For today’s marketing, it’s best to target businesses selling fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), clothing and textiles, home furnishings and office supplies, or general merchandise. There is a distinct benefit for vendors who provide business-to-business (B2B) partners, who then produce items for individual consumers.
Selling in an event like Christmas or BFCM isn’t the best place for products that fulfill a particular demand at a specific time. This category includes machine replacement components; nobody will shop for these during the holiday, but they will be needed eventually.
More steps are involved in the B2B buying process since clearance is required from a wider range of individuals inside the firm. Because of this, it’s doubtful that all the necessary B2B managers would be able to make a hasty decision on Black Friday.
Here are some statistics regarding Holiday at eCommerce-
- Drive Research found that during sales, 68% of consumers prefer to shop online, while 27% prefer to shop in-store.
- According to a survey conducted by Adobe, there will be a 6.1% increase in the number of people expecting to purchase on Cyber Monday
- In the United States, 60% of holiday shoppers intend to spend over $250, while 10% intend to spend over $1,000, according to Tinuiti Holiday Shopper Survey.
- According to, Nielseniq.com smaller purchases were more popular in 2022, with 72% of consumers reporting spending less than $200 on various necessities and holiday gifts.
Benefits of Holiday Marketing for B2B Businesses
Business buyers can benefit from consumer psychology’s focus on limited-time offers and deals. Even in B2B, special offers have a big impact. Buyers may not expect a B2B marketing firm to participate in holiday discounts, but doing so will make you stand out.
B2B holiday planning requires inventory management, logistical preparedness to accommodate a bulk order flow, and a strong eCommerce infrastructure to ensure a smooth shopping experience.
Another vital aspect is accurate offer definition. These can include limited-time discounts, hourly promotions, and other deals. Understanding buyer behavior enables customized holiday offerings.
It is not necessary to have a sale to participate in holiday. Since 2015, REI has been one of several companies to do this; on Christmas, they send their employees outside, pay them off, and close the store. The company’s beliefs have been highlighted, and morale has been raised.
If you want to be someone different, that is fine, and you can run your B2B business in your way. A business person can utilize a few more tactics, except provisioning discounts for B2B businesses into their store.
Top Holiday Marketing Tactics for eCommerce B2B Business
Tactics 1- Boost Your Social Media Presence by Using Twitter
Lead creation, brand growth, customer support, and social listening are all areas where Twitter can be a helpful tool.
Use social listening to enhance holiday interest and adjust or customize your offerings accordingly. This can be made easy with a digital marketing platform such as Hootsuite. After you have collected some information, choose a message, such as a discount on a digital product or a monthly service.
Another option is advertising a free workshop, a free eBook related to your niche, or even a free consultation with a team member. That way, you may develop a relationship with your audience and follow up with an email marketing campaign, even if they are unwilling to spend any more mornings during the hectic shopping day.
Tactics 2- Advertise to Specific Audiences on Facebook
One of the most significant ways to increase the number of people in your target audience who see your social media postings is to use targeted advertisements.
A well-crafted advertisement has the potential to evoke strong emotions. With targeted social media and direct email marketing, business-to-business app developer Flixel increased its revenue by 99% on Christmas, even though they offered a 30% discount.
Think about running simple advertisements that provide discounts, freebies, or a Facebook ad allowing users to remark and follow up using Facebook Messenger.
Differentiate yourself in whatever way you choose. Since other businesses will offer discounts on Christmas, you may differentiate your promotion by emphasizing something special, like a BOGO offer, rather than just the reduced price.
Tactics 3- Use LinkedIn to Market Your Offers
Even over the holidays, LinkedIn remains the most popular social media platform for business-to-business marketers. After all, LinkedIn generates 80% of B2B leads and beats Facebook and Twitter by 277% regarding lead creation.
Mandy McEwen of Mod Girl Marketing has over 17,000 contacts on LinkedIn, many of whom are potential clients. She uses LinkedIn strategically all year to find these leads.
Think about repurposing offers you currently have if you’re stuck for ideas. Adding the BFCM” or “Happy Christmas” post to a post or direct message is a simple way to give existing promotions that promote discounts or freebies a new lease on life. And there are a lot of choices when it comes to using LinkedIn to get people’s attention. Whether it’s a direct message, an article, or a status update, there are plenty of ways to get your offer out there.
Tactics 4- Build Your Own YouTube Ad Campaign
Video is expected to make up 79% of all internet traffic worldwide in 2020, thanks to the ever-increasing number of people watching videos online. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are often people’s go-to sources for holiday marketing ideas. While using videos on those platforms is a good idea, you can stand out from the competition by utilizing the channels they’re avoiding.
Think with Google said that, there is a 30% boost in the likelihood of short-term sales when YouTube ads feature strong calls to action.
Consider starting a YouTube campaign when brainstorming holiday marketing ideas. Make a film that people will want to share, whether it’s for the whole Christmas season.
To show their appreciation for event planners, splash, for instance, made a humorous film and asked its customers to share it with their friends and family who work in the industry. More people wanted to share the movie with their friends and coworkers since it was entertaining, short, and not too promotional.
Tacktics 5- Make the most of Instagram Stories
Due to the brevity of the holiday season, real-time engagement is ideal when many shoppers use their mobile devices to check social media for the newest deals. During the sales weekend, B2B organizations can use Instagram’s Stories feature to create interactive and exciting stories similar to Techcrunch and GE’s.
EarthWeb reports that 61% of users included the Support Small Business Sticker in their tales within the first month.
Stories can captivate audiences due to their brevity and immediate nature. Whatever you want to make, whether a tutorial or a special deal that only your Stories viewers can enjoy, the sky’s the limit.
Tactics 6- Use a Wholesale App for Shopify
On the eve of the holiday season, there is no doubt that there will be a rush into your store. Installing a third-party app can be a solution to solve this issue. A quick order app will help the bulk buyer save time and allow them to complete their purchasing duration quickly.
You can use the benefit of such an app if you run your Shopify store. At Shopify, there are different bulk order applications available, and to get the best result during the holiday, install the app a few months earlier. Let’s see how a bulk order app can work-
Selling juices in bulk with MultiVariants
In this scenario, we see a storeowner who is taking advantage of the holiday season by offering a wide selection of refreshing juices in large quantities. It is common for store owners to plan and stock up on popular beverages during this time, ensuring they meet the high demand for refreshments.
The storeowner implemented a Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) of 8 for their products. They also integrated a Shopify wholesale app that enables customers to add items to their cart with just one click conveniently add items to their cart with just one click.
If you are an aspiring entrepreneur looking to boost your B2B business in the food or home decor industry during the holiday season then using such a bulk order application can be handy.
Bottom Line
Connecting with consumers, expressing gratitude, and generating leads are all possible holiday marketing tactics for B2B. This article outlines efficient B2B marketing methods that organizations can use to their advantage during this holiday season.
