How to Craft a Holiday Marketing Plan That Converts

Will this work for your business?

Simply put, yes. This framework applies to both product and service brands. The specifics change, but the bones don’t.

• Product: ecommerce shops, boutiques, makers, food and beverage, seasonal boxes.
• Local service: salons, spas, photographers, home services, fitness, wellness.
• Appointment-based + clinics: therapists, medical aesthetics, allied health.
• Digital + education: courses, templates, memberships, workshops.
• Hospitality + venues: restaurants, bakeries, cafes, event spaces.
• Nonprofits + community orgs: seasonal drives, ticketed events, sponsorship packages.

What you’ll walk away with

A simple framework to choose the right holiday offer, map the steps to purchase, prep the assets you own, and track only the numbers that matter. You can finish this in an afternoon. write that down.

Diagnose: three quick questions

1. What are you selling and why now?
   One core offer for the season. Gift bundle, limited service package, or book-now-start-in-January.

2. How does someone buy in three steps or fewer?
   Post or email → Offer page → Checkout or Booking. If there’s a detour, cut it.

3. Which numbers prove it’s working?
   Offer-page sessions, conversion rate, paid invoices or completed checkouts.

Prioritize: offer, path, metric

Offer

Make it real on your website first. Price visible. What’s inside. Who it’s for. What happens next.
Add friction-removers like shipping cutoffs, appointment slots, or “start in January” badges.

Path

Limit the taps. Replace vague “Learn More” with action buttons that match the next page.
“Buy Gift-Ready Bundle.” “Book Your Intensive.” Clear wins.

Metric

Keep three numbers on one dashboard, plus a weekly context note.

• Traffic to the offer page
• Conversion rate
• Paid invoices or completed checkouts

Build assets you own

Website

• Homepage feature tile for the holiday offer
• High contrast, mobile-first page with two short testimonials
• Short checkout or booking form

Email

• Two automations: welcome → offer link, and abandoned checkout or no-show booking within 24 hours
• Two live sends per week: one story/feature, one FAQ/comparison

CRM or notes

• Saved replies for top five questions
• 24-hour follow-up rule
• 72-hour “last call” message with two choices: book or pass

Not selling online? Do this instead

You still win with the same bones: one clear offer, a short path to purchase, and three revenue metrics. Swap “checkout” for “book, call, or visit.”

Local retail without ecommerce

Path: FB/IG post → Google Business Profile or pinned post → call/text or in-store pickup.
Prep this:

• Readable offer graphic with price and pickup window
• Hours, address, parking note, tap-to-call button on your profile
• Caption FAQ: “What’s included, how to reserve, when to pick up”
  Measure: calls received, in-store redemptions, repeat visits
  Example caption line: “Call to reserve by Friday at 3 pm. Pick up Saturday 10–4.”

Appointments and services

Path: post or email → Book Now → calendar confirmation.
Prep this:

• Service page with price, what’s included, who it is for
• Scheduling link set to show only holiday slots
• Two saved replies for top questions
  Measure: booked appointments, show-up rate, paid invoices
  Example CTA button: “Book Your Holiday Spot”

Food and hospitality

Path: post → order or call-ahead → pickup time.
Prep this:

• Menu photo sized for mobile, clear prices
• Cutoff dates and pickup instructions at the top of the post
• Phone tap-to-call and pinned post with hours
  Measure: orders placed, average ticket, return customers
  Example caption line: “Call to order by Dec 20. Pickup Dec 23, 9–3.”

Events, classes, and nonprofits

Path: post or email → RSVP or ticket page → confirmation.
Prep this:

• Date, time, location, parking or child-care note
• Accessibility info and a map link
• Simple FAQ: age limits, refund policy
  Measure: tickets sold or RSVPs, donations, sponsor commitments
  Example CTA button: “Save Your Seat”

Quick scripts you can steal

• Phone: “Hi, I’m calling about the {Offer}. Can I reserve for {day/time}?”
• DM auto-reply: “Thanks for your message. To grab the {Offer}, tap here to {book/call/RSVP}. If you have a quick question, reply ‘Q’ and I’ll get back within 24 hours.”

Alt text for offline offers

• Describe what is on screen and the next step.
• “Holiday bouquet special, $45, call to reserve by Friday, pickup Sat 10–4, phone number visible.”

What to measure

We measure revenue actions, not applause.

• Booked calls or completed checkouts confirm the path works
• Paid invoices confirm the offer and price make sense
• Repeat customers confirm delivery and experience

If applause rises and revenue doesn’t, you learned about entertainment, not sales.

A simple 6-week calendar

Week 1, Planning and prep
Lock the offer. Write the page. Set checkout. Load two email automations. Draft three posts.

Week 2, Launch
Publish the page. Add to your homepage menu. Send Email 1. Post the feature with a clear CTA.

Week 3, Objections and proof
Post FAQs and one customer quote. Send “Is this for me?” email. Update the page for repeat questions.

Week 4, Integrity-based urgency
Add shipping or scheduling notes to the top of the page. Send “How it works in three steps.”

Week 5, Gift push or January start push
Run a comparison post and a “pick your path” email with two buttons. Record a 20-second reel showing the path on mobile.

Week 6, Last call + follow through
Post last call with exact dates. Re-trigger abandoned/no-show automations. Deliver, gather two new testimonials, archive notes.

Case example: Holiday Membership Launch (bakery)

A local bakery had been considering a monthly pie club. I encouraged the green light and supported with promo only.

• What I ran: three social posts and a small daily-budget ad that linked straight to the existing buying page.
• Ad details: $2/day from Nov 28 to Dec 25. 11,538 impressions, 6,557 reach, 523 link clicks, ~9.4% CTR, about $0.10 cost per link click, with a total ad spend of ~$53.70
• Organic posts: a photo that reached ~6,525 views and a reel that reached ~1,834 views. Neither post had the website link, which I’d change next time.
• Outcome: 15 memberships sold, totaling about $3,000 in additional revenue from Nov 28 to Dec 31.

Every market is different, so obviously results wil vary by offer, audience, and cadence. I never guarantee outcomes, but this is a very solid repeatable approach to extra holiday sales.

Troubleshooting

• Low traffic to the offer page
  Add the link to bio, pin a post, add a homepage banner, and send a short story email.
• High traffic, low conversion
  Check mobile. Raise contrast, surface price, move a testimonial up, reduce form fields.
• Interest but slow follow-through
  Add “What happens after you buy” in three bullets, plus a calendar link or shipping timeline.
• Busy but not booked
  You’re splitting attention across too many offers. Cut to one and give it two clean weeks.

Your 20-minute clarity check

Set a timer and go page by page.

1. Open your offer page on your phone. Can you understand the promise, the price, and the next step in ten seconds.

2. Click the CTA. Count the taps to checkout or booking. Anything over three deserves a trim.

3. Read your last two posts and the most recent email. Do they point to the offer page every time.

4. Open your dashboard. Are your three metrics visible at a glance.

5. Write down one fix you can ship today. Then ship it.