With forecasts predicting holiday spending growth in Canada and in the U.S. this year, and what looks to be the highest sales in the U.K. this Christmas since 2007, there are plenty of reasons to run a Christmas promotion to capture a share of holiday spending budgets.

But consumers will be inundated with Christmas deals, offers and special promotions, so making yours stand out is critical. And ultimately, all your customers want for Christmas is a good experience with your brand. If you can make their lives easier and their holiday season a little brighter, you could earn yourself a place on their Christmas wish lists for years to come. Here are three ways to create promotions that will help you earn a spot under the Christmas tree this year.

Develop a Heartwarming Campaign

Christmas is a time of giving, caring and sharing, and these are powerful emotions to tap into. Using emotional appeals rather than direct sales pitches can help you win hearts—and Christmas budgets—and it also attaches a lot of goodwill to your brand.

John Lewis, an upscale British department store known for its creative Christmas campaigns, has unveiled a promotion that’s generating a lot of buzz—and tears—this year. Its Disneyesque tale The Bear and Hare depicts the magic of sharing Christmas with those closest to us, as enacted by woodland animals.

In addition to a TV spot, it also created online and in-store extensions of the campaign with a downloadable interactive e-book, a theme song available on iTunes, Twitter characters and an invitation to photograph—and purchase—the characters in stores.

Create an Integrated Shopping Experience

With consumers using multiple mobile devices and channels to browse, research potential purchases, engage in social gifting, and shop the old-fashioned way, it’s critical to ensure an integrated experience across all platforms. A survey of 2,000 online consumers by eDigitalResearch and IMRG found that 96% of respondents plan to shop online this Christmas, and 48% plan to make at least half of their Christmas purchases online. Ensuring a seamless experience—whether in store or online—is critical to your holiday promotions success. In other words, make sure customers can fulfill their Christmas wishes with your brand no matter where they’re shopping.

Sears, which has invested hundreds of millions of dollars both in-store and in technology to meet evolving shopping needs, has taken integration to the next level by partnering with ShopYourWay.com to extend its mobile reach to new corners of the digital retail space. This social shopping network allows members to interact around the shopping experience as well as follow and communicate with their favourite brands. Sears’ page reflects holiday messaging and offers its latest promotions and giveaways.

Think Beyond the Gift

Sure, Christmas is primarily about giving, but seasonal sentiment goes beyond shopping deals. Holiday traditions involve decorating, getting dressed up and cooking for family and friends—all of which make for great stories, and great user-generated content. Invite your customers to engage with your brand by sharing that content to win prizes, and you can capture leads while you spread the holiday love.

Household fragrance brand Air Wick did just that this year with its Homemade Holiday Facebook contest. Memories are, after all, often associated with the sense of smell, which is Air Wick’s stock-in-trade. Entrants can win a $5,000 cash prize and visitors to the page can like and share posted moments.

Ready to launch your Christmas promotion? Our social promotions platform can help you get your campaign up and running in no time. Contact us for more info.

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