As we approach the 2024 holiday shopping season, brands must prepare to meet consumer demands and navigate the unique challenges of the year. With a shorter shopping window between Thanksgiving and Christmas, compounded by the political atmosphere of an election year, marketers need to employ strategies that maximize return on investment (ROI). Influencer marketing continues to stand out as one of the most effective methods to engage audiences, promote products, and drive sales during Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM).
In this guide, we provide advanced tactics to help you leverage influencer marketing to dominate the 2024 holiday season. Whether you're looking to boost in-store traffic, optimize mobile shopping experiences, or integrate re-engagement strategies, these recommendations will position your brand for success.
Early Planning is Critical for 2024
The Unique Landscape of the 2024 Holiday Season
The 2024 holiday shopping season is shorter than usual, with only 27 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Combined with the U.S. election on November 5th, consumer behavior is expected to be more unpredictable this year, with economic factors and political uncertainty influencing spending patterns. Brands need to plan their marketing campaigns much earlier than usual, as data from previous election years indicates a slowdown in consumer spending leading up to and after election day.
Starting your influencer marketing campaign well in advance ensures that you have ample time to:
Onboard creators: Vet and partner with influencers who align with your brand's values and goals.
Ship products: Guarantee that influencers receive your products in time to create compelling content.
Approve and post content: Facilitate a smooth content creation process that allows for necessary revisions, ensuring high-quality outputs that resonate with your target audience.
Leverage Influencer-Affiliate Partnerships for Cost-Sensitive Shoppers
Offer Incentives and Discounts
Economic conditions in 2024 suggest that many consumers will be carrying higher levels of debt compared to previous years. A Salesforce study indicated that 43% of consumers are carrying more debt than in 2023, with increased credit usage across all income brackets. Offering discounts and payment options like "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) through influencer collaborations can attract budget-conscious shoppers.
Key strategies include:
Affiliate marketing with discount codes: Provide influencers with unique discount codes to share with their followers. This not only incentivizes customers but also motivates influencers to promote your brand actively, as they earn commissions on sales.
Promote BNPL options: Studies show that the average order value (AOV) increases by 85% when consumers use BNPL services. Partner with influencers to highlight this payment option, showcasing it as an affordable way to purchase gifts.
Optimize Mobile Shopping Experiences
The Shift Toward Mobile Commerce
In 2024, mobile commerce is expected to drive nearly 28% of the total ecommerce growth during the holiday season. With 66% of Cyber Week conversions occurring on mobile, it's essential to optimize your site for mobile users and work with influencers to create mobile-first content.
Key mobile optimization tactics:
Mobile-friendly content: Encourage influencers to produce vertical videos and images that are easy to consume on mobile devices. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Stories are particularly effective for reaching mobile shoppers.
Seamless mobile checkout: Streamline your mobile shopping experience with fast-loading pages, simplified navigation, and quick checkout processes. Consider integrating social commerce tools like TikTok Shop to allow users to purchase directly from influencers' content without leaving the app.
Drive In-Store Traffic with Local Influencers
Bridging Online and In-Store Shopping Experiences
As consumers return to brick-and-mortar stores post-pandemic, in-store shopping experiences will play a critical role in holiday campaigns. Gen Z, in particular, favors physical stores for immediate product access. Brands can use local influencers to promote in-store deals and events, creating a bridge between digital content and physical retail.
Effective strategies include:
Local influencer partnerships: Collaborate with influencers in close proximity to your physical stores. These influencers can create content promoting in-store-only deals, encouraging foot traffic.
Location-based content on TikTok: TikTok’s algorithm populates content based on a user's location. Utilize this to your advantage by having local influencers direct their followers to a store locator page with exclusive in-store promotions.
Diversify Marketing Channels to Beat Political Ad Saturation
Multi-Channel Campaigns for Maximum Reach
With the election season driving up the cost of paid advertising, brands must diversify their marketing channels. Political ads will dominate traditional and digital spaces, making it crucial to spread your campaign across multiple channels.
A balanced approach includes:
Repurposing influencer content across platforms: Source images and videos from your influencer collaborations to fuel your marketing efforts across email, social media, SMS, and out-of-home advertising.
Addressing ad fatigue: Partner with influencers who can produce relatable and engaging content. Authentic storytelling through influencers helps cut through the noise, especially when ad fatigue sets in due to political ads.
Implement Re-Engagement Strategies for Cart Abandonment
Winning Back Shoppers Who Didn’t Convert
Cart abandonment rates tend to rise during the holiday season as consumers research competing products and wait for the best deals. However, this also presents an opportunity for brands to re-engage interested shoppers through targeted strategies.
Effective re-engagement techniques include:
Cart abandonment emails featuring influencer-generated content (IGC): Use FOMO (fear of missing out) tactics by including testimonials and real-life product use in your abandonment emails. A/B test different IGC to see what resonates most with specific customer segments.
Wish list reminders: Capitalize on wish list features to remind users when items are on sale or low in stock. Combine this with IGC to add social proof, encouraging conversions.
Targeted retargeting ads: Use influencer content in retargeting ads to remind users of products they viewed but didn’t purchase. Sponsored influencer posts can also be repurposed as ads, delivering a 3.9% lower cost per purchase than traditional ads.
Conclusion
In 2024, influencer marketing remains a powerful tool for driving engagement, increasing sales, and building brand loyalty during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. By starting early, offering cost-effective incentives, optimizing for mobile, and diversifying your marketing channels, your brand can outperform the competition. Focus on fostering genuine connections between influencers and their audiences to ensure your holiday campaign not only reaches but resonates with consumers, driving meaningful results throughout the entire sales funnel.
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