Looking for holiday giveaway ideas that make an impact? Whether you go for free gifts or festive contests, giveaways are a smart way to stand out and build long-term brand loyalty over the holiday season.
If you want to promote your business, connect with customers and ramp up holiday shopping, Christmas giveaways are a great way to get your customers into the spirit of the season—and encourage them to shop with your small business for all their holiday needs. Plus, a great giveaway can help keep your small business top-of-mind even after the season is over.
But what kind of giveaway is the right move for your business this holiday season? Let’s take a look at six holiday giveaway ideas that will help you spread cheer and drive plenty of holiday sales in the process.
- Holiday giveaway ideas can increase customer engagement, boost sales and encourage loyalty beyond the festive season.
- There’s a strategy to suit every budget and business type, including BOGO deals and collaborative contests.
- Social media giveaways and community partnerships are great for growing your audience while spreading holiday cheer.
- Giveaways also help you showcase products, reward loyal shoppers and clear out inventory before the year ends.
- The best holiday giveaways feel personal, on-brand and genuinely festive.
Give a free gift with every holiday purchase
During the holiday season, shoppers are out searching for the perfect gift for everyone on their list (’tis the season of giving, after all!).
But because they’re so focused on getting holiday gifts, most people aren’t shopping for themselves in December. So, why not show your customers that they’re on your holiday list? Offer them a gift they can enjoy with their purchase—you’ll be treating your customers during a time when they’re unlikely to treat themselves.
A gift with purchase is not only a great way to thank your customers for shopping with you during the holiday season, but it also gives them an incentive to shop with your business. And if they don’t want to keep the gift for themselves, they can use it as a stocking stuffer for someone else. Choose a small but memorable item like a bookmark or festive holiday sticker pack to keep your brand top-of-mind.
Consider offering free gifts with purchases as a holiday giveaway idea.
Offer a holiday-themed BOGO promotion
A holiday-themed, buy-one-get-one-free promotion (often called “BOGO”) is another great way to incentivize holiday shopping with your business to your customers. And as an added bonus, a promo like this can be a great way to get rid of excess inventory.
Maybe you have an item that’s not selling as well as you expected and you want to get it off the shelves before the New Year—you could offer it as a BOGO deal during your holiday promotion. Remember to promote your BOGO offer on social media and in-store with seasonal signage so your customers don’t miss the deal.
Run a “12 Days of Christmas” promotion
A “12 Days of Christmas” theme is a win-win for you and your customers. You get to stretch out all the fun and business exposure of a holiday giveaway for a full 12 days. And your customers get more chances to cash in on your giveaway—so instead of one opportunity to receive a holiday gift or win a prize, they get 12!
There are plenty of “12 Days of Christmas” giveaway ideas you could run with. You might give away a different piece of branded merchandise to shoppers each day of the promotion like a tote bag on day one, a hat on day two, a water bottle on day three, etc. Or, you could raffle off a larger prize or gift card each day of the promotion.
Another way to build excitement for your giveaway is to keep each day’s promotion a secret. Unveiling the details of your promotion in real-time will create a sense of anticipation with your customers. They’ll be more likely to check your social media channels, visit your business website, or stop by your brick-and-mortar location each day to find out what gift or promotion you’re running—and this increased level of engagement can lead to increased sales.
Festive promotions keep audiences engaged over the holidays.
Host a giveaway on social media
Social media is a great place to advertise your holiday giveaways. But if you’re strategic about your delivery, a giveaway can also be a great way to build your social media following and increase your audience before the ball drops on December 31.
Choose a high-value item you want to make the center of your holiday giveaway: maybe a gift basket of your best-selling products or a shopping spree at your retail location. Then, host the giveaway on your social media platforms and use the giveaway to encourage social sharing.
For example, if you’re hosting your holiday giveaway on Instagram you could let your followers know that for every person they tag in the comments they’ll get a chance to win the big prize. This can act as an incentive to tag their friends—and the more friends they tag, the more your social media following grows.
A festive thank you card makes customers feel appreciated.
Create a holiday giveaway contest
As the name implies, you could just give something away for your holiday giveaway. But you could also make your customers work for it, and turn your holiday giveaway into a holiday giveaway contest.
While many December giveaways choose a winner at random or give a small prize to every customer, a holiday giveaway contest adds an extra element of fun and creativity—both for you and your customers.
The theme of your contest can take whatever form you’d like. You might have a contest to see who can write the most original caption for one of your company’s holiday social posts. Does your business serve a lot of families and children? Offer a festive coloring contest for the kids. As long as the contest is fun and holiday-appropriate, it’ll drive engagement with your business throughout the holiday season (and, hopefully, drive sales right along with it).
Promotional offers drive sales at Christmas and beyond.
Partner with another local business for a holiday giveaway
Partnering with another local business helps spread the holiday cheer as far as possible. Since both you and your partnering business will be advertising your holiday giveaway, you each get exposure to the other business’ audience, which can introduce new people to your offerings and increase your customer base.
Look for other businesses or nonprofits in your community that would make sense to partner with for a giveaway. If you own a coffee shop, partner with a local chocolatier to put together a Christmas morning gift basket, filled with a selection of coffee and chocolate. Or if you own a yoga studio, you might launch a “New Year, New You” giveaway and partner with other local wellness businesses to create a resolution-inspired giveaway package.
Launch your giveaway collaboration with a shared hashtag and co-branded promotional materials to maximize engagement across platforms. Partnering with another local business can add more value to your holiday giveaway and help you get in front of more potential customers. It’s a holiday win-win.
For even more engagement, announce the partnership with email or direct mail marketing, using custom postcards or festive email templates.
Launch one of these holiday giveaway ideas with your business
Holiday giveaway ideas are one of the best ways to build brand awareness, drive traffic and make your customers feel valued during the most wonderful (and competitive) time of year. With just a few simple tricks and the right seasonal strategy, you’ll be set up for success well into the new year.
