The rapid evolution of AI in recent years is truly remarkable. Not long ago, AI was mostly a buzzword, with applications largely confined to predictive analytics and chatbots (though this is a simplified view). Today, AI has advanced so much that we’re exploring its potential in diverse areas like holiday marketing, a topic worthy of an entire article (written by a human, for now).
If you’re seeking innovative ways to leverage AI for your holiday marketing and are curious about generative AI prompts, you’ve come to the right place.
Table of contents
- How is AI used in marketing?
- 8 ways to use AI for holiday marketing
- 15 holiday prompts for generative AI
How AI is used in marketing
Before we explore the applications of AI in holiday marketing, let’s establish a basic understanding of how AI is transforming the marketing landscape. (Feel free to jump to the ideas section here if you prefer).
AI for analytics
Marketing analytics and AI have been intertwined for a while. Initially, AI played a supporting role, assisting with tasks like segmentation and keyword suggestions.
Today, AI empowers real-time insights for social media posts and ads, enabling marketers to adjust ad spending and copy instantly.
Furthermore, current AI facilitates enhanced targeting. AI-powered platforms analyze your existing audience and demographics, comparing them to competitors, evaluating past campaign performance, and more.
These advancements in AI analytics, combined with traditional historical data, enable more informed decision-making and agile adaptation.
Get practical tips to use AI the right way » The Emergency Guide to AI in Marketing
AI for chatbots
AI-driven chatbots provide more sophisticated responses to website visitors, ensuring prompt and effective support. These chatbots can resolve issues or connect users with the appropriate department. Cutting-edge AI chatbots enhance support further by answering product inquiries and offering personalized recommendations, unlocking opportunities for cross-selling and upselling.
Personalized recommendations with AI
Online retailers have been employing machine learning algorithms to suggest products and services for years. Now, modern AI leverages browsing data to deliver real-time recommendations. Combining this with historical purchase behavior creates a more personalized and tailored shopping experience.
Generative AI
Generative AI, powered by companies like ChatGPT and Jasper, has taken the world by storm. This form of machine learning uses natural language processing (NLP) to learn from vast datasets and generate outputs based on its predictive capabilities. While often associated with generating blogs and academic papers, generative AI’s potential extends far beyond that. It assists in brainstorming marketing campaigns, email copy, social media content, and virtually any other campaign element.
8 ways to use AI for holiday marketing
Now that you’re familiar with AI’s capabilities, let’s explore how to harness this power for holiday marketing success.
1. Tailor holiday ad copy
While manual ad ideation and copywriting have their place, AI offers a powerful alternative. Numerous AI tools leverage your data to enhance segmentation. By combining this with your understanding of the funnel and customer journey, you can create compelling holiday ad copy that resonates with your audience at every stage.
For instance, AI can generate variations of ads for the same holiday-themed campaign, each targeting specific audience segments at different stages of the funnel. Take it further by using AI to personalize ads with product recommendations based on past customer behavior.
Want ideas for your holiday campaigns? Get the guide » Holiday Promotions, Campaigns & Social Posts to Unwrap
2. Personalize product recommendations
The holiday season is marked by joy, festivities, and a surge in shopping. AI can simplify this experience by providing accurate and timely product suggestions based on customer browsing patterns on your site. Amazon exemplifies this with its AI-powered recommendation engine. In addition to product page suggestions, their “Top picks” section offers even more personalized recommendations.
If you haven’t already, consider implementing AI-driven product recommendations before the holidays to help customers discover gifts they didn’t even know they were looking for.
3. Optimize cross-channel holiday campaigns
The holidays are a busy and often condensed shopping period. Customer journeys speed up, with less time spent on research. AI-powered tools can help you keep pace with these accelerated journeys.
- Utilize advanced analytics to monitor campaign and ad performance in near real-time.
- Make on-the-fly adjustments to landing pages, emails, ads, and other assets to address bounce rates.
- Combine AI with personalization tools to deliver tailored page experiences based on user behavior.
- Deploy AI chatbots to provide seamless customer support during high-traffic periods.
By integrating these efforts, you can dynamically adjust your holiday campaigns. If certain elements aren’t resonating or a holiday special underperforms, course correction becomes agile and efficient.
4. Improve customer support routing
Customer support requests inevitably surge during the holidays. An effective AI chatbot and routing system can ensure timely assistance and a less stressful experience for your customers.
- Set up chatbots to provide sales assistance and product recommendations.
- Ensure your chatbot can direct users to the correct department and that live agents are available when needed.
- Implement AI-powered call routing that considers call history and sentiment analysis to connect customers with the right agent.
- Add a festive touch by incorporating holiday greetings and language into your chatbot’s responses.
Source
Explore the various AI chatbot and call routing systems available to find the best fit for your budget and requirements.
Thorough testing is crucial. The last thing you want is an AI chatbot directing customers to broken links.
5. Simpler sales forecasting
Gone are the days of manually analyzing historical data. AI simplifies sales forecasting, making it more efficient. Avoid stockouts during the crucial holiday season by leveraging AI-powered sales forecasting platforms. These tools analyze past sales data to predict potential stock shortages, identify less popular products, and more. Even without prior holiday data, perhaps for new products or companies, AI tools can still provide valuable insights. They analyze available historical data, market trends, and other factors to generate forecasts.
6. Real-time ad placement
During the holidays, consumers often browse multiple websites. AI-driven ad platforms can strategically serve your ads where they’re most likely to resonate. By combining real-time ad placement with your holiday campaign optimization strategies, you can dynamically adjust all your assets, maximizing ROI and ensuring your message reaches the right audience at the right time.
This holiday ad was seamlessly integrated into a post about holiday gift ideas.
7. Streamline hashtags for social media
Well-chosen hashtags amplify your social media reach, connecting you with users interested in specific trends. Conversely, poorly chosen hashtags can bury your content. AI platforms dedicated to hashtag optimization can be invaluable. By providing information about your target audience and campaign, these tools generate relevant hashtag suggestions based on market trends.
Source
While manual review of suggested hashtags is always recommended, these tools save you time and effort, allowing you to focus on more strategic tasks like campaign monitoring and optimization.
8. Campaign brainstorming
Generative AI excels at brainstorming individual marketing elements or even entire campaigns, including holiday initiatives. Here’s a quick guide to using generative AI for this purpose:
Find the right platform
Numerous generative AI platforms exist, so research and compare features, pricing models, and your specific needs. Some platforms charge based on usage, while others offer tiered pricing based on the number of users. While many platforms share similarities, often powered by OpenAI, pay attention to unique templates and niche features. Some platforms specialize in blog content, while others offer a broader range of templates for various content types.
Feed your generative AI
Once you’ve chosen a platform, provide comprehensive brand and audience information to ensure tailored and accurate results. Some platforms allow you to submit links or blog posts, enabling the AI to learn your brand’s voice and tone, resulting in more on-brand outputs.
Collaborate on campaign ideas
Finally, input your high-level campaign ideas into the AI and let it work its magic. Some platforms generate ideas for every campaign element, including blog topics, emails, and social media posts, while others focus on broader campaign themes. Remember: Treat AI-generated content as a starting point, not the final product. Your human oversight is crucial. You understand your brand best. Use AI outputs as inspiration to craft original and engaging content.
15 holiday AI prompts for marketing
Generative AI can help you overcome creative blocks and accelerate content creation. However, effective prompts are essential. Generic prompts yield generic results, lacking inspiration or practical value. Infuse holiday spirit into your generative AI endeavors with these prompts, categorized by content type. Feel free to adapt them to your specific needs; consider them starting points for your creative exploration.
Email marketing holiday prompts
- Generate a holiday-themed subject line promoting _____ for our company ____ that conveys a sense of urgency.
- Craft a catchy holiday-themed subject line that entices users to explore our new line of _____.
- Generate a fun/inviting/intriguing holiday-themed subject line promoting an upcoming sale.
- Write a warm subject line that encourages users to reflect on their year and explore our holiday sale.
- Generate a holiday-themed subject line pitching X% off our entire line of _____ and include relevant emojis.
Get more holiday marketing email ideas here, including templates, subject lines, and examples!
Social media holiday prompts
- Design a fun and festive holiday sale announcement for our ____ company.
- Write an engaging holiday-themed social media post about our new _____ product.
- Generate a 100-word post inviting users to shop for the holidays at [COMPANY NAME], which offers _____ products.
- Write a compelling headline for a social media post promoting a holiday sale on _____.
- Write a social media post targeting ____ audience and the ____ industry, promoting a sale/product launch/holiday shopping event.
Get more ideas for holiday social media posts here!
Content marketing holiday AI prompts
- Generate five holiday-themed blog titles that entice our ____ audience to learn about our new product _______.
- Outline X key points for a holiday-themed blog article targeting ____ audience with information about _____.
- Write a blog pitch with a ____ tone that’s holiday-themed and provides information on ____ for our ___ audience.
- Write a paragraph on _____ topic targeting ____ audience and incorporating holiday themes.
- Generate X holiday-themed marketing blog topics that inform our ____ audience about ____.
Real success with artificial intelligence
AI can be a valuable asset for your marketing strategy year-round, but it becomes even more potent during the holiday season, helping you finish the year strong. Here are 8 ways to leverage AI for holiday marketing success:
- Tailor ad copy
- Personalize product recommendations
- Optimize cross-channel holiday campaigns
- Improve customer support routing
- Simplify sales forecasting
- Leverage real-time ad placement
- Streamline hashtag selection for social media
- Brainstorm holiday campaigns Seeking more holiday inspiration?
- Discover 50+ holiday-themed greetings for clients and customers
- Spread cheer with festive holiday emails and templates
- Plan an inclusive holiday campaign with 46 equitable themed marketing ideas