Christmas Marketing Strategy: Running Facebook Ads During the Festive Season

Nov 26

What's this episode of the lionhearted ceo podcast about?

Ready to enjoy your Christmas break without watching your business momentum grind to a halt? Pour yourself a cuppa and get comfy, because in this episode I'm sharing my tried-and-tested strategy for keeping your ads working their socks off while you're building gingerbread houses and watching nativity plays!

Here's what I'm dishing up today:

Why the festive period (especially between Christmas and New Year) can actually be a golden opportunity for lower ad costs
My three-pronged approach to running ads over Christmas (and why you only need £6 a day to keep things ticking!)
The exact strategy I used at British Airways to balance automation with genuine connection (and how you can steal it for your business)
How to set everything up NOW so you can actually delete Instagram over Christmas (yes, really!)

Whether you're planning to launch something exciting in January or just want to maintain your momentum without being glued to your phone, I'll show you exactly how to keep your business growing even when you're knee-deep in Christmas chaos.

Perfect for you if you're wondering:

How to maintain visibility without posting daily
What ad campaigns actually work during the festive period
How to build your audience while you're offline
Whether it's worth running ads over Christmas (spoiler: it absolutely is!)

Ready to set up your Christmas ad strategy that works harder than Santa's elves? Pop on the kettle, grab your favourite Christmas biccie, and let's make sure your business keeps sparkling even when you're taking a well-deserved break!

Helpful Resources Mentioned:

Hi! I’m your host Sophie Griffiths, a Meta ads expert and business growth strategist.

The LionHearted CEO podcast is designed for impatiently ambitious women who are ready to scale and often juggling motherhood alongside their thriving online businesses in coaching, course creation, or service-based business.

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Read the transcript:

NOTE: This podcast was transcribed by an AI tool. Please forgive any typos or errors.

Ep 86 - Xmas ads
===

[00:00:00] Hello and a big welcome to Lionhearted CEO, the podcast for unapologetically, impatiently ambitious women who know they want to stop being the bottleneck in their business and become the Lionhearted CEO they know they are meant to be. I'm Sophie Griffiths, a tea enthusiast, marketing and Metis ad specialist and firm believer.

[00:00:24] The chocolate should never be kept in the fridge. Join me every Tuesday for bold, imperfect, fun approach to marketing and scaling your business without burning out every few months. We'll dive into practical strategies and have inspirational conversations that will support you to create a thriving, sustainable business that brings you joy as well as financial freedom.

[00:00:44] Okay, let's jump in. 

[00:00:45] Hello, and welcome to this week's episode. 

[00:00:48] Today I'm gonna be talking about how you can set your business up over So that you are still growing your audience, building your business and creating that momentum, Nurturing potential clients and making sure that when you come back in [00:01:00] January, everything is there and ready to go. But you get to go into Christmas not burnt out, actually have some time off, take a break so that you are fully refreshed as much as you can be when you have children at Christmas, coming back into January.

[00:01:14] So, I'm going to start this episode with a little story. 

[00:01:17] So back in 2015 and 2016, I was managing British Airways premium customer experience at Heathrow. So this was a really senior level job. I had a team of over 350 who worked for me at our flagship terminal.

[00:01:32] Now this was a team that was responsible for the premium experience. So business class, first class, our gold card holders, our gold guest list, which is even more elite.

[00:01:42] And we even had a very small specific team to look after royalty and celebrities. Now, whilst I was looking after this team, I was responsible for the check in experience, the lounge experience, and then boarding onto the plane. Okay. So everything that took place within the airport. The kind [00:02:00] of people that were traveling with us either they'd spent a lot of money themselves personally, or they were the kind of VIPs that expect a very high level of service all the time, or they were traveling for work and maybe they had a lot of budgetary responsibility, in that they could decide whether their company flew British Airways or Virgin When they were flying for work, so it was really really important that we created this consistent premium experience at Heathrow, but with a team of 350 people who all worked shifts and the reality is is that when these clients were coming through the airport Even if they were flying with us really regularly, They'd very rarely see the same person twice.

[00:02:44] So to create a consistent premium experience when the person, the actual customer never dealt with the same person twice, it was really, really important we looked at how we could quickly and effectively create connection and nurture those customers

[00:02:58] now the way that we [00:03:00] managed this at BA is probably one of the most crucial lessons I've learned about scaling my business. I had no idea I was learning at the time, but once I realized it, it just changed everything for me. So if you're wondering what connects running a 350 person team serving royalty and celebrities at Heathrow and running a successful, growing, small business, it's this. You never have to choose between automation and connection. The key is mastering both. And in the airport, that's what we did. We gave the team iPads so that we could update information about customers all the time.

[00:03:37] So if they had a customer in front of them, we worked out what key information did they need to know right away? What was really important that they knew about that customer? Had they had a previous bad experience? Were they authorized to give them an upgrade? We used to talk about delivering things that would surprise and delight.

[00:03:53] Could, did they have authority to give them something that would surprise and delight? Could they upgrade them into a higher level lounge? We [00:04:00] also allowed them to then talk to the cabin crew on board Through this ipad system so that if the customer had an issue on the ground then the cabin crew on board Would know about it and would be able to support there as well so That's just one example of how we used automation to create connection, and it really was about mastering both, rather than just relying on automation.

[00:04:21] So for example, just relying on automated check in, which happens a lot now, where you go to an airport and you're just expected to check yourself in versus the other extreme would be that, the same person who you have a relationship with and you trust and know and you know will give you an incredible experience is there every time you fly. Now that's just not possible in that kind of environment.

[00:04:41] So we had to work out what that middle ground now, this is all well and good, I know, but you're probably wondering, okay, 

[00:04:46] how does this principle apply to me and my marketing strategy over Christmas, Sophie? Well, just like we use processes, systems, and technology at BA to maintain that personal connection rather than remove it.

[00:04:59] When you are [00:05:00] impatiently ambitious and you're scaling your business, but you know that , you need to have downtime. You need to be able to have seasons of taking a step back. You need to be able to step away from the business, especially at Christmas when you wanna go off and build slightly wobbly gingerbread houses and go to the school nativity play.

[00:05:17] Go wreath making and have mulled wine. Okay, you need to know that you can do that and you can step back Without it negatively impacting your business or meaning that when you come back in January You're making your life harder having to build up that momentum from scratch Now this applies to all businesses, but I do feel in particular it applies to business I do feel like in particular it applies to those of us that have children, especially younger children over this period where You The December chaos isn't just one or two days or one week, it's actually like five to six weeks.

[00:05:49] And with the best will in the world, it's a real challenge to keep the momentum going in our business as well to be present, grow our business and go into January feeling confident.

[00:05:58] So today I'm going to walk you [00:06:00] through exactly what you need to be doing with your ads over Christmas. Maintain that quality connection with your audience, even when you're eating mince pies.

[00:06:08] You should know that right now we are in peak ad season at four product businesses. Now this doesn't mean that, that your ads aren't going to work. 

[00:06:15] It doesn't mean that your ads are going to be way more expensive. It doesn't mean that you should turn your ads off, but if they're not working as maybe they have done previously, or if you've launched some ads and they're really not working very well. That could be why generally what I say is if we want to turn on new ads around this time from around the 20th of December, it does vary each year. But it's around then that we start to see the big e-comm spend, start to drop off. Basically because the postage deadline has passed And we start to see the real opportunities when it comes to growing. Our audience are primarily for service businesses. So, what I have seen in the past few years is that that point as you kind of leading up to Christmas, but really kind of between Christmas and new year that's when we get some incredible low [00:07:00] ad costs. 

[00:07:00] So in particular lead costs, And if you think about it, it kind of makes sense. You might thinking. Who has time to be on their phone? I have a Christmas it's such a busy time. But actually the reality is that a lot of people spend more time on their phone. There's a lot of downtime in between Christmas and new year. 

[00:07:17] People kind of browsing online that kind of, and looking, I think as well forward to the next year. People are more open and thinking, okay, finally got through Christmas, I've got a little bit of Headspace. Now I'm starting to think about shifting into next year. What do I need to be able to do that? 

[00:07:32] Whether that's related to their business, their health, their finances, their mindset, whatever it is is that January feeling that people start to sort of shift into. And what we see is that that means lead costs. Can we come really, really low, which is amazing for us. But if you are expecting to be able to just turn on ads and let's say on the 27th of December, without having everyone on number four, without thinking about what your lead magnet is without [00:08:00] thinking what content you're going to put in front of people, and just hoping you can whack something up and make the most of that time. I hate to be a crunch. But you really need to put a little bit more thought in it beforehand to really make the most of it. 

[00:08:12] Momentum takes time. You can't just switch it on, but obviously you don't want to miss the opportunity to capture leads when everything is a bit quiet and it's a really great opportunity. So what we need to work out is how can we work smarter? Not harder. Over Christmas using ads that you can set up before you go away and feel reasonably confident that they're going to do pretty well.

[00:08:31] Now the reason why. I'm going to suggest the ads I'm going to suggest is because I know they work is how I've built my business. 

[00:08:38] It's how my clients build their businesses. Is how I run ads for my management clients, this is the core foundational system to everything that I do and all the clients by work with. 

[00:08:46] So, how are we going to do this? There were three types of ad campaigns that I'm going to talk you through today. Now none of these will be a surprise. 

[00:08:53] I talk about these all the time. If you've listened to any of my other episodes, these are the campaigns. I talk about all the time, but I'm really going to talk about them in relation to [00:09:00] Christmas and this really specific time of year, because it is a bit of a different time of year. 

[00:09:04] The first easiest answer to set up and run are going to be your engagement ads. And these ads are going to go out to people who are already following you. So this isn't about reaching new people. This isn't about audience growth. This is about nurture and connection of your current audience. 

[00:09:18] Okay. So I call this my easy engagement ad strategy. I have a free step-by-step guide. I also have a 27 pound mini course that walks you through. Literally step-by-step with the videos and checklists. So there's no excuse not to have this one up and running because it is so unbelievably accessible. Okay. But the key to this? Yes, it's the ads. Okay. There's always an element of ads. But actually the key to these ads is the content. Okay. Now, assuming you are going to be creating some content between now and Christmas. This podcast is going live on the 26th of November. So you have got just under a month to create some content, and I know you'll be creating content anyway. So the key is creating content that grabs your ideal client's attention. [00:10:00] Now they're already following you. 

[00:10:01] Okay. So they already have some context about you. What we really want to be doing here is building that relationship, nurturing them, creating connection. Okay. In my free guide. And in the course, I share my power posts framework and that talk. 

[00:10:13] And that literally walks you through the exact posts that you can create to create that connection and nurture. Now reason why this campaign is so powerful is a, it's really easy to set up. 

[00:10:22] It's just using content that you're already going to have created. Especially if you use my power posts, you're going to know that it's the kind of content that is going to get great results. It's going to keep you visible without having to post daily. Like, if you want to take two weeks off over Christmas, make sure you've created your content upfront and posted it. 

[00:10:38] You can just use these ads to show your current followers throughout that time when you're not posting. It maintains your momentum with really minimal effort allows you to stay top of mind of people. So when they're scrolling, you're still popping up in their feed. 

[00:10:51] It's not like you're not posting. So, you know, Instagram relegates you to the back and doesn't share anything. It allows you to build social proof. So I absolutely recommend [00:11:00] that some of the posts you should be including this campaign. All social proof posts. And it means that you don't need to be glued to your phone over the Christmas period. 

[00:11:07] You can set it up beforehand. You can even create posts if you want some specific Christmas ones that you don't necessarily want to then have to post it on Instagram and then go in and add them to the campaign. You can just create them in the campaign and then publish them over Christmas without them to worry about kind of going in and setting anything up. I'd recommend that you run this kind of campaign at around three pounds a day. Okay. Is there's absolutely no reason why. Over the Christmas holidays, you create some content before had set up this very, very easy ad campaign, spend three pounds a day and know at the minimum. Over the Christmas period, even if you don't post, even if you're not online, even if you literally can delete Instagram from your phone and not worry about it at all that your followers, because they might be online. I actually going to be seeing your content and you can decide what you put in front of them. 

[00:11:53] Okay. Priming them. Ready for January. Now the second kind of answer I'm going to fully advocate for [00:12:00] are the Instagram growth ads. Okay. And these are the ones that are going to grow your Instagram. Following. These are the ones where you're going to reach new people where you're going to find ideal clients that are then going to come over to your profile and follow you. So the reason why these are brilliant is because you can continue to grow your Instagram following. Build your audience and create a foundation for January. 

[00:12:21] So if you're launching something in January, if you've got an offer, if you or even if you just want new clients or you've got new things to talk about in January, we want new people all the time, finding us, coming to us, into our world, building that momentum. Okay. If we can. Attract new people while we're off again, you can have Instagram deleted. And you can just, I need followers once they follow you, they will then drop into the warm audience campaign. 

[00:12:46] So someone could find you through your Instagram growth ads. They had come over to your profile and follow you once they follow you, they will then be served the ads that you've set up to nurture and connect with your followers. So there's that whole ecosystem suddenly, [00:13:00] rather than just them finding you and then hearing nothing from you for a few weeks, actually, they're seeing you they're being prompted and actually the more they get shown your content, the likelihood is they're probably going to interact with it. And then naturally the organic algorithm is going to show more of that content as well. Okay. The last ad strategy I'm going to talk about is growing your email list. 

[00:13:19] Now this might not feel so urgent over Christmas. You might think actually, do you know what? I just want to keep my Instagram growing over Christmas. Like people seeing my content and that's fine. If that's your goal, then absolutely do that. What I would say is if you do have a big launch, if you have ambitious goals for January, if you have something new that you really want to promote coming back to an email list full of new people is really, really powerful, especially if they've had your lead magnet consumed it. 

[00:13:47] Maybe they've got a bit more time over Christmas. Coming back to that is really powerful and the opportunity for the lower ad costs. The one where you're going to see the most impact is this campaign. Okay. Now the key here is that you need a [00:14:00] lead magnet that really speaks to your ideal client. You need ads that really talk to that very specific problem. 

[00:14:05] We don't just want anyone on our email list. We want people who are our ideal clients and in January. Already to like jump in. We want to make sure that when they sign up, you have a welcome sequence that that's going to welcome them in and it's going to talk to their pain points and it's going to direct them to content that you've created. 

[00:14:22] That is really, really helpful for them. So it gives them a next step. It's not just come follow me on Instagram. It's come and watch this post because you're going to find out. X or Y. So however I do acknowledge if you don't have the dads running at the moment, that might feel like a huge mountain to climb in what is probably about three weeks of actual work time. However, if you've already got lead ads running, then I would absolutely be looking at, can I optimize this further? Can I maybe nudge my budget up? If I can see that the lead costs are a bit lower. I'd really be looking at how can I make the most of this period from about the 20th of December through to late the [00:15:00] fever in the first few weeks of January. You'll find that the lead costs are much, much lower and it's really, really, it's a really fun, exciting time. 

[00:15:07] So to build that momentum going into January, if you have got your lead ads all set up and ready to go, even if you turn them off in the next few weeks, if you find the ad costs get too high. Definitely don't assume that you need to turn them off over Christmas. Even on Christmas day, last year, I had clients who were getting sales. Clients who were having like loads, like brilliant lead costs. 

[00:15:26] And actually, I think we think people are much busier than sometimes they are. And actually the lead cost can be amazing. So if you are looking for a way to balance automation and connection and personalized experience in your business, But you are at that point where you're like, I actually really just need a bloody rest over Christmas. 

[00:15:44] I cannot still be. Engaging and doing everything on Instagram and it's just too much. I need to step away from my business and have that reset before I come back. And in January. These are the ad campaigns that I would recommend. Okay. So engagement ads really as a minimum, ideally Instagram growth [00:16:00] ads as well. 

[00:16:00] Those are the two campaigns I would absolutely recommend. You're looking at again, the Instagram growth ads are about three pounds a day as well. So you're looking at six pounds a day, like over that Christmas period, how much would that be worth to you to come back to have that incredible momentum on your Instagram? And then if you already have lead ads running, I'd absolutely be running them over Christmas and, and especially between Christmas and new year.

[00:16:21] So, so there you have it. 

[00:16:23] That is my suggested plan for your ads over Christmas. Okay. If you want to balance automation and systems, and you're committed that in your business with connection and nurturing. Now if you're wondering, well, how the hell am I going to learn how to do that now? Safie. You have got the free step-by-step guide to. To setting up your engagement ads. You also have the mini course that you can buy, which then has videos are literal step-by-step it also gives, goes much more in depth about the kind of power posts that you can create. If you've never done this before, there's also a bonus module about setting up your ad accounts, setting up your business manager. So that you can run ads and optimize them in the most [00:17:00] effective way. If you know that you want to do the Instagram growth ads and probably the lead ads as well, then the audience builder course is the one that you need. 

[00:17:07] It combines all three of these campaigns. So the engagement ads, the Instagram growth and the lead ads so you will have all of those in there and you get everything from, and you get everything from graphic templates, plug and play copy strategies, and there's a huge amount in there to support you, to get these ads live and optimized. So I'll put all the links in the show notes. So that you can go and have a look and sign up to those and get those ads live so that you can have a break. Not worry about your Instagram or you grow through momentum or anything like that. 

[00:17:36] And you can come back in January knowing that your business and your audience are still thriving and are ready to go. Have a lovely day. And I will speak to you soon. 

[00:17:46] Thank you so much for listening today. Before you go, if this episode struck record with you, I'd be over the moon. If you could take a moment to rate, subscribe, and leave a review, your words not only brighten up my day, but they are [00:18:00] also the magic that helps others discover this lion hearted community.

[00:18:03] Again, thank you so much and I will see you next week.