Perfect Timing: When to Secure Influencer for Your Holiday Campaigns

Written by Jim Tobin | November 5, 2024

As the air turns crisp, savvy marketers are already turning their attention to the most wonderful time of the year—the holiday season. But while visions of sugarplums may not yet be dancing in consumers' heads, now is the crucial moment to start planning your holiday influencer marketing campaigns. In this post, we'll explore the ideal time to secure influencers for your holiday promotions and how to stay ahead of the competition in the bustling world of seasonal marketing.

Hint: If you’re reading this post in November, you’re really late. But perhaps you can take guidance from the Chinese proverb, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is today.” You’re late, but if you move quickly, you may still have success (or contact us and leverage our relationships). Ideally, you’d have started work in August.

Why August is the Sweet Spot for Holiday Influencer Partnerships

1. Brands Have Clear Vision

By August, most brands have solidified their holiday marketing strategies. You've likely identified your key products, special offers, and overall campaign themes. This clarity is essential when approaching influencers, as it allows you to:

Present a cohesive vision to potential partners
Align influencer content with your broader marketing goals
Ensure that influencer partnerships complement other marketing initiatives

2. Prime Influencer Availability

The best influencers—those with engaged audiences and a track record of successful brand partnerships—are in high demand year-round. However, their calendars fill up especially quickly for the holiday season. By reaching out in August, you:

Get first pick of top-tier talent before they commit to competing brands
Allow influencers ample time to brainstorm creative content ideas
Secure prime posting dates during the peak holiday shopping season

3. Time for Strategic Planning

Starting your influencer outreach in August gives you a comfortable buffer to:

Negotiate contracts and terms
Develop comprehensive briefs and guidelines
Plan content approval processes
Coordinate shipping of products to feature

4. Early Bird Advantages

Being proactive can lead to several benefits:

Potentially better rates, as influencers will likely charge more when their calendars are full.
More flexibility in campaign structure and timeline
Opportunity to build stronger, long-term relationships with influencers

Steps to Secure Your Holiday Influencer Dream Team

Now that we've established why August is the ideal time let's walk through the steps to secure your holiday influencer partnerships:

Define Your Campaign Goals: Clearly define what you want to achieve with your holiday influencer campaign. Is it brand awareness, direct sales, or perhaps driving traffic to a specific landing page?
Identify Your Target Audience: Understand who you're trying to reach during the holidays. This will guide your influencer selection process.
Research and Shortlist Influencers: Look for influencers whose audience demographics align with your target market and whose content style matches your brand aesthetic. Here’s more on how to select influencers.
Craft Compelling Outreach: Develop personalized pitches highlighting why partnering with your brand for the holidays is a great opportunity.
Negotiate Terms and Deliverables: Be clear about expectations, compensation, and the scope of work from the outset.
Develop a Content Calendar: Work with influencers to plan out content drops that align with key holiday shopping dates.
Create Detailed Briefs: Provide influencers with all the information they need to create on-brand content, including key messaging, product details, and any mandatory disclosures.

Maximizing Your Holiday Influencer Campaigns

To ensure your holiday influencer partnerships are successful, consider these tips:

Encourage Authenticity: The holidays are a time for genuine connection. Allow influencers creative freedom to share your products in ways that resonate with their audience.
Think Beyond Product Posts: Collaborate on holiday gift guides, festive DIY projects, or seasonal recipes that incorporate your products organically.
Leverage Multiple Platforms: Don't limit yourself to one social media channel. A multi-platform approach can help you reach diverse audience segments.
Plan for Long-Term Relationships: The holidays can be a springboard for year-round partnerships. Think about how you can nurture these relationships beyond December. Carusele’s iStack™ algorithm helps with this.

The Importance of Timing in Influencer Marketing

Timing is everything in marketing, and this holds especially true for influencer partnerships during the holiday season. By securing your influencers in August, you're not just checking a box on your marketing to-do list—you're setting the stage for a successful, strategic campaign that can drive significant results during the most critical sales period of the year.

Remember, the holiday season is a marathon, not a sprint. Starting your influencer outreach in August allows you to build momentum gradually, teasing holiday content as early as October and maintaining a steady drumbeat of festive promotions through the New Year.

Conclusion: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

In the world of holiday influencer marketing, the early bird doesn't just catch the worm—it gets the best creators, the most thoughtful content and the best timing for releasing content. By prioritizing your influencer partnerships in August, you position your brand for success during the most wonderful (and competitive) time of the year.

Happy planning, and may your holiday influencer campaigns be merry, bright, and incredibly successful!

---