‘Tis the season to rake in some festive profits cause something is cooking in the oven — Thanksgiving Day! This cozy, heartfelt celebration kicks off a bustling shopping season (AKA. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas), meaning it’s the perfect opportunity for savvy sellers and entrepreneurs like you to grab a share of this sweet pie. So, why not put some gravy on your sales this fall with the ultimate Thanksgiving marketing ideas? Let’s dig in! 🦃🍂😊
Grab a Slice of This Pie! 🥧
- Why Carving Out a Thanksgiving Campaign Is a Smart Move 🧡
- 10 Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas to Rake Your Holiday Sales 🍁
- 1. Create a Content Calendar 📅
- 2. Deck Out Your Brand for the Holidays 🍂
- 3. Create Buzz With a Flash Sale ⚡️
- 4. Spice up Your Lineup With Limited-Edition Items 🛍
- 5. Show Extra Appreciation to Loyal Customers ✨
- 6. Get Customers in the Spotlight Through UGC ✨
- 7. Send Some Thanksgiving Cheer to Your Clients’ Inbox 📧
- 8. Spread Holiday Joy With Free Shipping 🚚
- 9. Run a Targeted Ad Campaign 📢
- 10. Showcase Your Products in a Holiday Gift Guide 🎁
- + Prepare for the Holiday Hustle: Black Friday & Cyber Monday! 💣
- Final Slice of Thanksgiving Success 😌
Why Carving Out a Thanksgiving Campaign Is a Smart Move 🧡
Thinking twice about adding a Thanksgiving campaign to your plate? If you’re wondering whether it’s worth the hustle of including another festivity in your strategy, you’re not alone!
But before you pass on this holiday, let’s go over the reasons why a well-timed campaign spiced up with Thanksgiving marketing ideas can help you read the rewards this fall. Read on! 😌
⭐️ By the Numbers — Thanksgiving & Holiday Spending in 2023
Worldwide
Black Friday
Cyber Week
Retail Sales
Consumer Trends
Top Products
💡 Data: Queue-it
⭐️ What This Means For…
With the U.S. being the largest market for print-on-demand, this holiday brings the opportunity to promote personalized items as exclusive seasonal merch. Whether for gifts or get-togethers, customized products are a top option for consumers looking for unique, off-the-shelf goodies.
Including Thanksgiving marketing ideas in your business strategy can help you increase your sales during the holiday season. Promoting exclusive discounts or limited-time offers generates a sense of urgency among buyers, prompting them to make the most of these deals.
Thanksgiving can be the perfect time to boost your brand presence and connect with your audience through friendly messaging that effectively showcases your brand’s value and identity. For example, showing gratitude through heartwarming thank you posts on social media.
Feeling ready to craft a delight-fall campaign? Remember, this is just a sneak peek of what this holiday can bring to the table. As we dive into all the Thanksgiving marketing ideas we’ve selected, you’ll find the strategy that best aligns with your business goals! 😊✨
10 Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas to Rake Your Holiday Sales 🍁
1. Create a Content Calendar 📅
💡 Why It Works
With the rush of the holidays fast approaching, it’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. This can ring especially true if you’re juggling multiple social media accounts, your business’s website, and other platforms on top of your daily to-do’s.
No worries —a content calendar can be your new best friend! This is the perfect ally to organize and manage your Thanksgiving marketing ideas, promotions, sales, and posts across all your channels. Plus, it helps you align your goals with the most relevant holidays for your business and audience, making it easier to stay on track during the busiest time of year.
😌 How to Nail It
✅ Identify Seasonal Opportunities
While we’re focusing on Thanksgiving marketing ideas, there are plenty of upcoming festivities and holidays you can include in your calendar. Now, how to choose? Do consider their relevance within your industry and niche. If you’ve done seasonal campaigns in the past, look at data, consumer trends, and results that help you determine engagement peaks.
⏰️ Set the Clock Just Right
Let’s avoid last-minute stress! For major festivities (think Christmas, for example), start planning your content calendar at least 2-3 months in advance. This gives you enough time to strategize compelling holiday marketing campaigns, line up with important dates, and ensure you have all your assets ready for each channel.
✨ Align the Content to Your Niche
While major holidays may be popular, keep in mind the type of content that aligns with your brand and resonates with your audience. For instance, if you’re a print-on-demand seller, you can launch a series of “Thanksgiving Essentials” posts featuring cozy fall designs. On the other hand, if you’re a lifestyle blogger or own a food business, you can share your favorite homey recipes to squash the holiday season. 🥧😊
3 Can’t-Miss Holidays for Your Content Calendar
😀➡️ Keep Reading: 9 Tips to Create a Social Media Calendar
2. Deck Out Your Brand for the Holidays 🍂
💡 Why It Works
Giving your brand a ho-ho-holiday makeover can capture the festive spirit, creating a sense of connection with customers and encouraging them to participate in the shopping season. Plus, it’s the perfect way to make your business stand through a professional design!
Think rich color palettes, inviting imagery, and a thoughtfully crafted message that truly resonates with your audience. For instance, in the example below, notice how the luxury brand Burberry invited shoppers to get “all wrapped up” in their cozy, stylish fall collection, promoting their high-end apparel line while getting in sync with the festive season. 🍁✨🍎
😌 How to Nail It
🌟 Match the Theme to Your Niche
Thanksgiving is a time to embrace the spirit of gratitude. So, for this holiday marketing strategy, think about how this aligns with your brand’s unique offerings. For example, if you’re in the beauty industry, you could promote a “Thankful for Self-Care” campaign with an autumn-inspired collection. All in all, aim to incorporate the theme into your messaging in a way that feels relevant to your business.
✨ Set the Scene With Beautiful Visuals
An inviting design can make all the difference for your customers. For a Thanksgiving campaign, consider incorporating earthy tones like warm oranges, deep reds, muted greens, and rich browns. Play around with autumn imagery like falling leaves, plaid patterns, barren trees, candles, pumpkins, and rustic decor to make your audience feel naturally drawn to your brand during this season.
🚨 Bring on a Sense of Urgency
Don’t forget to include a clear and compelling CTA to encourage customers to make the most out of your products or services during this holiday season. Phrases like “Claim Your Discount!” or “Buy and Save 30%” can drive engagement, enticing visitors to act quickly.
P.S. In the next strategy, we’ll dive deeper into creating a sense of urgency by promoting a limited-time offer so keep scrolling! 
🍂🌽 Found a Thanksgiving template you’d love to tweak? You can always check out our beautifully curated Fall Color Palettes to bring on the cozy autumn vibes for this season!
3. Create Buzz With a Flash Sale ⚡️
💡 Why It Works
Onto the next of our Thanksgiving marketing ideas! Running an exclusive holiday offer it’s an excellent way of driving sales. Just think about it: shoppers are on the lookout for top deals before the holidays (remember the stats we shared?). Thus, exclusive promos often encourage them to buy on the spot.
Moreover, this is also a great opportunity to promote items that are not usually in demand year-round. For instance, marketing a seasonal collection including autumn-themed goodies can help you leave room for your next best-sellers (do we hear Christmas coming around?). 🍂⛄✨
😌 How to Nail It
🤑 Define the Purpose of Your Sale
Are you trying to build brand awareness, boost your revenue, or clear out excess inventory? This will help you tailor your promotion strategy to achieve specific goals. For instance, if your goal is to increase visibility, it might make sense to offer discounts on your most popular products. On the other hand, if you want to clear your catalog, creating a “Last Chance” sale for items that won’t return will be more beneficial.
🕑 Keep the Time Frame Short
Ok, this might seem obvious when talking about flash sales, but what we want to point out is that simplicity is key! Make it easy for customers to snag the deal, don’t make them jump through hoops. For example, a 24-hour sale can create a sense of urgency, enticing them to take advantage of the offer right away.
📢 Spread the Word on Your Promotions
Think about all the planning that goes into crafting the ultimate flash sale as part of your Thanksgiving marketing strategies. It wouldn’t make sense to let it go unnoticed, would it? Promote your special discounts on social media, your website, email, and other marketing channels that have proven to engage with your target audience in the past.
💡 Quick Tip: Use Thanksgiving social media posts to streamline the design process and share your promotions right away. With Placeit by Envato, you can create and download an unlimited number of professionally-made visuals for your brand!
4. Spice up Your Lineup With Limited-Edition Items 🛍
💡 Why It Works
Seasonal products are a fantastic way to tap into the holiday excitement, driving demand as shoppers look for one-of-a-kind goodies to celebrate this festivity. Plus, there are endless opportunities to join the Thanksgiving hype!
Whether it’s through a brand-new design that embraces fall’s cozy aesthetic, a special packaging for your items, or a seasonal bundle, these limited-edition items can make your products stay relevant during the holiday shopping season. Let’s give customers a reason to celebrate with your brand with these Thanksgiving marketing ideas! 😊
😌 How to Nail It
🤩 Stay on Top of Trends
Time to put your detective glasses on! Take over social media and e-commerce platforms and dive into the most popular products, themes, and designs for the season. Take notice of the color palettes, imagery, and patterns that repeat among best-sellers. For example, if you’re an online seller, you can check out the Etsy Trends that are gobbling up the autumn vibes.
🍂 Incorporate Unique Seasonal Designs
Elevate your product lineup with beautiful designs that match the warm and cozy feeling of autumn. Whether you opt for a cheeky festive pun or a heartfelt quote accompanied by a sweet illustration, these visuals can tie up your whole collection, making it a must-have for customers.
Now, here are the good news! At Placeit by Envato, we’re experts at pumpkin spice and everything nice for this fall season. Just take a peek at some of our favorite Thanksgiving templates below. 🥧🍂😊
🎁 Offer Product Bundles
Instead of offering products as single-purchase items, why not create the perfect all-in-one packet for Thanksgiving? If your brand focuses on apparel, you can showcase a matching set that includes a hoodie, a scarf, and a hat for the chilly autumn months, making it easy for customers to stay warm and look great!
On the other hand, if you’re in the beauty and care niche, why not create a “Holiday Essentials” kit with an apple cinnamon-scented candle, a moisturizer, and cozy socks? Be sure to highlight how the bundles offer a better value than buying each item separately.
🥶🧣 Get sweater weather-ready with these Fall Shirt Ideas to Add to Your Online Shop!
5. Show Extra Appreciation to Loyal Customers ✨
💡 Why It Works
Thanksgiving is all about gratitude, so what better time to show your VIPS how thankful you are for their support? Rewarding them with early access to sales, exclusive discounts, or special coupons makes them feel valued, thus helping your brand foster long-term relationships with them.
When it comes to Thanksgiving marketing ideas, this small gesture can go a long way, especially during the holidays, when everyone loves a little extra appreciation. By giving back to your loyal customers you’re also encouraging future purchases! ✨
😌 How to Nail It
🎯 Target Specific Customers
To nail down this holiday marketing strategy, you’ll need to define which segment you want to target. For example, you could choose your promotion rules based on the client’s purchase history, orders above a certain budget, or even select customers who have engaged with your brand frequently in the past year. This way, you can craft promotions that speak directly to their preferences.
⭐️ Create a Points Program
As with other Thanksgiving marketing ideas we’ve compiled in this selection, this strategy doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Your reward program could be as simple as a customer performing a specific activity such as giving points per dollar spent on purchases, leaving product reviews, signing up for your newsletter, or showing an active social engagement.
🪄 Personalize Your Promotion Channels
This is particularly important as the point of this strategy is to make customers feel valued. If you’re sending out a coupon via email, for example, you can tailor the subject line to match the recipient’s name for a personalized experience. For instance: “Hi, [name] give thanks with 20% off!” or “Hey [name] unlock exclusive Thanksgiving deals”.
6. Get Customers in the Spotlight Through UGC ✨
💡 Why It Works
Nowadays, customers are looking for genuine interactions with brands (just take a peek at what our social media expert had to say in this interview). Thus, user-generated content proves to be a great strategy for marketing the holidays, turning the casual shopper into an advocate for your business.
UGC allows your audience to be part of your brand’s community while boosting your business’s visibility. This differs from the overly polished, filtered content that may come off as unoriginal to put your customers into the spotlight, ultimately influencing the consumer’s journey through being relatable. 😌
😌 How to Nail It
💬 Encourage Customer Reviews
As we’ve mentioned, the purpose of UGC is to put customers front and center, allowing them to share their authentic experiences with others. Not only should you be mindful of their feedback, but you should also facilitate this process too! Leverage tools like Google Business Reviews to create a shareable link and include it on your website footer, email, or social media.
📱 #GetNoticed With a Branded Hashtag
Major powerhouses in their respective industries such as Calvin Klein, Coca-Cola, And Go Pro have created branded hashtags for creative campaigns (and have you checked out our #MadeWithPlaceit designs?), expanding their reach by building awareness and recognition. So, why not take over this holiday with Thanksgiving hashtags that encourage customers to share their favorite memories or their best gravy-licious recipe? You could even make it into a challenge! By the way, this brings us to our next point.
🦃 Host a Thanksgiving Contest
Crafting a creative and fun challenge (maybe a Thanksgiving giveaway?) is an excellent opportunity to engage with your audience while coming up with great content for your brand. For example, you can invite followers to submit their best fall-themed photos or what they’re most thankful for this year. Make the price juicy (pun intended!) like an exclusive holiday bundle, a limited-edition item, or a gift card.
📲 Boost Your Thanksgiving Campaign With These Hashtag Ideas
#ThankfulWith[BrandName]
#FallFor[BrandName]
#[BrandName]GivesBack
#FestiveWith[BrandName]
#ThankfulAndThriving
#[BrandName]FeastMode
7. Send Some Thanksgiving Cheer to Your Clients’ Inbox 📧
💡 Why It Works
Wondering what’s next on our holiday marketing ideas checklist? We’re diving into crafting an a-maize-ing Thanksgiving email! A campaign through this channel is a great way to get noticed during the busy fall-winter season. What’s best is that this is an opt-in option, meaning customers look forward to receiving content from your brand.
Email marketing is the perfect opportunity to reach customers where they are through effective and concise messaging (take a peek at Placeit’s email below!). So, whether you’re running a flash sale or sharing cozy fall inspo, the right campaign can help you hit your end-of-year-revenue goals. Let’s break down one of our favorite Thanksgiving marketing ideas! 📩
😌 How to Nail It
📨 Segment Your Email List
Granted, not all customers are the same. Thus, before you hit that “Send” button, consider segmenting your audience based on their preferences, purchasing habits, and demographics. This will allow you to tailor your content to showcase relevant product recommendations to each type of buyer.
🕞 Get Your Campaign at the Right Time
As we’ve seen throughout these Thanksgiving marketing ideas, timing can make or break your strategy. So, when should you start sending out your emails? You can start promoting a week or two ahead before major holidays to build anticipation, especially if you’re planning big sales for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.
📬 Avoid Stuffing Everyone’s Mailbox
Especially during the busy holiday season, customers are bombarded with emails, promotions, and sales straight to their emails. Let’s avoid being spammy and facing that dreaded unsubscribe! Instead, space out your messaging (don’t forget about your content calendar) to keep it focused and relevant.
📧😀 Sending out a “Happy Thanksgiving Day” email? Don’t miss out on the Email Design Best Practices for This Year.
8. Spread Holiday Joy With Free Shipping 🚚
💡 Why It Works
Let’s be honest: free shipping is a game-changer for customers, and it’s often what seals the deal on their purchase! This is especially true if we’re talking about last-minute buys before the holiday frenzy starts.
Moreover, it can be a great strategy to encourage customers to increase their order size. And while you may think that free shipping works mostly for big-name brands, the truth is that with a few tips, you can make it part of your business’s Thanksgiving marketing ideas. Let’s break down how to put some little gravy on your sales. 😉
😌 How to Nail It
💸 Consider Your Profit Margins
One simple strategy you can implement is to include the shipping costs in your price. For example, if one item usually costs $15 you can charge $21 for a 40% markup. Use Placeit’s free Profit Margin Calculator to take the hassle out of numbers and make the process smooth and simple.
🏷 Select Handpicked Deals With Free Shipping
Another way to go with free shipping is to curate a collection of Thanksgiving-ready goodies that are eligible for this benefit. For example, how about a “Holiday Free Shipping Favorites” selection? This way, not only are you highlighting certain items that you want to spotlight, but you’re also making it easier for customers to choose the best products for the season.
💵 Place a Minimum Order Value
As for Thanksgiving marketing ideas, this is a great option as it motivates customers to add just a little more to their shopping cart for that bonus. And, who doesn’t love a good deal? You can play around with the fall theme with phrases like “‘Tis the Season to Be Thankful – Free Shipping on $50 Orders”.
9. Run a Targeted Ad Campaign 📢
💡 Why It Works
During the last quarter of the year, shoppers are on the lookout for the ultimate gifts and fall-winter essentials. By running Thanksgiving ads, you’re meeting them where they are — whether on social media or search results. It’s the perfect way of partaking in the holiday buzz!
Regarding Thanksgiving marketing ideas, targeted ads are a great strategy to boost your brand’s reach, connect with customers, and bring more traffic to your store. So, let’s see the best way to add a sprinkle of holiday dash to your promotional efforts! ✨
😌 How to Nail It
✔️ Find the Right Platform
Consider where your target audience is. Is it Instagram, Facebook, or perhaps TikTok? This will allow you to connect with shoppers in the right place at the right time. Plus, once you’ve got the platform picked out, it’ll be easier to comply with the ad specifications regarding its format, size, and timing (for promotional videos).
🚀📐 Want to crunch every platform out there? We’ve done the homework and created the Ultimate Guide to Social Media Image Sizes for picture-perfect ads and content!
🔎 Conduct A/B Testing
Running A/B tests on elements like your ad copy or CTA can help you gain insights into which type of promotional content performs better. Don’t forget to keep track of data like clicks, traffic, and conversions to understand which strategy drives better results during this busy holiday season.
🤩 Create a Scroll-Stopping Moment
Ensure all your images and videos are high-quality and align with the Thanksgiving theme your brand is going for. With Placeit, this is easier than ever since design professionals create our ad templates which are ready to be downloaded instantly. Just select your favorite, tweak it to your liking, and get ready to share it with the world! 🌍✨
😊✨ Feeling inspired? Pour on the sales and spread the word about your business with a Thanksgiving flyer template for your next pop-up sale or event!
10. Showcase Your Products in a Holiday Gift Guide 🎁
💡 Why It Works
Of course, we couldn’t wrap up these Thanksgiving marketing ideas selection without a festive gift guide to inspire your customers for a merry and bright season ahead. What’s best is that this strategy puts your products front and center, making them the star of the holidays. 🌟
Whether you share it through social media Thanksgiving posts, your email newsletter, or as a downloadable PDF, a gift guide provides value to all the holiday shoppers on the hunt for ideas. This way, you’ll give them thoughtful, unique options they’ll love to share with their loved ones (or keep for themselves!). 😉
😌 How to Nail It
✨ Find Which Products Are Trending
Start by researching what’s popular this season so your gift guide is filled with goodies that will have your audience filling their shopping carts in no time. You can always take a look at the major POD platform’s top sellers to find out what’s trending and review your sales history to pinpoint what your customers bought the most during the year.
😀 Keep It Easy & Organized
Provide a seamless shopping experience by arranging your gift guide into categories that make it easier for customers to browse. Need some ideas? We have you covered! You can group your selection by price range, recipient type (partner, kids, friends, colleagues), product type, interests or hobbies. For example, a “Home for the Holidays” collection including candles, wall art, prints, blankets, and pillows.
Take a peek at Target’s holiday inspo for Friendsgiving! 😌
🛒 Make Shopping a Breeze With Product Links
Again, don’t make customers jump through hoops! Don’t forget to include direct links for each product to make for a quick and easy checkout. A simple click can make all the difference in encouraging them to buy right away!
Must-Have Thanksgiving Gift Ideas 🧡
Sweaters 🍁
T-Shirts 🦊
Pajamas 🌰
😊🧡 Loving these Thanksgiving marketing ideas? Let’s bring home the turkey! Here’s How to Prepare for the Fall Sales Period.
+ Prepare for the Holiday Hustle: Black Friday & Cyber Monday! 💣
As we mentioned, Thanksgiving sets the stage for the bustling holiday season. So, keep the momentum going by preparing for the biggest shopping weekend of the year. That’s right, we’re talking about Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday! 
To help you get started, here are our top tips for savvy sellers just like you. Grab some popcorn and hit play to sleigh your goals for a merry and bright end of the year.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday Templates Ready to Go 💥
Final Slice of Thanksgiving Success 😌
As the most wonderful time of the year approaches, kick off the holiday season with a top-tier campaign to build brand awareness, boost your sales, and fall into profits with these Thanksgiving marketing ideas.
Whether you opt for a festive makeover, eye-catching seasonal ads, or a spice-tacular autumn collection, Placeit by Envato has all the designs, templates, and tools you need to wrap up the year on a high note!
Now, we want to hear from you! What Thanksgiving marketing ideas are you planning to try? Drop a comment below and let us know! 😌🍁🥧
🍂😊 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, get a taste of more creative inspo with 40+ Thanksgiving Social Media Posts to Try This Holiday Season!
