Did you know that 48% of businesses credit video content as the most effective element in their holiday ad campaigns? With short-form video driving the highest ROI, businesses that invest in holiday video content are positioned to increase engagement, boost sales, and strengthen brand awareness throughout the holiday season.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the strategies and ideas to help your business create compelling holiday video content Whether you're new to video marketing or looking to refine your approach, these tips and stats will set you up for success.
Ready to light up the holiday season with video? Let’s get started!
TLDR: There are plenty of opportunities to create and share engaging videos throughout the holidays! Here are the main types:
- Promos: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, holiday sales, New Years
- Gift guides
- Holiday greetings
Keep reading to get templates for these videos and more.
What types of holiday videos should I make?
You need a variety of video assets to cover all phases of the holiday customer journey, from deal-seekers to appreciative followers. Here are 10 essential holiday video ideas, along with templates to jump-start your creation process.
The big 4 shopping events
| 1. Black Friday | Transactional: Drive doorbusters & sales. | Use teaser videos early to build buzz. Promote aggressively until the sale ends. |
| 2. Cyber Monday | Transactional: Drive online sales. | Use video to share exclusive deals and create a clear sense of urgency for digital shoppers. |
| 3. Small Business Saturday | Navigational/Informational: Increase local awareness. | Promote your shop and other local businesses. Note your location, hours, and in-store incentives. |
| 4. Holiday shopping | Transactional: Drive online and in-person sales. | Explicitly call out quick shipping, gift card promos, and in-store shopping for last-minute gifts. |
| 5. New Years | Transactional: Capture resolution-focused spending. | Show how your products help shoppers achieve their New Year's resolutions, then sweeten the deal with a promotion. |
1. Black Friday Promos
Black Friday is seen as the unofficial-official kick off to the holiday season. And although it may seem to be in the shadow of Cyber Monday, last year’s Black Friday retail sales rose 12%. So to start things off strong, promote your Black Friday doorbusters and exclusive offers with an eye-catching video!
Since the holiday shopping season seems to start earlier and earlier each year, you can use a teaser video like this one to create buzz.
If you have limited-time offers or exclusive deals, make sure you promote them with a video that stands out online.
Finally, continue promoting until the sale ends to get a head start on your holiday sales.
2. Cyber Monday Promos
Next up is Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday or Cyber Week is one of the biggest days of the year for online retailers, which means you’d better come ready to play!
Use video to share exclusive Cyber Monday deals, create a sense of urgency, and get shoppers. Just like the Black Friday teaser, you can make the most of your sale by creating an announcement or teaser video.
This promo is a great video to put some ad dollars behind to maximize your reach.
3. Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday is another shopping event that is growing in popularity, especially among those looking for unique and ethically-made gifts. And you can (and should) promote it like any other holiday!
Try using our SBS Promo template to increase awareness for your business as well as other small businesses in your local area. If you’re a brick-and-mortar shop, make sure to note your location, hours of operation, and incentives in your video.
4. Holiday Promotion
Now for the holiday-specific sales. These videos are highly effective when run as targeted ads. They can also be included in emails, product pages, or organic social posts. Focus on how your products make great holiday gifts.
Pro tip: Promote added value like gift wrapping, free shipping, or other non-discount perks to encourage the sale.
This modern promo video features a variety of products to position the seller as a one-stop-shop for everyone on your shopping list.
And finally, this vertical video is perfect for sharing on Instagram Stories, Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts to get in front of as many people as possible.
5. New Year, New promos
Last but not least, a new year means new opportunities and of course, another chance to make more sales. Consider how your products can help shoppers reach their resolutions. Then, to sweeten the deal, toss in a promo and, of course, promote it with a video.
Seasonal content & gift idea videos
Gift guides
This is a subtle, creative marketing tool. Structure your guide by creating different shopper personas (e.g., "The Techie," "The Wellness Friend," "The Budget Buyer") and assign products to each. This approach feels more organic and less like a hard sell.
Holiday Event Invitation
If you're hosting a customer or client event, video is the best way to generate excitement and share the necessary details. Use it to invite guests, and follow up with a recap of the festivities afterward.
Appreciation & engagement videos (for brand loyalty)
Holiday Greetings
Once the core shopping events pass, use this content to cut through the noise and show appreciation.
You can use any of our holiday greeting templates to show appreciation for your customers and wish them a happy holiday season. Here are some of our favorites.
Our Company’s Year
The end of the year is the perfect time for a recap. Share major milestones, awards, and company news from the past year. This is also a subtle opportunity to mention top-performing products.
New Years Greetings
Thank your customers for their support throughout the year. A simple, heartfelt "Happy New Year" video is a highly effective way to conclude the season and reinforce positive brand sentiment.
Holiday video strategy cheat sheet
Now that your ideas are planned out, it’s time to think about how video plays into your overall holiday marketing strategy. Here are two key ways to track your video marketing success this season.
Set strategic goals
Before creating any content, define what you want your videos to achieve. Your goals should go beyond simple revenue targets.
- Goal Examples:
- Creating connections and increasing engagement with new and existing customers.
- Positioning specific products as ideal holiday gifts.
- Sharing expertise or seasonal tips to build authority.
- Attracting new social media followers to grow your audience.
- Driving new, qualified visitors to your website landing pages.
Measure your success
Specific goals require specific metrics. Use these ideas to track your video marketing performance throughout the holiday season:
- Content Volume: Post at least __ holiday videos per week.
- Views: Increase overall video views by __% compared to last year.
- Engagement: Increase reactions (likes, comments) by __%.
- Reach: Increase video shares and saves by __%.
- Conversions: Increase the click-through rate (CTR) from video ads to the product page by __%.
Holiday video creation help
Having a little trouble getting started? We’ve put together some resources to help you out.
Text for your holiday videos
Writer’s block got you down? No problem. We’ve put together a list of 60 different ways to say “Happy Holidays” in your next video. From the basics, like
“Seasons Greetings” and “Merry Christmas” to heartwarming well-wishes for your customers, song-inspired greetings, quotes, and more, we’ve got you covered.
Your Holiday Color Palette
The traditional red and green for the holidays can start to feel a little stale, which is why our marketing design team put together a cheat sheet with four holiday color palettes to help you elevate the look of your holiday marketing videos. It comes complete with hex codes (the six-digit code that looks like #FFFFFF) so you can be sure to plug in exactly the right color to your own marketing.
Merry video making!
