Building a Holiday Marketing Calendar for TikTok Shop

Holiday Marketing – Crafting the Ultimate TikTok Experience

The holiday season is TikTok’s stage – is your brand ready to perform under the spotlight? With over 1 billion active users globally, 43% of Gen Z users stated they purchased a product that they discovered on TikTok. TikTok has transformed from a trend-driven app into a powerful marketing arena. As an entertainment-first platform, TikTok offers brands a unique opportunity to go beyond traditional promotions and create immersive, engaging experiences that captivate audiences.

Holiday marketing on TikTok isn’t just about offering discounts; it’s about tapping into the platform’s dynamic nature to tell your brand’s story in ways that resonate and convert. With the right TikTok holiday marketing calendar 2024, timed to key shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, your brand can capitalize on the 24% higher ROI TikTok is generating for eCommerce, becoming the star of this festive shopping season.

Marketing is all about timing! While holidays and seasonal moments create great opportunities to reach target customers, it is often challenging to realize which moments to plan for and how to stand out. This TikTok holiday marketing calendar 2024 blog will help you overcome this channel with 2024 marketing plans. Now you can discover and plan the right moments throughout this holiday season to join the conversations on TikTok for increased brand awareness and sales.

The best way to use this TikTok holiday marketing calendar:

• Prioritize: Select your pick of major holidays that best align with your brand. For example, if your brand is of home and holiday decor, you should focus on Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas. Of course, not forgetting about the BFCM surge.
• Plan: You should at least plan a few months ahead. By deciding early on which dates to focus on, you’ll be better prepared to develop an effective marketing plan, well in time.
• Launch Campaigns Early: The best practice is to get the ball rolling on major holiday initiatives up to 2 months ahead of the actual date. This will give you enough time to capture users’ attention and build momentum before you need them to take action.

From Spark to Sale

Join in the season of joyful discovery and shopping on TikTok to convert the audience’s spark of interest into actual sales for your brand.

• Discovery & Purchase:

TikTok fuels intentional exploration and discovery. As per the TikTok playbook, around 71% of TikTok users visit the channel to discover and purchase through the channel.

• Over 60% of users are more likely to search for Fashion & Beauty
• Over 30% of users are more likely to search for Home Decor
• Over 30% of users are more likely to search for Travel

• Research & Consideration:

Discovery is just the beginning. Almost 45% of users love to dive deep into further exploration on TikTok. Content and influencer collaboration can help you foster brand trust and conversions during this stage.

• Decision & Action:

Lastly, a joyful discovery on the channel leads to spirited action – Purchase. When you TikTok as part of your holiday marketing journey:

• 1.3x more likely to impulse shop.
• 1.3x more open to direct shopping.
• 1.2x more likely to shop online.

Holiday Themes – Bringing the Festivities to TikTok Shop

Growing on TikTok, especially during the holiday season, might feel like chasing an airplane. However, this TikTok holiday marketing calendar 2024 guide is the secret weapon to essay content mess, achieve viral success, and boost revenue. Here’s how you can leverage the channel to its maximum potential during the holiday season:

• Holiday-Themed Hashtags: TikTok thrives on hashtags. TikTok’s sway over user purchases is evident through viral hashtags like #tiktokmadebebuyit, which boasted a staggering 70.4 billion views. Start by leveraging holiday-themed hashtags to create excitement around your promotions; think along the lines of #ShopJoyfully, #WrapAndWin, or #FestiveFinds, which can spark TikTok challenges and trends.
• Storytelling Through Short-Form Videos: Harness the power of storytelling through short-form videos to engage your audience; share your brand’s holiday narrative with entertaining skits, unboxing moments, or delightful gift-giving surprises that resonate with your promotions.
• TikTok Livestream Events: Launch major holiday promotions through livestream shopping events, engaging users in real-time with special deals and behind-the-scenes glimpses.
• Content that Converts: Value & Variety: Delivering Value on TikTok means crafting content that resonates with and benefits your audience. Does it entertain or inform? Whether it’s fostering community connections or tapping into the latest trends, the goal is to create content that keeps your audience actively engaged, offering them a sense of worth and relevance through each interaction. Diversify your content to cater to your viewers’ multifaceted needs and interests. Keeping your creative portfolio fresh and varied is crucial to captivate the widest possible audience. By offering a rich mix of content, you’re equipped to meet the dynamic needs of your TikTok community. It is advisable to create a variety of professionally generated, user-generated, and AI-generated content.

TikTok Holiday Marketing Calendar 2024

The Big Four – Holidays That Drive the Shopping Frenzy

1. Halloween: The Spooky Spectacle –

Look for opportunities to embrace the spooky spirit of Halloween and have fun with treats (not tricks!) for your customers. From costume trends on #halloweencostume to the artistry of #halloweenmakeup, hashtags are a great way to connect with the TikTok community.

Consumer Behavior during Halloween: 

• Consumers engage in festive purchases for Halloween celebrations.
• Increased interest in unique and creative Halloween-themed products, especially those suitable for parties and events.

2. Thanksgiving: Gratitude & Giving –

A time to rally around causes and nonprofits that make a difference. This Giving Season, highlight what sets your product or business apart by sharing how your business gives back to the community. Use this opportunity to share your business’ values and build brand awareness and loyalty.

Consumer behavior during Thanksgiving:

• Shoppers appreciate businesses with a focus on giving back during the holiday season.
• Increased engagement with brands emphasizing gratitude and community support.

3. Black Friday & Cyber Monday: Doorbuster Showdown –

These are often the two biggest shopping days of the year, both for in-person and online retail. Proper planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday could make or break your performance for the year, so get started early.

Consumer behavior during BFCM:

• Shoppers actively look for the best deals and promotions.
• Increased online and in-store traffic during these sales events, with a focus on limited-time offers.

4. Christmas: Holiday Magic – 

With lots of users looking for the perfect gift, this is a great time to connect with last-minute shoppers. Don’t miss this opportunity to highlight what your business has to offer by sharing your products and services that fit a variety of budgets. December’s marketing push will likely focus on those key shopping dates before the shipping cut — usually somewhere between December 10-18. Start prepping early for the busy shopping season.

Consumer behavior during Christmas:

• Consumers actively engage in holiday-themed purchases for decorating and gifting.
• Increased demand for traditional Christmas items, with a focus on creating a festive atmosphere.
• Shoppers seek diverse and thoughtful gifts for different cultural celebrations.
• Increased demand for items representing cultural diversity, emphasizing the importance of inclusive and meaningful gifts during this season.

Readiness Checklist for TikTok Holiday Marketing Calendar 2024:

Follow these simple steps to set up your campaign for success this holiday season.

• Set up data connections

  Data connections are essential to delivering high-performing ads. They open up a more holistic view of your customer journey and allow you to optimize your ad campaigns.

• Ensure your Catalog is connected and optimized

  Set up a Video Shopping Ads campaign and connect your catalog to reach TikTok shoppers with the right products.

• Set up a TikTok Shop and integrate it with an eCommerce store through CedCommerce

  Capture net-new sales with a discovery-based eCommerce channel integrated into TikTok. To manage your TikTok Shop store with your eCommerce channel seamlessly, use the tech-first integration solution of CedCommerce. Effortlessly manage the inventory, products, and orders, with real-time data sync to make the most of the holiday season in no time.

• Drive web conversions and sales with high-performing ad solutions

  If your catalog is connected, you can use Video Shopping Ads to dynamically display product information and supercharge sales on your website. To convert the highest-value holiday shoppers, use value-based optimization to target audiences that will likely generate a higher return on ad spend (ROAS).

• Accelerate your measurement plan

  Start a test-and-learn plan now to optimize and scale your Q4 campaigns. Split testing allows you to test two different versions of your ads to determine which one performs best and optimize future campaigns.

Measuring Your Holiday Success

• Metrics with a Creative Twist: While traditional metrics like CTR (Click-Through Rate) and sales are essential, this holiday season, consider expanding your success measurements. How much brand love did your campaign generate? Look at the emotional connection your audience developed with your brand. Did your campaign inspire user-generated content or create viral moments? These can be powerful indicators of how your brand is resonating with your audience during the holidays.

• Feedback and Community Engagement: Success isn’t just in numbers but in the buzz you create. Dive into customer comments and interactions. Did your holiday campaign spark excitement or meaningful conversations? Measure how your community responded—whether through social media challenges, contests, or direct feedback.

Extend the Energy of the Holidays with a Post-Holiday Sale

The excitement of the holidays doesn’t have to end when the calendar flips to January. A well-timed post-holiday sale can help you carry that festive energy into the New Year. With customers already in the shopping mindset, offering exclusive deals after the holiday rush allows you to capture lingering demand and keep the momentum going.

Consider promoting New Year specials, bundling products, or offering discounts on leftover holiday stock. Not only does this give shoppers more reasons to stay engaged, but it also clears out inventory and boosts early-year sales. By extending the festive spirit with a post-holiday sale, you maintain brand visibility and capitalize on the seasonal buzz, ensuring a smooth transition from the holiday peak to sustained growth in the New Year.

So, this is all you need to know about creating a TikTok holiday marketing calendar for 2024. Whether you want to boost Christmas sales or launch any holiday products, you’ll find a place to celebrate on TikTok. Start implementing it today to enhance your campaigns, boost sales, and increase revenue.