Make Holiday Memories for Your Customers With Five Senses Marketing
November 1, 2024
Initiate a breathtaking customer experience with an immersive holiday environment. The trick? Pay attention to all five senses.
During “the most wonderful time of the year,” people crave more than just transactions; they want to make memories with their loved ones. How can you, as a business owner, make holiday interactions with your brand not only productive but unforgettable? Do you remember any shopping outings or holiday events? Your nostalgia creates an emotional connection to wherever you were.
Engage the senses
As experienced marketing strategists, let us show you how this looks. Let’s start with the easiest first:
1. Marketing Through Sight: Illuminate the Holiday Spirit
The first thing customers notice will be the visual aspect of your space. It sets the tone for the entire experience. Make it count! A stark storefront with a couple of balloons in front won’t do the trick. For physical locations, warm, festive decor transports customers into a different world. Try twinkling lights, snowy window displays, and seasonal colors. Create interesting focal points with visually stunning displays. If you are a service-oriented business, think about how you can create an enticing presentation that draws attention to what you do best.
Online, take some time to refresh your website’s design with holiday-themed banners, animations, and interactive elements. Consider adding personalized touches, like “Holiday Picks” sections or beautiful, curated gift bundles to make gift selections easy for your customers. Paint the picture for them. Add photos or videos of your products or services being used in a holiday setting to spark inspiration.
2. Sound: Branding Using the Soundtrack of the Season
Music evokes emotions and creates the perfect setting for your holiday promotions. In-store, playing festive music generates a holiday atmosphere. You’ve been there. You hear it when you’re out running errands. It’s obvious when it’s missing. Pull together a playlist that complements your brand, whether it’s soft instrumental Christmas music or upbeat holiday classics. If you’re hosting an event, live music – whether a jazz band, a string quartet, or a local choir – can strengthen a sense of community.
For online businesses, how can sound serve as a building block for a memory? It’s a little more subtle. Try to incorporate non-intrusive holiday sounds, like jingling bells or soft chimes, into your website or social media promotions (we’re not doing the Hallelujah chorus on full throttle here). This special touch draws customers in and makes your brand feel palpable.
3. Smell: Tap into the Power of Scent to Improve the Customer Experience
Smell is one of the most powerful senses for triggering memories, and during the holiday season, certain scents can build an immediate emotional response. When customers feel connected to your space, they linger a little longer. I used to work in a retail store where we percolated hot apple cider or wassail all day long during the holidays. We didn’t sell it. The smell just wafted from the background. It was so unique that our customers noticed. What smells make you feel holiday cheer? Try diffusing scents like pine, cinnamon, peppermint, or gingerbread. My favorite? Those freshly baked goods. Let your customers take a piece of that experience home with them.
Even if you’re primarily online, you can still play with the idea of scent by offering products like candles, diffusers, or holiday-scented items as part of limited-time bundles. Incorporate scent into your packaging, with scented tissue paper or samples. When customers receive their order, they experience surprise and delight that leaves a lasting impression.
4. Taste: Engage Your Customers By Serving Up Holiday Flavors
For in-person events, offer complimentary seasonal treats like hot cocoa, mulled cider, or holiday cookies. When you act as a holiday host (instead of a business owner), you intentionally craft a cozy and welcoming atmosphere for your clients. This works particularly well for holiday pop-up shops, in-store promotions, or meet-and-greet events. These little indulgences make the experience more enjoyable and more family-friendly.
If you operate online, you can still leverage the sense of taste by offering gift bundles that feature local or artisanal food items such as holiday chocolates or gourmet snacks. For example, Private Label Chocolates, in Salt Lake City, can whip up a blissful tray of truffles with your logo on the top. You could even partner with other local vendors to cross-promote products that highlight holiday flavors. Send out holiday recipe cards with purchases to add an unexpected personal touch. Grandma Betty won’t mind you sharing her sugar cookie recipe if it brings a smile to people’s faces.
5. Touch: Outreach That Encourages Hands-On Exploration
The hands-on experience of shopping in person tips the scale during the holiday season. Offer your customers a chance to touch, feel, play with, and interact with your products. Set up a “cozy corner” where customers can feel soft scarves, sweaters, or blankets. Construct a demo station for tech or gadgets and invite your clients to try it out. Touch creates a more physical connection to your product.
If your business is more service-oriented or operates digitally, focus on the moments your clients will experience touch. Send out physical materials or samples for product previews. Think of the tactile experience of unboxing your product. High-quality, thoughtfully designed packaging, complete with tissue paper, ribbon, or textured cards, can make receiving a gift from your business feel truly special. Offering gift-wrapping services adds another layer of delight for both the gift giver and the recipient.
If you offer any type of ongoing service, like a subscription or a membership, consider sending physical reminders, like a welcome package with sensory elements. Use storytelling that describes touch. Give your services descriptions like “crisp, sturdy material” or “soft, satin-like massage.” Your customers can still have the experience of “touching” and interacting directly with your offerings.
Host Holiday Events that Inspire
Now that you’ve mastered tapping into the senses, consider hosting an event! Whether in-person or virtual, events foster a sense of community, build brand loyalty, and create memories that will keep customers coming back long after the holidays.
In-Person Events
Let your imagination run wild! Whether you don an ugly sweater, a Hawaiian shirt, pajamas, or a tailored suit for “eight crazy nights,” invite your clients along for a reprieve from the holiday rush. Be sure to add special discounts, demos, and personal touches. Remember, it doesn’t have to be massive. Simply make it look cozy, smell amazing, and sound like the season, with a taste of home and opportunities to experience what you offer.
Virtual Events
Host virtual holiday meet-and-greets, gift guide webinars, or live shopping events where customers can interact with your brand. For those who don’t want to dress up, or load the family into the car for one more activity, a virtual event can be a convenient escape. Be creative in how you employ the senses. Use those storytelling skills! Give your audience a presentation worth experiencing, a memory enjoyed from the comfort of their own homes.
Holiday Contests and Giveaways
Give your customers a chance to engage with you throughout the holiday season. Make it special and exclusive. Your customers could enter drawings, or share photos of their favorite products for a chance to win a prize. How can you strengthen connections with your clients? Find common ground. Be relatable. Use social media or your website to promote these contests. It’s even better if it benefits someone else in your community.
Creating and Connecting With Five Senses Marketing
Five senses marketing is all about emotional connection – not manipulation. This holiday season, share an experience with your customers – one filled with discovery, connection, and joy. Your senses remind you of cherished memories and the stories of your life. Go beyond the ordinary, think outside the box, perk up all five senses and transform this holiday season into something original and unforgettable. Marketing is magic in action.
Don’t feel like you need to conjure up a spectacular holiday showcase with all the rising stars on the red carpet. The simpler, the better. At JamboJon, we can partner with you to help you with your online customer experience. Let us help you add that special touch to leave a lasting impression.
"Five senses marketing is all about emotion connection- not manipulation"
