Holiday Marketing Prep: Start Here (Even If You’re Late)

Posted on October 9, 2025 in Blog

The holidays creep up fast. One minute you’re enjoying fall colors, the next you’re wondering how it’s already Black Friday. The good news? Even if you feel behind, October is the perfect window to prepare. The brands that start planning now, with focus and intention, are the ones that avoid the holiday scramble and see better results when the season hits full swing.

October Is the Planning Window

Spoiler… October isn’t too late, it’s actually the time to slow down, look ahead, and get your ducks in a row. Consumer searches for holiday gifts are already climbing, but the real rush hasn’t hit yet. This month is about building your roadmap so you can move confidently through November and December. If you’re spending this week getting organized, you’re in a good place.

Defining What Success Looks Like

Before you start setting up ads or debating discounts, it helps to decide what “winning” the holidays means for your brand. For some, it’s about hitting a revenue number. For others, it’s building awareness that carries into the new year. Many businesses see the season as a chance to bring in first-time customers they can nurture into long-term relationships. Whatever your goal, putting it down in writing makes the rest of your planning sharper and more intentional.

Mapping the Moments That Matter

Every holiday season has its milestones: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, shipping deadlines, and last-minute shopping weekends. Add in your own signature promotions, maybe it’s a gift guide, a loyalty push, or a “12 days of deals” theme. Sketching these milestones now ensures you’re not improvising when the busiest weeks hit. It also helps you plan creative in batches, rather than racing to design graphics or write emails in the middle of the rush.

Getting Creative Assets Holiday-Ready

One of the biggest bottlenecks in November isn’t ad spend, it’s creative. Photos, graphics, landing pages, and copy all take time to produce and approve. October is your chance to get those pieces lined up. That might mean refreshing product images with a gift-giving context, designing holiday banners, or planning seasonal blog content. Think of it as stocking the shelves before the doors open.

Making Sure Your Channels Connect

The holidays work best when your channels work together. Your website should be ready to highlight seasonal offers or gift collections. Your email plan should be outlined so you know when each segment hears from you. Social media can be mapped for themes, tone, and posting rhythm. Paid campaigns should have budgets and targeting locked in, even if the ads themselves aren’t live yet. October is about alignment so that once the season starts, every touchpoint feels cohesive.

Thinking Beyond December

It’s easy to treat holiday marketing as a finish line, but the smartest brands see it as a starting point for Q1. How will you thank new customers in January? What kind of retention offers can you serve to holiday buyers? How will you use the surge in customer data to strengthen your lists for the year ahead? Preparing those answers now ensures your holiday momentum doesn’t vanish when the decorations come down.

Final Thought

Even if you feel behind, you’re not. October is the month to step back, get organized, and lay the groundwork. By clarifying your goals, mapping the season, prepping creative, and thinking past December, you’ll set yourself up for a holiday marketing season that feels less like a scramble and more like a strategy.