Think It’s Too Early for Holiday Marketing? Meta Says Otherwise
Summer’s not over just yet, but the holiday shopping season is already creeping in. According to a new post from Meta, most gift buying begins before November, so people are out there browsing and saving ideas long before anyone reaches for the wrapping paper.
Here’s what to know.
Q: Are people really starting their holiday shopping that early?
Yes, as mentioned above, Meta notes that 73% of holiday shoppers start before November. So September/October isn’t necessarily too early to start getting your business in front of people.
But there’s a difference between shopping and buying. At this point, a lot of people are just browsing. They’re saving things they like and getting ideas. Right now, you don’t need to lead with a sale. This stage of the game is more about getting your name and products into the mix while people are still figuring out what they want.
Meta recommends Reels as one format that can be useful during this early discovery stage.
Q: When does the hard selling start?
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are when you go into overdrive. Meta says 95% of global holiday shoppers participate in promotional sales events like these. By then, people aren’t just casually looking anymore. They’re actively finding deals and are likely to make purchases.
This is when it makes sense to be more direct. Highlight any deals and discounts and use a countdown if there’s a deadline. Give people a reason to pull the trigger in the moment instead of coming back later. Carousels work well for highlighting products, while Stories can help create that sense of urgency.
The bigger point here is that having a single creative approach probably isn’t going to work throughout the entire holiday season.
Q: What happens after Black Friday?
December brings a different kind of shopper. By then, someone may not be looking for the absolute cheapest option; they’re likely looking for something that’s actually a good gift (and one they can get while time’s running out!).
Meta recommends content that helps people picture your product in that context, including gift guides, videos with more personality, and real customer reactions. There’s a big difference between saying, “Here’s 20% off!” and showing someone why your product might make a great gift for someone they love.
Q: And what about after the holidays?
There’s another group worth thinking about: the people who are finally shopping for themselves! Maybe they spent November and December focusing on buying gifts for everyone else. Once the holidays are over, those shoppers may be ready to treat themselves.
Meta refers to this as the “fresh start” phase and recommends more aspirational content, along with retargeting people who browsed products or added something to their cart without purchasing.
It’s an easy group to overlook because everyone talks about holiday shopping as if it ends on a specific date. For businesses, it doesn’t necessarily end there.
Q: Does using more than one creative format actually make a difference?
According to Meta, it can: shoppers who engage with a variety of formats have 2.1x higher purchase intent. Meta also says its Advantage+ system can use those different formats to learn what resonates with different audiences.
So, no, you probably don’t want to put everything into one Reel and call it a day. A Reel, carousel, Story, or product image can each serve a different purpose. And you don’t have to make every version completely different from the others.
It’s really just about presenting the same product in a way that works better for the format.
Q: Does that mean businesses need a huge holiday content budget?
Not at all! This is actually one of the more practical parts of Meta’s recommendations. You don’t need to create 30 brand-new pieces of content just because the holidays are coming. Take a product photo you already have and make a gift guide carousel. Add a countdown or sale message to an old Story design. Take one customer testimonial and cut it into a few quick videos.
There are so many ways to get creative and reuse or remix content you’ve already produced. For smaller businesses especially, that’s a much more realistic approach than trying to build an entirely new content library.
Q: What’s the best way to approach holiday advertising?
Start thinking about it now, but don’t treat the entire season like one giant campaign. At this time, the goal is to get people familiar with your brand and put your products on their radar.
When Black Friday and Cyber Monday arrive, the messaging can become more focused on offers and urgency. December is about helping people feel good about the gifts they’re choosing.
Then, after the holidays, you have an entirely different opportunity with shoppers who are ready to buy something for themselves.
Meta also recommends turning on Advantage+ placements early so campaigns have time to learn before major shopping events like Black Friday. That doesn’t mean more automation will automatically produce better results. The creative still matters, your offer still matters, and the messaging needs to make sense for the people you’re trying to reach.
Q: What’s the biggest takeaway?
Holiday marketing isn’t really one campaign anymore. Someone casually browsing gift ideas in October isn’t usually in the same mindset as someone searching for a Black Friday deal. And neither of those people is necessarily thinking about shopping for themselves in January.
That’s why it pays to think about the season in phases instead of planning one campaign and letting it run through December. And you don’t need a huge budget to do that. Get creative and take advantage of assets you already have!
Meta’s latest recommendations are a good reminder that holiday creative isn’t just about making something look festive. It’s about giving people the right message when they’re actually ready to hear it.
At Bennington Brookstone, we help businesses plan social and digital campaigns that make the most of every stage of the customer journey. Call, DM, or email us at sbellem@brookstone.com to learn more.
