Who doesn’t love an advent calendar?

Ever since we were children, advent calendars signified the start of (arguably) the most exciting time of the year. Santa. School holidays. Toys. Chocolate. Christmas movies.

Now we are grown up. Not a lot has changed.

But instead of excitedly prising open the advent window to find a semi-melted, unidentifiable chocolate ‘shape’. We now opt for the latest mini from our favourite beauty brand.

As well as stirring up nostalgic, festive joy in their customers. Beauty advent calendars are also a hit for marketers. They can be key to generating new business, promoting products, and boosting brand engagement.

So take a lesson in flawless beauty advent calendar marketing with our top tips.

Start teasing early

As with any other festive campaign, it’s best to start planning early.

Why?

Because the festive period is the most important, and therefore most competitive, season for retailers and marketers alike.

But that aside, consumers love to start shopping early. In fact, 28% of consumers start their Christmas shopping in October. So it’s important to get your message in front of them before your competitors do.

Beauty advent calendars offer the perfect excuse to do just this.

Advent starts on December 1st. Which means consumers will want their prized advent calendars ready and raring to go in plenty of time.

You can push the boundaries even further by starting your advent marketing with a VIP campaign. By offering your most special customers the chance to bag a calendar before the hoards try to snap one up, you’re not only making your customers feel special, but also creating a buzz around your product nice and early.

Stir up interest with a waiting list 

Some say we always want what we can’t have.

Exclusivity in marketing certainly taps into this theory.

And what better way to emulate exclusivity than with a waiting list? It builds, buzz, anticipation, and desire. It simply makes people want it because they can’t have it. Not immediately anyway.

In fact, waiting list campaigns have frequently been proven to be a viral hit for marketers.

And as well as building exclusivity, a waiting list is yet another great opportunity to get ahead of your competitors and start promoting nice and early. Offering more excuses to contact your customers and engage them with your brand.

Lookfantastic Mac Advent Calendar Email

Promote lesser-known products

Beauty advent calendars will often use customer favourites and best sellers to initially grab attention.

But retailers can use this opportunity to slip in some of their lesser known products and brands. Piggybacking off the wider brand awareness.

This is a classic cross-sell opportunity. Retailers can introduce similar products to an already engaged audience, who have nothing to lose by trying.

And if they love it? Then they’ll be back to purchase more alongside their regular items.

Win, win.

Cult Beauty Advent Email Campaign

Ignite urgency with countdown timers

It’s easy for customers today to get distracted.

The buying process often takes place across multiple channels and devices. And research takes days, weeks, or even months.

By creating a sense of urgency retailers can speed this process up significantly.

Countdown timers are a fun and visual way of doing exactly that.

They encourage those who are already engaged with the purchase to buy now, before they miss out. Instead of being distracted by other options on the market.

And it also works well to prompt spontaneous orders from your most impulsive and frequent customers.

John Lewis Advent Calendar Email

Sow the seeds for next year

Some of the best beauty advent calendars are coveted year on year.

They build a cult following of influencers, makeup artists, and beauty fans. All who eagerly wait each year for their favourite calendar to launch.

Therefore, retailers should be sowing the advent seeds a whole year early.

Whether they are consoling those who missed out. Or sending reminder emails to frequent purchasers. Retailers need to get the word out about their calendars and build buzz nice and early to beat their sales targets year on year.

Liberty Advent Calendar Email

Are you feeling the festive spirit?

If you’ve been inspired by these flawless examples of advent marketing, why not get in touch to see how you can send out campaigns that are just as good?

Our team of friendly experts are always on hand to help.