Timing is everything in holiday marketing, and waiting until November might be your biggest mistake this season. Our latest Kickstart Your Week episode dives into why October is the critical month for launching your holiday campaigns and how this simple strategy shift can dramatically improve your results.

Ad costs skyrocket during the Black Friday to Christmas window as competition intensifies across all platforms. Companies that rarely advertise suddenly appear, while regular advertisers increase their budgets substantially. By starting in October, you avoid the most expensive period while your campaigns complete their learning phase. This optimization process, where platforms like Meta determine which audience segments and creative elements perform best, requires valuable time that you can't afford to waste during peak holiday shopping.

The advantages of early campaign launches extend beyond cost savings. October provides the perfect testing ground for different creative approaches – from product images to videos, copy variations to calls-to-action – without the pressure of holiday performance expectations. We share real examples of effective testing strategies, including audience targeting insights that can dramatically improve conversion rates when the holiday rush begins.

Perhaps most valuable is the opportunity to build warm audiences before your competitors even enter the game. Early awareness campaigns create pools of engaged users who have already shown interest in your brand, making them significantly more likely to convert when presented with holiday offers later. As we discuss in the episode, consumer behavior continues to shift earlier each year, with many shoppers already making holiday lists in September and October.

Don't let your holiday marketing become a last-minute scramble. Start today and position your business for a more successful, less stressful holiday season. Your future self (and your Q4 revenue) will thank you.

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Meet your hosts and learn more about Kickstart Collective at kickstartcollective.co

Kickstart Collective is a creative marketing agency based in Wilmington, NC. We offer our clients a creative advantage through creative content and marketing strategies.