7 ways to make your Christmas marketing count with print this year

Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for many businesses. Whether you're looking to attract new customers, promote a festive offer, thank loyal clients or get organised for the year ahead, print can be more useful than you may think.

With so much competition for attention online, printed materials offer another way to connect with customers and make your business stand out during this busy season.

Here are seven ways we recommend you use print to make the most of your Christmas marketing.

1. Send Christmas cards that make a lasting impression

Well, it's Christmas after all so it's the perfect excuse to reconnect with customers and thank them for their support. A thoughtfully designed Christmas card can feel more personal than another email in an already busy inbox.

You could keep things traditional with a festive design featuring your company branding or create something more individual using a team photograph (which is always fun and well received).

If you're sending cards to clients, it's worth allowing time to check your mailing list, personalise messages where you can and get everything sent before the festive rush so it arrives on time.

2. Promote your festive offers with flyers and leaflets

If your business has a seasonal offer, special menu, Christmas event or end-of-year promotion, printed flyers and leaflets can help spread the word.

For retailers, they could highlight Christmas offers or gift ideas. Restaurants and cafés might use them to promote festive menus, while service-based businesses could use printed materials to advertise seasonal packages or encourage customers to book before the end of the year.

Think carefully about where your audience is most likely to see your material. You could include flyers with purchases, distribute them locally, display them at your premises or hand them out at events.

Keep the message clear, make the offer easy to understand and include a straightforward call to action. If you're promoting a time-limited offer, make sure the dates and any terms and conditions are easy to find.

3. Ensure your Christmas events stand out

From office parties and client receptions to Christmas markets and seasonal shopping events, this time of year is full of opportunities to bring people together.

Good signage helps visitors find their way around, reinforces your branding and creates a more professional experience. Roller banners, posters and printed banners can all help communicate important information, highlight your business or make a display more eye-catching.

If you're exhibiting at a Christmas market, consider how your signage will look from a distance and whether your key message is easy to read. For indoor events, posters and banners can help create a consistent look across the venue.

For outdoor displays, think about the weather and choose materials suitable for the conditions. Planning your signage alongside the rest of your event marketing will help everything feel coordinated.

4. Give your packaging a festive refresh

Packaging is another opportunity to make an impression, particularly if your business sells products, sends customer orders or prepares corporate gifts.

You don't necessarily need to redesign everything for Christmas. Branded stickers, personalised labels or printed wrapping paper can add a festive touch while keeping your existing packaging recognisable.

For small businesses, these details can help create a more considered customer experience. For businesses sending gifts to clients, coordinated packaging can make the delivery feel more personal and reinforce your brand.

The key is to keep things consistent. Choose festive colours and graphics that work alongside your usual branding rather than creating something that feels completely disconnected from your business identity.

5. Make an impression with branded Christmas gifts

Christmas is a great opportunity to put your brand in the hands of clients, suppliers and employees through thoughtful, practical promotional gifts.

There are plenty of options to choose from, depending on your budget and the people you're buying for. From branded notebooks, pens and mugs to bags, clothing and other useful everyday items, a personalised gift can help reinforce your brand long after Christmas has passed.

You could also put together a small branded gift pack for key clients or include a promotional item with customer orders. Adding your company logo, colours or a seasonal message helps make the gift feel more personal while giving your brand continued visibility.

Think about choosing something that people will genuinely find useful. A well-chosen branded gift is more likely to be kept and used.

6. Get ahead with branded calendars for 2027

While Christmas marketing tends to focus on December, it's also worth looking ahead to the new year. Branded calendars can keep your business visible long after the decorations have come down.

Unlike many promotional items, calendars have a practical purpose and can be used throughout the year. You could choose a desk calendar, wall calendar or planner featuring your branding, photography, useful information or important dates.

Calendars make useful gifts for suppliers and employees, as well as helping your business stay visible with existing customers.

Think about who will receive your calendars and how they'll use them. A desk calendar might suit clients who work in an office, while a wall planner could be more useful for teams managing schedules and deadlines.

If you're planning on designing a calendar, start early enough to finalise your design, check dates and proofread the artwork before printing. It's also worth considering how the calendar will look in its intended setting, including the size, paper and finish.

7. Create a festive atmosphere with print

Christmas is a great opportunity to make your business premises feel more welcoming with printed decorations that help transform your office or shop into a fun, festive space.

Window graphics can add seasonal interest to shopfronts, while posters and printed displays can brighten up walls, windows and customer areas. Restaurants and cafés could also use printed menus or table displays to bring a festive feel to their dining spaces.

Think about how customers experience your premises and where a few well-placed printed elements could make a difference. You can keep things simple with subtle seasonal designs or go for something bolder, depending on your business and the atmosphere you want to create.

The aim is to make your space feel festive while still reflecting your business. A consistent look across your decorations and other printed materials can help everything feel considered without needing a complete makeover.

Make print part of your Christmas marketing plan

Christmas marketing is a great opportunity to reconnect with customers, thank the people who have supported your business and make sure your brand stays visible during the season.

A Christmas card might be the right choice for strengthening customer relationships, while a flyer could help promote a seasonal offer. Event signage can make your business more visible, branded gifts offer a thoughtful way to thank customers and a calendar can carry your marketing into the new year.

The most effective approach is to choose materials that have a clear purpose and work alongside your wider marketing activity.

We can help you explore print options for your festive campaigns, from promotional materials and event signage to calendars for the year ahead. If you're unsure where to start, get in touch with our team to see how we can help.

A little planning now can help your marketing run more smoothly this Christmas and leave you better prepared for the year ahead.