The holidays are coming.
That's right, soon your inbox will quiet down. Meeting calendars will clear. And yet, deals will still be inching their way through approvals, procurement, and (everyone’s favorite) buying committees.
If you know, you know, B2B buying doesn’t stop. It just slows and shifts. Which means your messaging has to reach the right people, in the right way, when the usual buying momentum takes a seasonal dip.
The challenge? It’s not just about grabbing attention. It’s about influence.
Let’s break down how to design holiday campaigns that go beyond surface-level greetings and actually move the full buying committee toward a decision...now or in Q1.
B2B Buying Behavior Shifts
During the holidays, your primary champion might be out. Or they might still be in, but looking for internal backup to justify the investment before year-end. That’s when “committee mode” kicks in: a blend of Finance, IT, Marketing Ops, and Sales evaluating your offering without a direct line to your team. The decision-making dynamic is quieter but more distributed.
Your Play: One-to-many messaging wins here.
- Create message variants that speak to multiple priorities like ROI, risk, implementation speed, and strategic alignment.
- Remember, not everyone clicks the CTA, but everyone sees the ad.
One CTA Won't Work for Every Buyer
Not every buyer wants a demo right now. And in Q4, especially, pushing hard on “Book a meeting” can actually kill momentum. Your CFO persona might want a pricing snapshot. Your Marketing Ops contact wants an integration checklist. And your buyer just wants to not get burned on a poor decision.
Your Play: Diversify your CTAs and create message variants.
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“Compare your 2025 options.”
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“See the integration checklist.”
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“How top teams are spending end-of-year budget”
These speak to different fears and motivators, without forcing a sales interaction.
Make Your Message Holiday-Aware, Not Holiday-Themed
Skip the cheesy puns (unless you’re doing it brilliantly). Your audience doesn’t want sleigh bells. They want solutions that feel timely and relevant. Holiday-aware messaging nods to the season without sacrificing strategic tone.
Your Play: Balance human tone with business value and stand out in a sea of red-and-green fluff.
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“Planning 2026 goals from the ski lift? We get it.”
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“Still checking Slack during the break? Here’s a smart use of your scroll.”
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“Get ahead while others pause.”
Create Message Tracks Based on Buying Role, Not Just Title
“Director of Marketing” means different things at different companies. That’s why messaging by function outperforms messaging by title. Focus on the why each persona cares, what they need to justify the investment, protect their turf, or look smart in the first Q1 meeting.
Your Play: If you have content or use cases that speak to these roles, now’s the time to break them out into targeted holiday campaigns.
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Finance: Budget efficiency, cost justification, risk mitigation
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IT: Integration ease, vendor compliance, time-to-implementation
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Sales: Pipeline acceleration, SDR enablement, deal velocity
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Marketing Leadership: Strategic alignment, ROI, scalability
Use Impression-Based Influence Metrics, Not Just Clicks
If you’re only measuring performance by CTRs and demo requests, you’re missing what really matters in Q4: impression-based influence. This is about who saw your ad, who engaged passively, and who brought your name into the budget conversation, even if they didn’t click.
Your Play: Most deals that close in Q1 were influenced in Q4. Don’t measure the wrong thing.
- Plan messaging to influence, not just convert.
- Track ad engagement at the account level, not just the individual clicker.
The Big Takeaway
In Q4, decision-makers are consuming content differently, prioritizing differently, and clicking less, but they’re still absorbing. If you design messaging that respects the season and the internal politics of B2B buying, your brand stays in the conversation even when Slack goes quiet.
Build holiday campaigns that reflect this reality. Influence the full committee. And when January hits, don’t just be remembered, be chosen.
Want More Messaging Tips + Real Holiday Plays?
Get “Happy Holidays & Hot Leads: Your Q4 Guide to Budget, Targeting & Growth.”
It’s full of persona-ready plays, campaign examples, and funnel-focused ad strategy to help you finish Q4 with momentum.
