With over 2 billion daily active users, Facebook still reigns supreme as the most popular social media platform. And that’s part of the reason that Facebook ads continue to be an extremely popular solution for businesses looking to raise brand awareness, connect with prospects, and get new customers.

So how do you know if your Facebook ads are really working? We’ve got the data to answer your questions!

Just in time to inform your 2024 planning and help you better understand how your Facebook advertising campaigns are performing now, we’re sharing Facebook ads benchmarks across 20 industries, including benchmarks for click-through rate, cost per click, conversion rate, and more for two popular Facebook ads campaign objectives.

Table of contents

Key trends: The big picture

Over the last year, most businesses have seen their Facebook ads results improve, meaning their engagement metrics are going up and their advertising costs are going down. Here’s a deeper look:

• Click-through rate (CTR) increased year over year for 9 out of 19 industries using Facebook Lead Ads. Some of those increases were fairly significant, especially for Arts & Entertainment and Education & Instruction. CTR decreased YOY for 15 out of 23 industries in the traffic objective, but average CTR still remains higher than other available data shows (1.51% vs. 0.9%).
• Cost per click (CPC) largely decreased year over year. 9 industries saw a decrease in CPC YOY for the leads objective, while 14 saw a decrease YOY for the traffic objective. And for each objective, the increases weren’t drastic. This is interesting given the drastic increase in CPC across most (91%) industries for search advertising.
• For the leads objective, 13 out of 19 industries saw conversion rate (CVR) increase year over year. The economy could play a role in the industries that saw decreases YOY. For example, with a volatile housing market, fewer people may have been looking to buy or sell, leading to a decrease in CVR for real estate businesses.
• For the leads objective, cost per lead (CPL) stayed the same or decreased for 12 out of 19 industries. Again, it’s interesting to see this trend given the drastic increase in CPL on the search ads side, where 91% of industries saw increases in CPL in 2023.

The overall key takeaway? Facebook advertising continues to offer complementary advantages to search ads because of lower and more stable costs.

“One of the biggest things I’m always impressed with on Facebook is that, although advertising CPCs generally fluctuate across the board, Facebook ads CPCs differ so much less than what you might see on Google Ads or other search networks,” said Mark Irvine, Director of Paid Media at Search Labs.

Facebook ads benchmarks for traffic campaigns by industry

Facebook advertising allows you to choose specific ad objectives for each campaign. It then optimizes your campaigns against that objective, which helps you reach specific goals with your Facebook ads.

The traffic objective in Facebook ads optimizes your campaign to drive clicks from your ads to your landing page, app, or event. Traffic campaigns are popular among many small business advertisers because they help to drive more visitors (and potential customers!) to your website.

Business category	Avg. click-through rate	Avg. cost per click
Animals & Pets	1.63%	$0.76
Apparel / Fashion & Jewelry	1.13%	$1.11
Arts & Entertainment	2.55%	$0.44
Attorneys & Legal Services	0.99%	$1.15
Automotive — For Sale	1.18%	$0.70
Automotive — Repair, Service & Parts	0.99%	$0.99
Beauty & Personal Care	1.34%	$0.88
Business Services	1.37%	$0.84
Career & Employment	1.31%	$0.70
Dentists & Dental Services	0.81%	$1.27
Education & Instruction	1.20%	$0.79
Finance & Insurance	0.88%	$1.11
Furniture	1.15%	$1.19
Health & Fitness	1.68%	$0.90
Home & Home Improvement	1.23%	$0.95
Industrial & Commercial	1.03%	$0.80
Personal Services	1.28%	$0.87
Physicians & Surgeons	1.02%	$1.08
Real Estate	2.45%	$0.65
Restaurants & Food	2.29%	$0.52
Shopping, Collectibles & Gifts	1.82%	$0.65
Sports & Recreation	1.30%	$0.77
Travel	2.06%	$0.43

Note: Since this campaign objective is specifically designed to drive traffic, cost per lead and conversion rate metrics tend to be on the higher side. It’s important to focus on the metrics that matter most for your ad objective, so we’ve omitted those metrics here.

Average click-through rate in Facebook ads for traffic campaigns

CTR or click-through rate is a measure of how frequently viewers click on your ad. Essentially, your campaign’s CTR indicates how compelling and click-worthy viewers deem your Facebook ads. For this reason, higher CTRs are a sign of strong Facebook ad copy and creative.

The average click-through rate in Facebook ads for traffic campaigns across all industries is 1.51%.

Business category	Avg. click-through rate
Animals & Pets	1.63%
Apparel / Fashion & Jewelry	1.13%
Arts & Entertainment	2.55%
Attorneys & Legal Services	0.99%
Automotive — For Sale	1.18%
Automotive — Repair, Service & Parts	0.99%
Beauty & Personal Care	1.34%
Business Services	1.37%
Career & Employment	1.31%
Dentists & Dental Services	0.81%
Education & Instruction	1.20%
Finance & Insurance	0.88%
Furniture	1.15%
Health & Fitness	1.68%
Home & Home Improvement	1.23%
Industrial & Commercial	1.03%
Personal Services	1.28%
Physicians & Surgeons	1.02%
Real Estate	2.45%
Restaurants & Food	2.29%
Shopping, Collectibles & Gifts	1.82%
Sports & Recreation	1.30%
Travel	2.06%

The industries with the highest CTR were Arts & Entertainment at 2.55%, Real Estate at 2.45%, and Restaurants & Food at 2.29%.

The industries with lower average CTR were Dentists & Dental Services at 0.81%, Finance & Insurance at 0.88%, and Attorneys & Legal Services at 0.99%.

“CTRs differ strongly between different business types across Facebook, even more so than on Google Ads. Successful Facebook Ads require impressive, visual proof to attract attention from the scrolling audience—and that’s why you see some of the best Facebook ads CTRs from those industries that can wow us with the promise of a good time, like Travel, Arts & Entertainment, and Sports,” said Irvine.

“These industries both fit in with the content we’re used to seeing on our feeds from our friends,” he added. “A night out or tropical getaway can be far more attractive than a visual portrayal of an automotive repair or a visit to the dentist. We see those strong divides in the Facebook ads CTR performance in these types of industries.”

Average cost per click in Facebook ads for traffic campaigns

Cost per click or CPC is a calculation of your total spend divided by your total number of clicks. Maintaining a lower average CPC on your traffic campaign means you can catch and convert website visitors at an overall cheaper cost.

For the traffic objective, a click would be a click from your ad to your website or whatever destination you set for your ad.

The average cost per click in Facebook ads for traffic campaigns across all industries is $0.83. This is much lower than the average cost per click in Google Ads of $4.22.

Business category	Avg. cost per click
Animals & Pets	$0.76
Apparel / Fashion & Jewelry	$1.11
Arts & Entertainment	$0.44
Attorneys & Legal Services	$1.15
Automotive — For Sale	$0.70
Automotive — Repair, Service & Parts	$0.99
Beauty & Personal Care	$0.88
Business Services	$0.84
Career & Employment	$0.70
Dentists & Dental Services	$1.27
Education & Instruction	$0.79
Finance & Insurance	$1.11
Furniture	$1.19
Health & Fitness	$0.90
Home & Home Improvement	$0.95
Industrial & Commercial	$0.80
Personal Services	$0.87
Physicians & Surgeons	$1.08
Real Estate	$0.65
Restaurants & Food	$0.52
Shopping, Collectibles & Gifts	$0.65
Sports & Recreation	$0.77
Travel	$0.43

The industries that saw the lowest cost per click were Travel at $0.43, Arts & Entertainment at $0.44, and Restaurants & Food at $0.52.

The industries that saw higher-than-average costs per click were Dentists & Dental Services at $1.27, Furniture at $1.19, and Attorneys & Legal Services at $1.15. Again, these CPCs are still lower than the average CPC for Google Ads at over $4. Plus, these industries have fairly high lifetime average customer costs, so it makes sense that their advertising costs would be higher than a restaurant or entertainment venue.

“The biggest trend I am seeing with this Facebook ads CPC data is that consumer demand remains strong despite the uncertain economy. Cost per click is well within range of what we’ve been quoting advertisers for years now, while click-through rate also remains strong,” said Tyler Mask, Senior Manager of Custom Solutions at LocaliQ.

Facebook ads benchmarks for lead generation campaigns by industry

Facebook ads running with the leads objective are meant to drive leads through form fills, messages, calls, and conversions.

In a leads objective campaign, you’ll be running Facebook Lead Ads, which include prompts directly within the ad to help you collect lead information.

An example of the Facebook Lead Ad form creation process.

We’ve included conversion rate and cost per lead as part of these benchmarks since this objective is optimized to drive leads and conversions.

Business category	Avg. click-through rate	Avg. cost per click	Avg. conversion rate	Avg. cost per lead
Arts & Entertainment	3.70%	$0.87	9.77%	$13.46
Attorneys & Legal Services	1.79%	$5.42	5.92%	$78.26
Automotive — Repair, Service & Parts	1.38%	$2.86	5.35%	$58.56
Beauty & Personal Care	2.46%	$2.16	4.61%	$52.46
Business Services	2.70%	$1.73	7.57%	$22.65
Career & Employment	2.37%	$1.34	7.02%	$18.17
Dentists & Dental Services	1.80%	$3.82	11.34%	$29.08
Education & Instruction	2.44%	$1.80	8.05%	$27.94
Finance & Insurance	1.98%	$2.94	5.62%	$30.88
Furniture	2.55%	$1.58	7.29%	$29.08
Health & Fitness	1.66%	$3.60	5.76%	$60.95
Home & Home Improvement	1.80%	$2.08	8.90%	$20.49
Industrial & Commercial	1.50%	$2.69	10.13%	$37.71
Personal Services (Weddings, Cleaners, etc.)	2.72%	$1.88	8.76%	$19.49
Physicians & Surgeons	3.17%	$3.63	4.99%	$60.95
Real Estate	3.69%	$1.22	9.58%	$12.43
Restaurants & Food	1.85%	$2.61	5.63%	$45.15
Sports & Recreation	3.29%	$1.11	8.24%	$15.33
Travel	6.62%	$0.96	3.95%	$26.05

Average click-through rate in Facebook ads for lead gen campaigns

Although Facebook lead ads don’t necessarily require users to click to your website, they’ll have to click on the ad to become a lead. Plus, the option to click to your website still exists on the ad. You should prioritize a high click-through rate for your Facebook leads objective campaigns because it signals that your ad is attracting users to take action.

The average click-through rate in Facebook ads for lead gen campaigns across all industries is 2.50%.

Business category	Avg. click-through rate
Arts & Entertainment	3.70%
Attorneys & Legal Services	1.79%
Automotive — Repair, Service & Parts	1.38%
Beauty & Personal Care	2.46%
Business Services	2.70%
Career & Employment	2.37%
Dentists & Dental Services	1.80%
Education & Instruction	2.44%
Finance & Insurance	1.98%
Furniture	2.55%
Health & Fitness	1.66%
Home & Home Improvement	1.80%
Industrial & Commercial	1.50%
Personal Services (Weddings, Cleaners, etc.)	2.72%
Physicians & Surgeons	3.17%
Real Estate	3.69%
Restaurants & Food	1.85%
Sports & Recreation	3.29%
Travel	6.62%

The industries that saw the best CTRs on their Facebook ads running with the leads objective were Travel at 6.62%, Arts & Entertainment at 3.70%, and Real Estate at 3.69%.

The industries with the lowest CTRs were Automotive – Repair, Service & Parts at 1.38%, Industrial & Commercial at 1.50%, and Health & Fitness at 1.66%.

Average cost per click in Facebook ads for lead gen campaigns

Every time a user clicks on your Facebook lead ads, you get charged—so trying to keep your average CPC as low as possible is a no-brainer. That said, you’ll also want to take your lead quality into consideration when evaluating your CPC. If your priority is to get the highest quality leads possible, then they may be worth the slightly higher CPC.

The average cost per click in Facebook ads for the leads gen campaign across all industries is $1.92.

Business category	Avg. cost per click
Arts & Entertainment	$0.87
Attorneys & Legal Services	$5.42
Automotive — Repair, Service & Parts	$2.86
Beauty & Personal Care	$2.16
Business Services	$1.73
Career & Employment	$1.34
Dentists & Dental Services	$3.82
Education & Instruction	$1.80
Finance & Insurance	$2.94
Furniture	$1.58
Health & Fitness	$3.60
Home & Home Improvement	$2.08
Industrial & Commercial	$2.69
Personal Services (Weddings, Cleaners, etc.)	$1.88
Physicians & Surgeons	$3.63
Real Estate	$1.22
Restaurants & Food	$2.61
Sports & Recreation	$1.11
Travel	$0.96

The industries with the lowest CPCs were Arts & Entertainment at $0.87, Travel at $0.96, and Sports & Recreation at $1.11.

The industries that saw the highest CPCs for the leads objective were Attorneys & Legal Services at $5.42, Dentists & Dental Services at $3.82, and Physicians & Surgeons at $3.63. While these were higher compared to the average, they’re still fairly low cost for clicks in these industries.

“The difference in CTR and CPC between the two objectives stands out to me the most. The average CPC is  56% lower for the traffic objective campaigns than that of the leads objective, which, in some ways, makes sense,” said Michelle Morgan, co-founder of Paid Media Pros.

“Facebook is trying to get the lowest cost clicks it can, but I’m a little surprised to see the CTR being 66% higher for the leads objective campaigns. That indicates to me that although they’re more expensive, the users Facebook targets with a leads objective campaign might actually be a better fit for companies (on average) than the traffic objective,” said Morgan.

Average conversion rate in Facebook ads for lead gen campaigns

Conversion rate measures the rate at which your Facebook ads are driving conversions. It’s calculated by dividing the total number of leads by the total number of clicks. A high conversion rate signals that your Facebook ad is compelling users to take the next step to potentially become your customer.  A lower conversion rate signals you may need to adjust your ad targeting, copy, or landing page to drive better results.

The average conversion rate in Facebook ads for lead gen campaigns across industries is 8.25%.

Business category	Avg. conversion rate
Arts & Entertainment	9.77%
Attorneys & Legal Services	5.92%
Automotive — Repair, Service & Parts	5.35%
Beauty & Personal Care	4.61%
Business Services	7.57%
Career & Employment	7.02%
Dentists & Dental Services	11.34%
Education & Instruction	8.05%
Finance & Insurance	5.62%
Furniture	7.29%
Health & Fitness	5.76%
Home & Home Improvement	8.90%
Industrial & Commercial	10.13%
Personal Services (Weddings, Cleaners, etc.)	8.76%
Physicians & Surgeons	4.99%
Real Estate	9.58%
Restaurants & Food	5.63%
Sports & Recreation	8.24%
Travel	3.95%

 

The industries with the highest CVRs for Facebook ads running the leads objective were Dentists & Dental Services at 11.34%, Industrial & Commercial at 10.13%, and Arts & Entertainment at 9.77%.

The industries that saw lower-than-average conversion rates were Travel at 3.95%, Beauty & Personal Care at 4.61%, and Physicians & Surgeons at 4.99%.

Facebook ads conversion rates are usually dependent on the quality of the ads being put in front of users. “All industries can benefit from taking the time to message map in a meaningful way. Honoring the way your consumers want to be spoken to will increase conversion rates as well as mitigate ‘wasted success.’ Wasted success is when the lead is good but not quite ready or doesn’t qualify,” said Navah Hopkins, Evangelist at Optmyzer. “I strongly recommend building in a creative audit, as well as exploring new audience targeting to make sure your campaigns are set up for success,” said Hopkins.

Average cost per lead in Facebook ads for lead gen campaigns

Cost per lead tells you how much you’re paying to secure a new lead. It’s calculated by dividing your total spend by your total conversions.

The average cost per lead in Facebook ads for the leads objective across industries is $23.10.

Business category	Avg. cost per lead
Arts & Entertainment	$13.46
Attorneys & Legal Services	$78.26
Automotive — Repair, Service & Parts	$58.56
Beauty & Personal Care	$52.46
Business Services	$22.65
Career & Employment	$18.17
Dentists & Dental Services	$29.08
Education & Instruction	$27.94
Finance & Insurance	$30.88
Furniture	$29.08
Health & Fitness	$60.95
Home & Home Improvement	$20.49
Industrial & Commercial	$37.71
Personal Services (Weddings, Cleaners, etc.)	$19.49
Physicians & Surgeons	$60.95
Real Estate	$12.43
Restaurants & Food	$45.15
Sports & Recreation	$15.33
Travel	$26.05

The industries with the lowest CPLs in the Facebook leads objective were Real Estate at $12.43, Arts & Entertainment at $13.46, and Sports & Recreation at $15.33.

The industries that saw the highest CPLs for the leads objective were Attorneys & Legal Services at $78.26, Health & Fitness at $60.95, and Physicians & Surgeons at $60.95. These industries typically have higher costs for advertising, in general, but also have higher customer values. So a $60 CPL can still have a great return on investment when you look at how much revenue a new customer can bring your business.

While CPL is a critical metric for many Facebook advertisers, there are other factors you’ll want to consider when measuring your Facebook ads progress.

“The most important metric on Facebook for seeing success is…the metric you define as success. If you’re trying to drive engagement, that’s your metric. If you’re trying to drive leads, then some combination of lead volume and CPL is going to be your success metric,” said Morgan.

How to improve your Facebook ads performance

While these benchmarks can serve as a helpful guidepost to compare your results against, they shouldn’t be the end-all-be-all for measuring your Facebook advertising success. Every business is different, and what defines success for your campaigns will be unique to your business needs, budget, and other factors.

However, if you feel like your Facebook ads are not converting or driving traffic as much as they should when compared to industry averages, you’re not alone. There’s always room to improve—especially by following these tips and best practices.

How to use Facebook ads to drive traffic

Here are some tips on how to increase traffic to your website via your Facebook ads:

• Choose the traffic objective. The traffic objective is the clear choice to encourage Facebook’s ad algorithm to strategically show your ad to get the most clicks possible.
• A/B test CTA buttons. A powerful call to action can entice users to click on your Facebook ad—increasing your click-through rate. Luckily, Facebook gives you plenty of options to play around with when it comes to choosing an effective CTA button for your ad. Your best bet is to A/B test a few different CTA buttons to see what works. Additionally, you should include popular call-to-action phrases in your ad copy.
• Use compelling creative. People will form an opinion on your Facebook ad instantly—just a few seconds after seeing it, in fact. Be sure your ads stand out and attract clicks with eye-catching creative. To start, check out these Facebook ad examples and learn why they work.

An example of the CTA button options within Facebook ads.

How to use Facebook ads to drive leads

Follow these Facebook ads tips to get more leads:

• Choose the leads objective. While other Facebook ads campaign objectives may end up capturing leads, it’s best to source your leads directly from Facebook with Facebook lead ads.
• Perfect your form fields. You may need to test to see what form style works best to maximize both lead quality and quantity. For example, this year Meta announced that it added conditional logic to the Facebook lead generation form setup. Leveraging conditional logic in your forms can help you pre-qualify your leads.
• Ensure users know they are clicking on a lead ad. Be clear about the action you want viewers to take. That way, those who click know what to expect and genuinely want to work with your business.

An example of conditional logic settings within a Facebook Lead Ad.

How to improve your Facebook ads CTR

Here are a few ways to improve your Facebook ads CTR:

• Pay attention to the right metrics. CTR may not always be the “end all be all” Facebook ads metric for your business. “Consider CTR a helpful guide, but not the only source of truth for success,” said Mask. “Also, you might find other metrics impact the root causes of poor CTR health. Cost per thousand impressions (CPM) and CPC correlate closely to this metric; sometimes one has to be sacrificed for another.”
• Use power words in your copy. Emotional marketing copy can set your business’s Facebook ads apart from the competition. Focusing on compelling ad copy helps to persuade users to click on your ad—increasing your CTR.

A reporting dashboard like this can help you measure the Facebook ad metrics that matter most to your business.

How to lower your Facebook ads costs

Here are some practical ways to lower your costs in Facebook Ads:

• Get strategic with your audience targeting. You may want to target different Facebook audiences for different objectives. For example, you may target a Facebook lookalike audience with a traffic objective, so you can educate a new crop of potential customers about who you are and what you do. Alternatively, you may target specific email addresses or retarget users while using the leads objective because these audiences are already aware of your business and may be more likely to convert.
• Broaden your audience as needed. A broader audience reach has been found to lower your overall cost per thousand impressions (CPM), since you’re casting a wider net.
• Try ad scheduling with a lifetime budget. Ad scheduling is another option that can help limit your costs, since you’re deciding what days or times your ad will show rather than 24/7 coverage.
• Consider all your campaign objective options. If you have experience with Google Ads, you can think of your Facebook campaign objectives like how you would your Google campaign goals and bidding strategies. “The best part about advertising on Facebook is that Facebook has tons of campaign objectives and further customizations for you to choose from to ensure your campaigns are optimizing for exactly the success metric you want to focus on,” said Morgan.

Here’s a breakdown of the Facebook ad objectives you can choose from:

• • Leads
  • Traffic
  • Awareness
  • Engagement
  • App promotion
  • Sales

How to increase your Facebook ads conversion rate

Use these tips to optimize your Facebook ads for more conversions and a higher CVR:

• Iron out your tracking with Facebook pixel. Your Facebook ads conversion tracking relies on your Facebook pixel—which connects to your website. Get clear on the conversion actions you want to track to stop conversion data from slipping through the cracks.
• Optimize your landing page. A high conversion rate starts with an optimized landing page. Check that your Facebook ads landing page provides a seamless experience for users.
• Complement your strategy with other channels. Your Facebook ads should play a role in a larger marketing and advertising strategy for your business. Be sure to regularly share organic posts to Facebook to fill any gaps in your paid Facebook ad performance. You’ll likely want to also leverage other social media platforms, as well as channels like SEO and search ads, to supplement your Facebook Ads. For example, your audience members are probably using TikTok and Snapchat in addition to Facebook or Instagram. You could promote your business across these platforms to grow your overall social following. In fact, many marketing channels provide similar benefits to businesses, so it’s best to use as many as possible in tandem for a holistic marketing approach.

A cross-channel marketing campaign that includes social ads, search, and other channels helps you reach your audience no matter where they’re spending time online. But it can be a very manual and challenging process to truly optimize across those channels to yield the desired results and lowest cost,” said Stephanie Asrymbetov, Director of Product at LocaliQ. “LocaliQ’s cross-media optimization (XMO) technology simplifies this approach by leveraging AI and automation to optimize your campaigns across channels based on what’s driving the best performance to your business’s goals—and your budget.”

Put these Facebook ads benchmarks to work in 2024

Tracking your Facebook ad performance against these industry benchmarks can help you gauge how your business is pacing compared to the competition. This can be especially helpful when you don’t have a ton of data or you’re unsure of how to best measure your Facebook ads ROI.

However, every business is unique, and no two Facebook ad accounts are the same. So, be sure to align your advertising expectations with what’s achievable for your business. That said, if you tried our suggested tips above and still find your business’s performance isn’t up to the industry standards outlined here, that’s okay! See how our solutions can help you improve your Facebook ads strategy.

You see and hear happy holiday messages everywhere during this time of year, and yet when it comes time to write your own greetings, whether for friends, family, customers, or coworkers…your brain conks out and things just aren’t coming out like you expected…

Don’t worry. We’ve got almost 60 perfectly-worded holiday greetings and messages that you can use for your emails, cards, social posts, texts, and more. Plus, holiday email headers you can use!

Table of contents

All of these greetings are pretty versatile and interchangeable, but I’ve grouped them so that you aren’t bombarded with an endless list, and also because, you know, SEO.

Jump to holiday greeting messages for:

Friendly holiday greetings & messages

Let’s start off with some general holiday greetings and messages that you can use for any crowd. These are pretty standard, but if you’re looking to spice things up a big, check out my guide to cliche-free holiday copywriting.

• Holiday greetings to you and the ones you spend it with! May this time of year shine light on your blessings and bring new ones in the year to come.
• Happy holidays! We hope this year’s season fills you up with the things that mean most to you and energizes you for a happy and healthy new year.
• Seasons greetings! Wishing you all the joy, peace, and love that this time of year brings.
• Happy holidays! Sending you love, light, and laughter for good memories and a bright and healthy 2023.
• Happy holiday greetings to you and yours! Here’s to a cheerful present, a well-remembered past, and a prosperous year ahead.
• Greetings to you during this bright time of year! May you experience the light of laughter, the warmth of love, and the joy of gratitude this season and beyond.

Short Christmas wishes & messages

These short Christmas wishes and messages can be a nice addition to your email signatures or holiday Instagram captions.

• Yes, it’s been said, many times, many ways, but we still mean it just as much! Merry Christmas!
• A silent night, a star above, a blessed gift of hope and love. Merry Christmas.
• Wishing you all the blessings and joys of Christmas and a bright year ahead.
• Peace, youth, and happiness for you this Christmas and every other!
• Wishing you a fabulous Christmas filled with good cheer, good beer, and memories of a wonderful year.
• A little more sparkle, a little less stress, may that be your motto this Christmas!

Inspirational Christmas messages

If you’re feeling more of the core values vibe, try out these inspirational Christmas messages:

• This Christmas, may your blessings be many, your worries few, and days spent with those who mean the most to you.
• The best Christmas gifts are the ones we’ve had all year: a roof over our heads, food in the fridge, and family to enjoy it with. May the richness of gratitude be yours this Christmas!
• Merry Christmas! Enjoy the presents under the tree, the people that put them there, and the extra spark of gratitude the season brings.
• Christmas is a time to believe in something greater than yourself—even for just one night.
• May the peace and joy of Christmas live in your heart all year long.
• “Christmas is forever—not just for one day. For loving, sharing, and giving are not to put away.” – Norman Wesley Brooks

Business Christmas & holiday card messages

Sending out a holiday email, postcard, Christmas card, or social post? Look no further than these holiday greetings for business:

• No updates, announcements, flyers, or brochures; simply warmth, joy, and peace from our crew to yours!
• To our coworkers, customers, partners and pals: Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa to all!
• Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone in the [business name] family! You make us shine bright and we can’t wait to serve you next year.
• Happy holidays from all of us here at [business name]. We appreciate your business and look forward to being your [service] provider in the new year!
• This time of year, our thoughts turn gratefully to our customers, partners, and suppliers who make our success possible. We thank you for all that you do, and wish you all the best this holiday season and beyond.
• The end of the year brings no greater joy than the opportunity to express how grateful we are for our customers and partners. Happy holidays to all of you, and may your new year be filled with happiness and success.
• In warm appreciation of your loyalty during the past year, we extend our very best holiday wishes to you and your loved ones. Enjoy this time of year, and we’ll see you in the next one!
• Dear [name]: Without your loyalty and support this year, we wouldn’t be where we are. We are so grateful for that! Thank you, happy holidays to you, and a happy new year too!
• From everyone at [name of business], happy holidays! Thank you for your loyalty to us. Put your feet up and have a well-deserved rest this season. We’ll see you again next year!
• From all of us here at [business name]: Thank you for all the great business this year. Let’s sit back, relax, and celebrate, and then get ready to do it all again! Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas & holiday card messages for clients

Your client relationships are the lifeblood of your business. If you’re sending something specific to them this season, try out these holiday card messages for clients and customers.

• During the holiday season, as we reflect on the good things we have, we think of partners like you. We appreciate what a pleasure it is to work with you, and hope that the holidays and the coming year will bring you happiness and success.
• Dear [client], we know that finding a [service] provider is not easy, and we’re so glad you’ve placed your trust in us. We wish you the very best this holiday season and look forward to working with you in the new year!
• As the year draws to a close, we look back with appreciation for your loyalty and look forward with excitement to a new year of more great work together. Have a wonderful holiday, we wish you all the best!
• Dear [client name]. The holidays are filled with good will and cheer, but you bring that to our office year-round. We are so appreciative of that, and we can’t wait to see you again next year. May your season be merry and bright, and your new year filled with delight!
• At this special time of year, we give thanks for clients like you who make our jobs enjoyable and our lives more fulfilling. Thank you for being you. From all of us at [company name]
• Season’s greetings from the very merry team at [company name]. You keep us glowing and bright all year round, and we look forward to meeting your [industry] needs you in the coming year! Thanks for being you. Happy holidays and new year too!
• Happy holidays to all of our clients! It is truly a privilege to work with you all year. Wishing you a season of joy and another year of success together!
• Oh what fun it is…to work with clients like you! From the [business name] team, we send our deepest thanks and warmest wishes for a happy holiday season and a healthy new year.
• As we celebrate and give thanks, what better time to tell you, our clients, how grateful we are for your confidence in our business. Working with you year-round is an honor and a privilege, and we look forward to continuing our partnership next year. Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
• Seasons greetings to you, our awesome clients! It’s been an absolute pleasure working with every single one of you during these past 12 months. Let’s make [new year] even better. Until then, rest up, celebrate your blessings, and enjoy your season!
• Dear [client]: There is no way other businesses have it this good. How do we know? Because they don’t have you as their client! Working with you is such a pleasure. Thanks for making it so. Have a Merry Christmas and happy holiday season!

Happy holiday wishes to clients

Too late to send a card? Share these happy holiday wishes to clients in a holiday social post or email:

• Tis’ the season for us to tell you how much you mean to us. (Spoiler: It’s a lot.)
• During this season of giving, we’d like to give a big thanks to you for being such a loyal client. You make our days merry and bright all year round! Wishing you a peaceful, joyful holiday season and an even better year than the last!
• Happy holidays everyone! Whatever this season brings for you, may it be filled with all the love and light you deserve. We’ll see you soon!
• To all our clients: We are so grateful for your hard work, your loyalty, and your faith in our business. We have accomplished so much together this year, and we can’t wait to do it again! Until then, have a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season!
• In the brightest of seasons, may you find many reasons for happiness. Happy holidays to all of our clients, and cheers to an even better year to come!
• Happy holidays to all of our clients! Without you, our success would not be possible. Thank you for your loyalty and your hard work. Looking forward to another great year together!

Holiday wishes for staff

All this talk about thanking your customers, don’t forget about your employees! Here are some warm holiday wishes for staff:

• Happy holidays to an incredible team! Without your talent, teamwork, and tenacity, we wouldn’t be looking back on such a successful year. Take some well-deserved rest, enjoy some hard-earned fun, and get ready for round 2[023]!
• Seasons greetings to each and every one of you! Working with you this year has been a privilege in more ways than one, and I am so grateful for all of your hard work. Enjoy your time with family and friends, and we’ll rendezvous soon!
• Wishing you all a happy, healthy holiday season and some well-deserved rest and relaxation! Thank you for your daily dedication to our mission and for making every day in this office bright. Looking forward to seeing what exciting adventures await us next year!
• Happy holidays to you and your families. May the season be one of joy, celebration, and warmth and the year to come filled with health and new blessings.
• May this Christmas end the year on a cheerful note, and make way for a fresh and bright New Year. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
• Merry Christmas to a team that makes this office merry and bright!

 

Holiday wishes for coworkers

And last but not least, here are some Christmas and holiday wishes you can put in your cards and messages to coworkers:

• Working with you is a gift every day of the year! Thanks for being you, enjoy your holiday season, and see you again next year!
• Merry Christmas and happy holidays, [name]. May the closeness of friends and the comfort of home renew your spirits this season.
• Happy holidays to my favorite coworker! I don’t know where I’d be without you. I’m so grateful for all you’ve taught me this year. I hope this season is filled with bright blessings and new memories that will stay with you for years to come.
• Happiest of holidays to the happiest of coworkers. Your positive energy inspires me every day. May your holiday season be as bright as you are!
• Wishing you a happy holiday season and a new year filled with blessings! Working with you this year has been a joy and a privilege. Excited to see what we can achieve together next year!

Want more than these Merry Christmas wishes?

If you’re looking for even more ways to incorporate the Christmas and holiday season into your marketing copy, check out these resources:

if you’re greetings for other holidays in the year, check out these:

To say AI has grown in recent years would be the understatement of the century. A few years back, AI was largely a buzzword, with its use cases predominately limited to predictive analytics and chatbots. (This is grossly simplifying things, but you get the point.) Now, we’ve reached a point where you can ask, “Are there ways to use AI for holiday marketing?” And, voila—this question warrants an entire article. Written by a human, of course.

If you’re looking to answer said question and snag a few generative AI prompts while you’re at it, you’ve come to the right place.

Table of contents

How AI is used in marketing

Before we dive into the ways you can use AI for holiday marketing, it’s important to understand the basics of how AI is used in marketing. (Although if you’d like to skip right to the ideas, feel free to do so here!).

AI for analytics

Marketing analytics and AI have gone hand in hand for some time now. In the past, AI played a smaller role in analytics, helping with segmentation and even suggesting keywords to target.

Today, AI powers real-time insights for social posts and ads, allowing marketers to pivot ad spend or ad copy on the fly.

Current AI also allows for more improved targeting. Using AI-powered platforms, you can analyze your current audience groups and demographics, and weigh them against your competitors, past campaign performance, and more.

These emergent uses of AI in analytics, coupled with good old-fashioned historical analytics data, can result in more refined decision-making and the ability to pivot on a dime.

🤖 Get practical tips to use AI the right way >> The Emergency Guide to AI in Marketing

AI for chatbots

Using AI, chatbots can deliver more advanced responses to site visitors. This enables more timely, helpful support, as the chatbot can either resolve the issue or route the person to the correct department.

Advanced AI-powered chatbots can take support even further, answering product questions and making recommendations. This opens up the door to more cross or upselling opportunities.

Personalized recommendations with AI

For years now, online stores have used machine learning algorithms to recommend products and services to shoppers. Now, modern AI can pull from browsing data to serve recommendations in real time.

Coupled with historical shopping habits, this allows for a more personalized, tailored shopping experience.

Generative AI

Generative AI is all the rage right now, with companies like ChatGPT and Jasper becoming borderline household names. Generative AI is a form of machine learning that uses natural language processing (NLP) to learn from large sets of structured data and then create a deliverable to the best of its predictive ability.

Generative AI is largely thought of as a way to generate blogs and school papers, but it’s capable of much more. Generative AI can help you brainstorm marketing campaigns, email copy, social media posts, and virtually any other campaign asset.

8 ways to use AI for holiday marketing

Now that you’re an AI expert, it’s time to use this impressive and terrifying power for some holiday good.

1. Tailor holiday ad copy

There’s nothing wrong with handling your ad ideation and copy by hand. But, if AI is available, why not squeeze a little juice out of it?

There are a number of AI tools that allow you to utilize your current data to improve segmentation. Coupled with your funnel and customer journey knowledge, you can use AI to help you create holiday ad copy that’s ready to meet your customers wherever they’re at.

For example, you could use AI to help you create several variations of ads for the same holiday-themed campaign, each one targeting those at different stages and from different audience segments. You can then take things a step further and use AI to help you reshape some of these ads to offer product recommendations in line with the shopper’s previous habits.

🎁 Want ideas for your holiday campaigns? Get the guide >> Holiday Promotions, Campaigns & Social Posts to Unwrap

2. Personalize product recommendations

The holidays are a time of joy and cheer–and a ton of shopping. Using AI you can help streamline shopping for your customers, delivering more accurate and timely product recommendations based on their browsing of your store.

Amazon is a prime example of using AI to make accurate product recommendations. Not only do they suggest products on a product page, they also have a “Top picks” section where they offer even more suggestions.

If you’re not already using it, implement AI-powered product recommendations before the holidays and help your customers find gifts they didn’t even know they were looking for.

3. Optimize cross-channel holiday campaigns

The holidays are a sales-packed, hectic time for many shoppers. During this time of year, it’s not uncommon for customer journeys to be condensed or expedited, as many people are in crunch mode and skimping on research. With the right AI-powered tools, you can keep up with the wildest of holiday journeys.

• Use advanced analytics to monitor campaign and ad performance in near real-time.
• Make tweaks to landing pages, emails, ads, etc. on the fly to counter bounce rates.
• Pair AI with any number of AI personalization tools to deliver customized page experiences for shoppers based on their behavior.
• Leverage AI-powered chatbots to support customers during hectic holiday campaigns.

With all the above efforts combined, you can quickly alter your campaigns during the holiday season. If people aren’t resonating with a certain piece of your campaign or a particular discounted holiday special isn’t performing as planned, course correct on the go!

4. Improve customer support routing

Customers are bound to need help during the holiday hustle and bustle. With the right AI chatbot and routing systems, you can help customers get the help they need during what should be a fun, not stressful, time of the year.

• Set up chatbots to not only offer help with sales but also offer product recommendations.
• Make sure your chatbot can direct people to the right department and that someone is available when they’re redirected.
• Utilize AI-powered call routing that looks at previous call history and sentiment to ensure people get in touch with the right person at the right time.
• For bonus points, set your chatbot to include fun holiday greetings or language in the introductory chat.

Source

There are a number of AI chatbots and call routing systems, so shop around and find the one that fits your budget and needs.

Most importantly: test any chatbots and call systems you put in place. The last thing you want is an AI-powered chatbot that’s sending people to a 404 page.

5. Simpler sales forecasting

The days of manually poring over historical data are over. Well, not over, but hopefully simpler, thanks to AI.

The last thing you want is for products to go out of stock during the holidays. Before the holiday rush, couple your noggin with one of the many AI-powered sales forecasting platforms. Then, use the tool to examine your previous sales and predict which products are most likely to go out of stock, which are less popular, and so on.

If you don’t have previous holiday data on a particular product, or your company is new, don’t fret! Many AI tools are capable of looking at any available historical data, as well as market data and trends, to help you get an idea of how a product might perform in the future.

6. Real-time ad placement

People are bound to hop around during the holidays, going from one site to another. Fortunately, there are a number of AI-powered ad platforms that are capable of serving up your ads where they make the most sense.

Pair this real-time ad placement tech with your many holiday campaign optimization tricks from earlier, and you can collectively pivot all your holiday assets with ease and maximize your ROI.

This holiday ad showed up perfectly within a post about holiday gift ideas.

7. Streamline hashtags for social

The right hashtags go a long way, increasing the chances your posts are seen by users exploring various trends. The wrong hashtags, on the other hand, can result in your content getting lost in a sea of unrelated posts.

There are a number of AI platforms made just for this task. With one of these tools, you can enter your audience and campaign information, then generate swaths of hashtag suggestions based on the market.

Source

While you should still manually investigate each hashtag before posting anything, these tools can save you precious time—time you can spend monitoring and altering your campaigns.

8. Campaign brainstorming

Generative AI is great for brainstorming individual marketing assets or even entire campaigns, including upcoming holiday efforts. In a few quick steps, you can find the right generative AI platform and start crafting holiday campaign content today.

Find the right platform

There are a number of generative AI platforms, so do your due diligence and see which ones fit your budget and use cases the best. Some platforms charge based on use, while others offer tiered pricing based on the number of seats.

Many platforms will perform similarly, typically using OpenAI to power their generative wizardry. But, take note of any templates or niche features the tools offer. Some platforms are focused more on expediting blogs, while others are focused on content as a whole and offer a number of useful templates.

Feed your generative AI

Once you’ve landed on an AI platform, give the AI thorough brand and audience information to ensure the results are as accurate and tailored as possible.

Some platforms give you the option to submit any links or blog posts you’re comfortable sharing, giving the AI the chance to learn your brand’s voice. This feature can be especially valuable, saving you the time of having to train the AI and resulting in more on-brand results sooner.

Collaborate on campaign ideas

Finally, come up with some high-level campaign ideas, input them into the AI, and watch the magic happen. Some platforms will give you the option to generate ideas for every element of a campaign—blog topics, emails, social posts, and more—while others will simply generate themes for your campaign.

Keep in mind you should always treat AI-generated content as a jumping-off point, not the final copy. You, the person, should always oversee the AI. You know your brand better than any AI or machine learning ever could. Use whatever it gives you as inspiration and write something original that will wow your audience!

20 holiday AI prompts for marketing

Generative AI can help you whether you’re in a creative rut or looking to produce marketing content more quickly. But you need effective prompts, otherwise, you’ll get generic results that don’t even function as jumping-off points or inspiration.

Put holiday cheer into your generative AI journey with these prompts, broken down by content type. Also, be sure to tweak these prompts with any modifiers you want. (Much like generative AI results, these are just jumping-off points.)

Email marketing holiday prompts

• Generate a holiday themed subject line promoting _____ for our company ____ that has a sense of urgency
• Construct a catchy holiday themed subject line that invites users to shop our new line of _____
• Generate a holiday themed subject line that’s funny/inviting/intriguing and promotes an upcoming sale
• Write a warm subject line that invites users to reflect on their year and check out holiday sale
• Generate a holiday themed subject line pitching X% off our entire line of _____ that includes emojis

Get more holiday marketing email ideas here, including templates, subject lines, and examples!

Social media holiday prompts

• Design a fun and festive holiday sale announcement for our ____ company
• Write an inviting holiday themed social media post about our new _____ product
• Generate a 100-word post that invites users to do their holiday shopping this year at COMPANY NAME, which sells _____ products
• Write a compelling pitch for the header of a social media post promoting a holiday sale of _____
• Write a social media post that targets ____ audience and ____ industry and promotes sale/product launch/holiday shopping

Get more ideas for holiday social media posts here!

Content marketing holiday AI prompts

• Write five blog titles that invoke the holidays and pitch ____ audience on our new product _______
• Outline X points for a blog article that’s holiday-themed and targets ____ audience with information about _____
• Write a blog pitch in ____ tone that’s holiday-themed and includes information on ____ for ___ audience
• Write a paragraph on _____ topic that targets ____ audience and includes holiday themes
• Generate X marketing blog topics that focus on the holidays and inform ____ audience on ____

Real success with artificial intelligence

AI can be a helpful asset for your marketing strategy throughout the year, but it can be especially helpful as you’re trying to close out the year strong during the holidays!

Here are 8 ways to use AI for holiday marketing:

1. Tailor ad copy
2. Personalize product recommendations
3. Optimize cross-channel holiday campaigns
4. Improve customer support routing
5. Simpler sales forecasting
6. Real-time ad placement
7. Streamline hashtags for social
8. Holiday campaign brainstorming

Looking for more holiday inspiration?